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| Zandvoort sand dunes |
This morning the winter sun shone brightly through our window blinds. We woke slowly admiring the swamp hens playing on the canal outside and watching the cyclists ride past on the street below.
It was such a clear day and after the trickle of foggy days we've had recently we thought it would be a great opportunity to explore the Amsterdam coastline! A trip to the North Sea was in order.
We made some giant meatballs stuffed with camembert cheese for lunch and with our picnic wrapped up we jumped in the car and set off. It was about a 30minute drive to the closest beach town of Zandvoort. Just one of the many towns located along the hundreds of kilometres of white coastline.
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| Down to the North Sea |
Popular in the summer with locals and tourists, Zandvoort has a bit of a reputation as a party beach with lots of funky beach bars along the sand. Being winter we came prepared not expecting them to be open. We needn't have though! It was very busy once we arrived and the beach was covered with hundreds of walkers! Many of the restaurant type bars where open and in the beautiful morning sun people sat drinking coffee and Heineken.
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| Down jackets on the beach |
Driving around for a while looking for free car parking (which doesn't exist) we ended up on a spot close to the perimeter of the dunes.
The massive 3400 hectare national park is a natural forming protection against floods for Holland (where most of the country is below sea level). The mass of dunes is responsible for pre-purifying two thirds of Amsterdam's drinking water and is home to all kinds of wildlife (like foxes).
Today though our main focus was the ocean so we parked up and after a quick look, decided to definitely come back and explore the dunes another day!
The small seaside town of Zandvoort is known to have existed as far back as 1100, called Sandevoerde (a combination of sand and voorde, meaning ford).
The name fits well as the dunes surround the town on its north, east and south sides.
Until 1722 the area was under the control of the Lords of Brederode, a noble family from Holland. Although we didn't go searching today, the old Brederobe Castle ruins still exist in the area. The tiny almost isolated village was dependent mainly on fishing for many centuries until the 19th century when it started to transform itself into a seaside resort. In 1828 the first resort was inaugurated and soon after a train line opened allowing holiday makers to come and go. Thereafter many notable persons would visit Zandvoort. In the middle of the same century, potato cultivation started in the dunes and the town began to grow!
During WWII, Zandvoort was heavily damaged but it has since made a healthy comeback with plenty of ugly apartments sticking up along the main boulevard. We wandered from the car to the low sandy shores surprised by how calm the ocean was. Pacing ourselves, we walked up the beach a few kilometres and then just as slowly back again.
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| Looking down on the beach restaurants and bars |
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| Attempting to write our name in the sand |
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| Off to the beach we go! |
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| Zandvoort town hall |
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| Zandvoort main plaza |
Making our way back off the sand we explored the small centre of Zandvoort. There was a town hall and main plaza and accompanying church. From a central roundabout there are four short tree-lined roads lined with adorable Dutch houses and restaurants squished side by side. It's certainly not Spain but is still welcoming and feels like a holiday town.
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| Walking down one side street |
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| Old dutch buildings along the street |
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| Interesting road designs |
There wasn't anything on this weekend but come summer it might be a good laugh to check one out!
Tot siens,
John and Kara
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