The 2003 EuroTour "On The Road" Journal

Dinner by the Sea in Marken

The route brought us into the small seaside villiage of Marken.The tiny village of green houses on stilts is surrounded by an equally tiny harbor. The town was once an island before it was connected by a causeway. The villiage lost its livelihood when access to the open sea was cut off. It is tourism that saved Marken's life, where occupants still wear traditional dress. Some of the fishing boats that sail the IJsselmeer hoist dark brown sails as a sign of mourning for their lost sea fishing.

We parked our car and took a short walk into the Dutch villiage, stepping back in time. While it is a villiage, which survives on the tourist trade, the intergrity of this small seaside community does not appear to be compromised. It is a more rural town than the others, which dot the Ijsselmeer shore. There are small clusters of farm houses.

We sat in a charming restaurant by the sea in Marken, which was the perfect choice for an early dinner. We saw our first under saddle Dutch horses as they rode past us for a shoreline hack.

After a tasty meal, washed down with beer and wine, we we returned to Amsterdam, where we collapsed in our rooms after a full day.