The last stop on my travels through the Netherlands was Ijmuiden van Zee, a tiny harbor town on the coast. Even though it had been very easy up to this point reaching any destination I chose to visit, the journey to the sea was a tad more adventurous.
I took the tram to a bus that was destined for the coast. In a rare case in the Netherlands of language barrier I apparently was unable to clearly convey to the driver where I was headed. We meandered through the stunning Holland countryside for about 45 minutes. Upon pulling up to an empty bus stop in a tiny suburb the driver indicated for me to exit. I watched as he drove off, leaving me kind of in the middle of nowhere, wondering what came next. Well, what came next was 45 minutes of me sitting alone at the bus stop, singing progressively louder to myself. Obviously, no one else was coming to take me the rest of the way, so I set out walking in a randomly determined direction.
When I reached the first road sign about 10 minutes later I realized the Universe was taking good care of me...I was going the right direction! Now the journey would begin in earnest. I strolled through such beauty on my way to more beauty on the coast, discovering as I went a massive network of WWII bunkers just before the harbor. They were sadly fascinating and, while they did bring me a bit down thinking of why they were there, I was very glad my meandering brought me to them.
After an hour of relaxed exploration I made it to Ijmuiden van Zee. What an incredibly enchanting place! I could not have asked for better weather nor a more beautiful destination. First came the harbor, nestled between the land and a man-made breakwater, sunlight glinting off placid waters, four or five piers with lovely boats, both sail and motor powered, waiting patiently for their owners to take them out onto the expansive sea. Beyond the docks came a hotel and small area of restaurants and shops....nothing gaudy...everything in keeping with the surrounding loveliness. It was here I decided to take a brief respit and seek nourishment. A round building housing a Chinese restaurant beckoned so in I went, taking a seat among bright decorations and friendly faces and promptly ordered what had become a staple of my European adventures, an Irish coffee.
The owner came and engaged in conversation, asking the normal queries of who, where and why and informed me that the beach was truly massive and took at least 10 minutes to walk from the boardwalk to the ocean. Wow...10 minutes! Pretty darn cool. The was fantastic and, thus armed with sustenance, I set off to complete my journey.
The beach was stunning! I grew in the natural beauty of the Caribbean, the United States Virgin Islands more specifically, so I know a quality beach when I see one and this was of the very highest order. The first thing I noticed was a tiny bit of snow hanging on to life just as I stepped off the boardwalk. Snow on the beach...that was definitely a first for me. Lovely, light colored sand reached out in every direction. At first I couldn't really tell where beach ended and ocean began. As I began walking towards the ocean I realized that the gentleman in the restaurant had been correct...it would take me at least 10 minutes to reach the water.
The serenity...the sheer beauty...is difficult to put into words, so I won't try. I encourage you to see the vivid beauty through my eyes and check out my Ijmuiden van Zee gallery. I hope you enjoy!
Remember, there are no strangers here, just friends we haven't met yet. :)
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