After the authenticity and laid-back local atmosphere of Terschelling, Giethoorn was a big change. Like all of Holland, trails are everywhere, and picturesque canals full of boats are everywhere and classic Dutch houses with thatched or tile roofs are everywhere...
Our four days on Terschelling flew by... on to the next adventure in Giethoorn. The ferry was not nearly as crowded as on the way over - apparently the youth camps run for a week starting on Sunday so better to plan to avoid weekend arrivals and departures.
Lest we forget... Terschelling was not always an island paradise. It was one of the first places overrun and occupied by the Nazis in WWII. They established a huge Stellung (bunker complex) that covered almost the entire island. It's main purpose was to detect allied fighter planes, bombers and ships before they could reach Europe’s mainland, and destroy them with anti-aircraft guns and mortars.
We always say Montana is the Big Sky Country - but it's got nothing on Terschelling... the sky stretches on forever! Big Sky, Big Sand, Big Dunes... It's hard to describe Tershelling - the scenery is so wild and varied and each town has its own character. West Terschelling considers itself "the Old West" with country music and line dancing. We especially like Midsland and the beaches at the east end of the island.
A 2 hour ferry ride took us to the spectacular and historic island of Terschelling. A 15 miles long island with hundreds of bike trails - paved or crushed stone to some of the widest, whitest beaches in the world, quaint fishing towns, lovely quiet forests, and a long and fascinating history including some of the best preserved relics of the German occupation. Tershelling is such an amazing place it's going to take a few posts to cover the scenery and the history.
The heatwave drove people from Amsterdam in a huge flood to the northern parts of the Netherlands and it seemed that every place was booked. At the last minute a tiny house popped up north of Groningen and we were delighted to find it!
There's nothing like local knowledge. Our favorite area around Groningen is the area south of the bustling town center near the beautiful Lake Paterswoldsemeer. On our first visit we were charmed by the lovely classic houses with thatched roofs in private gardens in the smaller town of Haren. We were thrilled to find one of the houses we had admired available on Airbnb! What a place to come home to! There was a record heatwave so we were really pleased to have a cool, quiet place in a walkout basement with our own private balcony!
From Denmark we headed back via Gluckstadt, a charming German town on the Elbe where there is a ferry. It was a long and winding drive but it's the only Elbe crossing north of Hamburg and it avoids the nightmare snarl and permanent stau (backup) of the Hamburg freeway construction. Our Gasthaus Kleiner Muck (it's not the most melodious language is it?) was right on the square and we had a lovely dinner at the Ratskeller.
On July 20, Jack and Linda hopped a northbound overnight ferry heading to Norway while we headed south to sunny, windswept Aero Island, the lovely Danish sailing, swimming and cycling mecca, where we spent a sunny and wonderful couple of days... getting lost on vanishing trails, enjoying the spectacular scenery, exploring new trails, meeting new friends, and having a wonderful time. Lots of sailboats - only 8 miles from Germany so many German yachts as well as Danish.The scenery was so peaceful and idyllic I took way too many photos and it's hard to choose.
Our last days near Copenhagen with friends Jack and Linda Knicely were filled with adventure, fun and lots of laughs. I've combined them in one post - so LOTS of photos!
