Our lunch pitstop happened to be located right by the seashore so after lunch, we took a break and visited the North Sea.Hard to believe that we were less than 150 km away from the English coast.
Countless ships of the Dutch East India Trading Company once sailed from its habour, making the city extremely wealthy as a result.
Drommedaris
Given its shape, the building's name was derived from the Dutch for the Arabian camel. The tower served as a defensive gate for incoming ships.
Changing geography meant larger ships could no longer enter Enkhuizen and the city gradually declined. Now it relies mainly on tourism. We just walked around, taking in the historical surroundings.
I don't know if you can tell, but the building walls in the photo are slanting outwards to the street. And almost all the houses we passed were the same. It's not because of shoddy construction or shifting foundation. Back in the day, taxes were calculated based on the house's footprint. So to save money, the walls are built outwards as to create more space on the upper floors.Walking through the village, there was a sense that the houses were all closing in. This town is definitely not suitable for claustrophobes.
It boggles my mind as to how much additional space one can realistically achieve through this technique. I can't imagine more than a plank's width.
Lunch: Strandrestaurant Nederzandt
Dinner: De Jonge Dikker
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