Beckstrand Beat: Enkhuisen

The Tibbitts invited us to join them in a trip to Enkhuisen - north of Amsterdam about an hour on the Ijselmeer. This area was once a fishing village on the Zuiderzee - which was an inlet of the North Sea. Salt water fishing was the main industry for the residents. When the afsluit dyke was built in 1932, the newly created Ijselmeer was cut off from the sea and became a fresh water lake. The fishing industry was completely destroyed.

What was once a prosperous, well-to-do village lost their livelihood. They eventually had to develop other industry to support their families. The museum in the background shows some of those alternative vocations.

We went first to the outdoor museum, since the weather was dry (for the moment). Here we enjoyed the marina where hundreds of pleasure craft were moored.

This is such a beautiful little village. Everything has been preserved or restored to the 1700-1800's era, depicting it as it was when the fishing industry was at it's peak.

This was a smokehouse, where the haring (herring in English) was smoked after being brought to shore. These salt water fish are a huge favorite with the Dutch people.

The homes down by the wharf were elevated on stilts above the ground to avoid flooding in times of high water.

Many of the homes were open for visitors to see inside. The blue paint was used a lot because it is said to repel flies. (I didn't know that flies don't like the color blue!) Apparently they won't come into a room that has blue on the walls.

This was an antique grocery store. All the various products were displayed attractively.

Elder Tibbitts gets a shot of the inside of the grocery store.

Some of these boats were really pretty.

Next we went inside a rope making shop. The ropes came in various sizes and colors.

The rain came down quite hard for a few minutes, but Elder Beckstrand soon put his umbrella away. The rain wasn't serious after all. We've had nearly two weeks of rain without a break. (Sigh.)

These are interesting nets. They were designed to be pulled behind the boats to snare the smaller fish.

Soooo pretty.

More of the village from across the water.

I love the contrasting paint colors, common in these small villages. These houses were black and white, while Marken Island had homes that were green and white. Both are very attractive.

We found this colorful gentleman making fishing nets. He was constructing this net as we watched.

Reliable nets were the most important part of the fisherman's equipment.

This shop made kegs of all kinds.

Be sure to take off your shoes before entering the house!

This was a fun fellow to talk with. He had many interesting stories to tell about former days in Enkhuisen.

Here we saw a sleeping compartment. The strange thing was that they sat up to sleep. The beds weren't long enough to stretch out and lie down.

A living room/kitchen combination with a baby's basinet on the right.

These children were making boats out of wooden shoes. They put the stick into the bored holes, then attached whatever shape of sail they desired.

Elder Beckstrand enjoys the quaint streets with shops on each side. The pretty church in the background was open for visitors also.

We were excited to find a candy store open for business with eatable products to sample.

This room caught my eye because of the old organ on the side. There was music in this home!

Ummmm. Which of the many choices shall we try? (I loved the almond shaped anise candies.)

Here we saw a shop that produced baskets for the village.

Two smiling tourists are enjoying the rare experience of SUN on their faces.

This was a blacksmith shop. The owner was just stoking up the fire.

I went inside the church to see what early Dutch meeting houses were like.

I don't think these pews look very comfortable. I hope the preacher wasn't too long-winded!

Out on the circuit again we went into a knife-making shop. All kinds of sharp objects were in evidence. I think you could find anything here from gardening tools to weapons.

This lady ran a photography shop. If you had the time and interest, you could dress up in native costume and have your picture taken.

This spiral staircase looked like a good way to stay in shape. It wouldn't take too many times up and down these steps before your legs would know they'd had a workout. This was a party-goods shop.

Some of these masks were pretty garish. It made you wonder what kind of parties they had in this village!

Hello again, everyone. Smile for the camera......

Okay - here we found a little restaurant/ice cream shop. The interesting thing was - the ice cream was made from sheep's milk. Did you know there was such a thing? Sheep only have milk right after they lamb, right? So how do they get enough milk to produce ice cream? Do the poor lambs have to go hungry so visitors like us can enjoy the ice cream? (It was REALLY good!)

This is a pharmacy (Apothecary) shop from bygone days.

Jared would have enjoyed seeing the labels on some of these bottles.

What a picturesque gazebo. They certainly know how to create a kodak moment, right down to the ducks in the canal.

We even found an old-fashioned hardware store. This village had it all.

Speaking of having it all - it wouldn't be Dutch without a windmill, and this village had a really pretty one.

Guess what? They're smoking herring here. (Not like as in cigarettes, but like as in a kiln with wood and a smoking fire over which they place the little fish.) Elder Beckstrand and Elder Tibbits both purchased a smoked herring and were willing to share a tiny taste with their loving spouses. We couldn't come to Holland and not try smoked herring. It is a Dutch favorite. Actually, I was surprised! It wasn't too bad.

The wind was brisk, but we weren't complaining. Notice, the umbrellas are closed......

Here we saw a wood-making shop. Dowels and small wooden objects were most prevalent.

These large kilns were used for producing lime from sea shells.

And this is the old-Dutch equivalent of the Coast Guard Rescue Service. Over the door it says:

"South Holland Rescue Company".

Someone with a sense of humor has found a way to make dried herring skins into a work of art. It almost looks like something you'd find on the Navajo reservation in Arizona.

Once the fish were caught, a way was needed to get them to market. Hence, an early 1900's delivery truck.

When you needed your laundry done, you took it to the town laundry. This is the boiler that heats the water.

They were obviously quite a ways behind in their work.

This cute Dutch girl was willing to pose for my camera.

Here she joins other children - some of which are also in native costume. The boys' hats look warm. I'll bet they would need them in this village in the winter time. The wind off the sea would be bitter!

You guessed it - there would have to be a cheese shop in town.

I haven't tried the Edam kaas (cheese). We've always gone for the Gouda in the big yellow wheels. Sometime before we go home we'll have to try the Edam in the little round balls.