Giethorn, A Small Venice In Netherland

 

Although I don't like travelling, still there is some place that I wanna visit. Giethorn is one of them, a peacefully village in the province of Overijssel, Netherland. With 2,500 inhabitants, a rule that car are prohibited and a canal as major transportation, this village given nickname as 'the Venice of the North' or ‘Venice of the Netherlands’.

Do you understand why I wanna go to Giethorn the most? This is because the peacefully atmosphere and the canal transportation!. There are 4 miles of canals, more than 150 bridges and farmhouses with thatched roofs dating back to the 18th century. Sound pretty exotic, isn't? You can explore this village by walking on foot, cycling or sailing.

I wonder how this village didn't have a large road and only have a river instead.  The story begun when the huge and big flood disaster destroy this town. After this flood, first inhabitants found masses of horns of wild goats, which had probably died in 1170 during the flood. They called their settlement Geytenhorn (geit = goat), ulimately becoming Giethoorn (dialect goat = geit = giet). Giethoorn's name originates from the first inhabitants' discovery of hundreds of goat horns (gietehorens) in the marshland, remnants of a 10th-century flood. Today no goat horns will be found here, but the vegetation is quite distinct still. Here you will find yourself on the edge of vast series of lakes and canals, ideal for boaties, angling and paddle-cycling.

Boating has been a popular tourist attraction here for years, with 90km of canoe trails and scores of motorboats to rent, but now, instead of conventional outboard motors, the hire shops stock so-called 'whisper boats' - dinghies driven by electric motor.

Although there are organized boat tours, it's more fun to hire a small electric boat that requires no great technical skill to operate, and seats two or three comfortably. Most of the canal-side restaurants rent them and it's a grand way to spend an afternoon, gently puttering down the narrow waterways, under gracefully arching bridges, past cosy thatched cottages. Btw, people said it is the best choice to rent boat in the morning, because the canals can get very crowded as the day progresses.

There are three canal-side museums to visit and the Schreur shipyard, where the Giethoorn punt is built. Footpaths beside the canals are ideal for walking or cycling, and there's a wide selection of cafes and restaurants.