Boating through Giethoorn

We finally made it to Giethoorn! This charming, mostly car-free town 90 minutes from home had been on our must-visit list since we arrived. 

There is a large car park when you enter town. We stocked up on picnic provisions at the grocery store and then walked towards the water to find a boat to rent. There are a lot of companies renting various vessels. We went with the first one we came across and got a comfortable boat for 6. 

Pete and I both had the impression that Giethoorn was a town on a grid layout where instead of intersecting roads, there would be intersecting canals. It turned out that the town was along just one, single long canal with many crossing bridges. You cruise one way through town, then you turn into a large lake. 

There is a cafe in the lake that we stopped at for coffee. 

And there's a small picnic island in the middle of the lake where we stopped for lunch.

Then you cruise through marshland, which reminded me of our time in De Biesbosch National park. 

Views from the watch tower

We picked up some Dutchies whose hybrid sail boat was a bit stranded with no wind. We towed them the rest of the way into town. 

When someone speaks Dutch to me, if I don't understand what they are saying, I stop them and say "Sorry, I speak English." When someone speaks Dutch to Pete and he doesn't understand, he smiles and nods his head. Which meant that this poor man was yelling after us that he needed help and Pete just kept boating away until he realized the man needed help and we turned our boat around! 😂

Back in town, you boat up the one way main canal until turning to return the boat. 

We walked around the town for a bit after returning the boat. The church had a room to make origami cranes. 

The actor, dancer, TV personality, and gay rights activist Albert Mol who came out on TV in 1969. 

So glad to have finally seen this sweet town and experience it with my parents.