Along The Dutch Coast 3-5 (eng.translation)
♪ Where can you lie in the sand until your whole body sunburns? ♪ Where can you drink like an animal, where can you find friends for every party? ♪ Where can you swim like a rat, where can you even get wet inside? ♪ That is on the edge of the Netherlands, that is on our unsurpassed beach ♪ Where can you have sex with your wife that you wouldn't be allowed anywhere else? ♪ While you calmly read your newspaper, your hands caressing her hair ♪ There you play poker with a friend until he cries of misery ♪ That's where the Randstad stands out, that's on our unsurpassed beach ♪ I'd like to take a dip. Really? What is stopping you? I don't have swimming trunks with me. If there is a place where it is not necessary then it is here. How so? This is historical ground, Huub. How so? Was there a sea battle here? This is the first nudist beach in the Netherlands. Here?! Yes.
A few Amsterdammers lay here in 1973. Naked. A police officer came. He said: would you please put on some pants? Well, they had no intention of doing that. Very good. It led to a lawsuit. And to the astonishment of many, the judge ruled in favor of those two nudist. Of course. Here in Callantsoog the entire village revolted.
Mr. Vos, why are you against the nudist beach on Callantsoog? Well, because the resort is going to hell. (85-year-old protests against the nudist beach) They calculated: there were 200,000 nudists.
Were there so many in the Netherlands?! In all of Europe. If they all came to Callantsoog, the village would be overrun. Good for tourism. They didn't like it. A kind of brigade came that threatened to spray paint pants on the nudists. They even took the clothes of someone who was one of the first to go into the sea. No. So that poor man had to return to the village naked.
Without a wallet to buy new clothes. True story? True story. My goodness. It seems they don't do that anymore now.
Now they turn a blind eye? It's the most normal thing in the world. Shall we go? Well, I'll go to the nudist beach, but not naked. Why not? We shouldn't want that.
Come on man, be a man. And besides, I'm way too white. The coast. Where the wind blows and the salt water caresses the beach. Half of our country borders the coast.
We systematically controlled her. But the coast is more than a sea wall. It is also the place of heroic stories, traditions and entertainment. The place to stroll, eat ice cream and enjoy the sun.
The coast. The golden edge of the Netherlands. Where did you put your shoes? Up there. Near a bench. Together with writer Martin Hendriksma I follow our coastline.
From the Zwin in Zeeland... This is where it starts, Huub. To the Eems estuary in North Groningen. Welcome to Germany. Along the way I meet people who live along this eternal tide line. Look. So hey.
And together with them I immerse myself. Along The Coast North Holland: Free ♪ The weather is nice ♪ I take the first train to Zandvoort ♪ That doesn't seem like a bad idea to me ♪ Such a day in Zandvoort by the sea ♪ On our journey along the Dutch coast from south to north... we left South Holland behind us. We have arrived in the busy seaside resort of Zandvoort. In this episode Martin and I follow the coast of the province of North Holland.
You can hardly imagine it anymore... but Zandvoort was once a very chic seaside resort. The crème de la crème of Europe came here. Even the refugee German Emperor Wilhelm II enjoyed strolling on the beach here.
Lavish villas, luxury hotels and casinos. Chic ladies and strolling gentlemen. The beach full of bathing carriages. But unfortunately not much is left of the beauty of 'the queen of seaside resorts' as Zandvoort used to be called. The lavish allure has made way for a fair, burgers and high-rise buildings. Someone who knows all about that is Arie Koper. 15th Generation Zandvoorter.
He takes me to an appropriate spot to explain how it came to be this way. It's a good thing I'm not afraid of heights. Well. What a view. Yes. Beautiful sea.
You are a native Zandvoort resident. That's absolutely correct. How far back does your family go? Around 1550. And probably further, but the writings do not go back any further. So seriously... That's seriously old, yeah. Zandvoort was once also a very fashionable seaside resort.
Yes, from 1880 onwards. When the Elsbacher brothers came to Zandvoort. Three Jewish brothers. Yes, from Germany. They thought: we have to open up the coast. Yes, they built the train track.
We were one of the first railway lines in the Netherlands. Haarlem-Zandvoort opened in 1881. And they have also built a number of hotels. Do you have photos from that time? Yes.
Show me. Look, if we look here... Here we see the Hotel Groot Badhuis. One of the oldest hotels in Zandvoort. Huge. Here we see the old water tower. That was such a beautiful water tower. Also demolished? Yes. Crying shame. Look Huub, I have a nice photo of the shopping passage here.
That was something beautiful. You can't demolish this, can you?! You could eat there. There were restaurants. Music performances were held. We have Hotel d'Orange here. Before that it was called Von Kaufmann. Von Kaufmann?
His name was simply Kaufmann. But it sounded nice to the German guests. Many Germans came here? Yes, the German nobility. With staff. Empress Sisi, for example, also came here. The Empress Sisi of that series! The Empress of Austria, yes. And she just rented nine apartments in the hotel.
She took many walks, she rode horses. She enjoyed herself very much here. And the glitterati also enjoyed themselves... I heard something about a phenomenon like bath carriages. Yes, that is something very special. What is that?
Wading in seawater was healthy. Yes. People said. But you couldn't undress then. It wasn't like nowadays, where you're half naked. That certainly wasn't possible then. No.
So that bathing coach drove to the sea. With the back towards the sea. It had a hood on it. There they went in. They changed into bathing suits. Then they entered the water under the supervision of a bathing woman or bathing man.
On the backside? On the sea side. So you were invisible to the beachgoers? Correct. And then you could still paddle. Yes. So the Germans took all their staff with them, renting entire floors of hotels.
When did that change? After the First World War. Then there were better connections with Zandvoort. The general public came to Zandvoort in large numbers. Because it became affordable. Then they thought: that's too ordinary. 'We have to go to Nice, Saint Tropez.' Yes, and Cannes. Places like that. Then it calmed down a bit.
So when did they start the big demolition? That's quite exceptional when you see that... ugliness of those flats and high-rise buildings. There used to be buildings here, they give you hiccups, so beautiful.
Absolutely. In 1940 you had the Second World War. The Germans came. And they have rigorously decided to demolish it. For the construction of the Atlantic Wall. Because of those bunkers. Okay. They demolished everything up to 200 meters from the coast.
After the war it was completely barren here. So what you see: it's all new construction. You see it here: flats, flats, flats. Yes. I think its horrible. I'm glad you said it, so I don't have to say it. I understand that there is a housing shortage. But the way... It can also be done in another way. You can also build beautifully.
Of course. There are plenty of examples in the country. Yes. And of course we also know Zandvoort from the famous circuit. 14 drivers start at the Zandvoort circuit...
for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands over 90 laps. The Dutch Grand Prix was held here 30 times between 1952 and 1985. The circuit is in danger of being closed at some point due to noise pollution. To make way for homes. But the people of Zandvoort are fighting for its preservation.
As long as it won't be too quiet without a circuit. Ultimately, the circuit may remain. And after many attempts, Formula 1 will return to the Zandvoort circuit in 2021.
After an absence of no less than 36 years. If the circuit continues to exist, it will have a stimulating effect on the local economy. Then you can draw comparisons with Nice and Cannes and the like. The disadvantage is that prices will go up enormously. Also the housing.
So you may wonder whether your children and grandchildren can continue to live here. Because Zandvoort is becoming unaffordable? Yes. Correct. That is a concern. That's a real concern, yes. But does that have consequences for the Koper dynasty, your surname? No, I do not think so. Not?
We are the largest family in Zandvoort. And we remain so. Optimist beyond measure. Of course! Next to the noisy circuit are the silent, beautiful Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes. An area intersected with dunes and canals that runs from Zandvoort to Noordwijk.
Home to thousands of fallow deer. A walking place for more than a million people every year. What a peace. I never knew that the Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes were so stunningly beautiful. Yes. I run here regularly. It is relaxing and exerting at the same time. Yes!
And the area is so incredibly large. I think 3400 hectares. What?! That's 6,800 football fields. Just imagine. That's huge, isn't it? Yes. Rich Amsterdammers had their country residence here. And one of them was the Van Lennep family.
The Jacob van Lennep? The author. And traveler. In the evening they sat on their veranda to have a glass of drinking water. And that water here was much cleaner and tastier than that water in Amsterdam. So Van Lennep thought: we should build a water pipe from the dunes to Amsterdam.
So that all Amsterdam residents can benefit from that water. No sooner said than done? They did it. And in 1853 you could already at the Haarlemmerpoort... get a bucket of clean drinking water for one cent. And do you know who was most happy about that? Well? The Amsterdam beer brewers, because the beer tasted awful here! It was said to be made from canal water. It was only used for the merchant navy.
Because those sailors had no choice. They had to drink it. That drinking water was infamous. It contained substances that led to cholera and typhoid outbreaks. With Van Lennep's invention, Amsterdam became a lot healthier. So that water supply was very important.
How much water do Amsterdam residents now obtain from these dunes? That's 200 million liters of water per day! Unimaginable. Is it just rainwater, or do we get it from somewhere else? A small part is rainwater. The majority comes from our Rhine. Not! Yes. Our Rhine! That Rhine water comes here via a pipe. Because this is the ideal place to purify the water.
To purify. The water here is naturally purified by the dune sand for three months. It then flows on to a treatment plant at Leiduin, five kilometers away. They still have a little problem here, I read: fallow deer. Yes. There are a bit too many. When I go for a run, there are ten of them waiting for me.
You have to push them off the path sometimes. How many are there? I believe there are a few thousand here. And how many can be here? Yes... 800? 900? I believe something like that. Then we say nothing further. No.
And then we wish the fallow deer a lot of strength in the coming years. The dunes are home to many endangered plants and animals. That makes it a nature reserve of international top level. In addition to fallow deer, you will also find foxes, roe deer, bitterns... pine martens, various rare plants, many species of dragonflies...
butterflies and more than 1000 species of mushrooms. There is actually a man standing in the water. What does he have in his hand? A device. No idea. Should we just ask? Yes. Good day! Good afternoon. What are you doing there? I measure the temperature of the water.
O. Why is that important? For the viscosity of the water. Viscosity is density, right? The syrupiness, easy to say. And how viscous should it be? The warmer, the better it infiltrates. And how many degrees is it now? 20.4 degrees. And that's great? Yep, that's fine. What's your profession? Water regulator.
Water regulator? Yes. In the whole area? In the whole area. When you were 17, did you think: I want to become a water regulator when I grow up? No, not at all. It is true that my father also did this work. Ah. Okay.
So that's kind of funny. Yes. I used to work in the management and maintenance department in the dunes. I saw that this job became available and that's when I started doing it. A responsible job? Certainly. If you weren't there, Amsterdam wouldn't have water? Well, I wouldn't put it that way.
This is a dream job for someone who loves the outdoors. Certainly. And one of the most beautiful areas. Yes, I agree. I am very impressed. Beautiful.
Back to coast and beach. We travel further north, to Egmond aan Zee. ♪ Greetings from Zandvoort. Greetings from Egmond ♪ Greetings from Noordwijk aan Zee ♪ Greetings from Dad. Greetings from Mom ♪ Greetings from Frans and José ♪ Do you know that I mainly associate the coast with freedom? Yes.
Well, that was different here in Egmond aan Zee in the last century. Because? Do you know that story about those pale noses? Who went to sea? Yes. There are the pale noses, from city and country.
A stay in a health colony... or convalescent home can prevent a lot of harm. Pale noses were children from the city or the countryside... who were sent by the teacher, pastor or the government...
here with the intention of recuperating. They were called 'Holiday Colonies' at the time. Each pillar of society had a few. Places full of discipline and trauma. And now no more talking and go to sleep.
Did you know that between 1873 and 1970, approximately half a million children... went to such a colony house? Serious numbers. For six weeks. Those children were kind of like broiler chickens. When you arrived at one of those holiday colonies, you were weighed. And again after six weeks. Your weight gain was monitored.
The colony house with the most average weight gain advertised in the newspaper. No way! Then you were the best. Then a new influx of those children started. I can't believe it. One of those pale noses is Bert Peters. He ends up here in Egmond in the Roman Catholic St. Jozef holiday colony home.
He would stay for six weeks, he was told. But that turned out a bit differently. So, Bert. So you're nine. And as a child you are taken away from your familiar parental environment.
And then you are put here. And then you don't come home for six weeks. This is almost child abuse? Yes... That's just how it was at that time. Maybe a platitude.
Didn't you realize that as a child? No not at all. I didn't mind being here either. You weren't homesick? Hardly. What was such a day like for you? Describe it. We got up early: seven o'clock. Then you washed and brushed your teeth.
And that was thoroughly checked. Yes. Of course, also praying in between. Yes. First to church. Yes. And then to the beach in the morning. And in the afternoon it was food again, of course.
Rest, an hour and a half. All in bed. One position. That was one of those things: you were only allowed to lie on your right side.
That was better for your heart. And eat a sandwich in the evening and go to bed early. To bed on time. To bed on time. Yes. Peace, regularity and cleanliness. Yes. That was it. Yes.
How long have you been here? Exactly three months. It would be six weeks. But after that period it was decided to stay six weeks longer. Why? Were you too pale? I certainly wasn't too pale. I had another problem.
I... used to wet my bed. Not! May I? Congratulations. I also did it for a long time. I couldn't help it. No, nobody can.
But did they think it would go away? That it would pass, yes. It wasn't over after six weeks, so I was allowed to stay longer. How did those strict nuns react to your bedwetting? Well, you were just humiliated, really. You were humiliated in front of the entire group. 'Look, Bertje has again...'
"He wetted himself again last night." I don't know exactly how they said it. In front of the whole... Yes.
As a result, you started trying to cover it up. Yes. Those beds were all in a row, one after the other. And you had to make your bed together with your neighbor. I had made an agreement with my neighbor: don't tell.
And then you crawled back into a dirty, wet bed at night. Yes. But anything better than... Yes. Until they found out. And then you were made fun of even more? Then... Then you got hit. Also?! Yes. The bad nuns used their hands. And they often had something in them too: a bunch of keys.
Then, as a nine-year-old boy, you got hit with a bunch of keys? Yes. And that was quite painful. So you made sure you behaved well next time. There are really people who have suffered lifelong trauma from it. Not me. Fortunately. That must also have something to do with where I came from.
I was bullied a lot in that environment. I was never chosen in sports. Or only if necessary. I didn't count on the street. I wasn't a street kid. I was way too soft, my mother said. And that was not the case here. We were all in the same boat here. Great solidarity? Yes.
A lot. Yes, that was very nice. Have you ever been back here? Yes, we come to Egmond almost every year. We have taken Egmond to our hearts a bit. Despite the unpleasant things.
But the positive prevailed for us. Man. And then we'll have a few nice days. If you bring out the good in all the bad things, you can go a long way in life. Top. Very happy for you. When I hear about children being bullied, I always get emotional. I can't stand that at all.
From the pale noses in Egmond to the wealthy in Bergen. Today one of the most expensive municipalities in our country. ♪ I walk quietly through the sand ♪ Passing Bergen aan Zee I see the church ♪ But a century ago, art ruled here. Painters such as Charley Toorop, Leo Gestel... and sculptor John Rädecker, known for the war memorial on the Dam Square... gave here shape to what came to be called the Bergen School.
Numerous writers and poets also settled here. Including the famous poet Adriaan Roland Holst. I have to tell you, I see... remarkably few pale noses. Pale noses, you don't have those here. Oh no? And when you see them, I'm afraid they're from wealthy backgrounds.
Yes. I lived here for a month. People travel here by SUV or on horseback. Isn't this square fantastic, with those terraces? Yes. Have they ever thought about renovating the Ruin Church? No, they won't do that. I like it better this way too. When it is illuminated at night, you don't know what you see. Want to take a look? Well, beautiful. Awesome.
I read that it was almost demolished. That would be a shame. I'd like a drink. Yes. That seems like a good table there. It smiles at us. Do you see that?
Yes. I'm never leaving here again! Beautiful village, right? Bergen. What was here first... Good afternoon, gentlemen.
Good afternoon. What can I pour for you? I would like a rosé. And a white wine please. Sauvignon blanc? Yes. Nice. Okay. Thank you.
What do you think came first here: money and then art? Or first art and then money? I think: art first. Roland Holst came here around 1910 because he liked it here so much. And all those painters came here in his footsteps. That whole clique came together. They were having a glass here. And they visited each other in their studios.
Did members of the Bergen School sit here? I think they came here regularly. Thank you. Please, gentlemen. Enjoy it. Thank you. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Shall I tell you a true story? Please. Which world-famous star, do you think, has performed here in the House with the Pillars? Edith Piaf? Well, that's pretty close. It's Jacques Brel. Jacques Brel! Yes.
What was he doing in Bergen? Yes that... There is even footage of it. I thought I would just walk in and ask where it was.
And that we will stand in the same spot where Jacques stood. And maybe some of that talent, Jacques creative spirit, is diminishing... down on us. We can use it.
Thank you. Let's go. Yes. Oh yeah. Just stand there. It is holy ground. ♪ This evening I'm waiting for Madeleine I have brought some lilacs ♪ I bring them every week Madeleine, she really likes that ♪ This evening I'm waiting for Madeleine We will take the Tram 33 ♪ Yes. Like this. ♪ Madeleine, she really likes that ♪ Tomorrow I will wait for Madeleine We will go to the movies ♪ I will tell her I love you ♪ And Madeleine, she will really like that. ♪
I see him standing like this. Me, too. He brought the house down. Like the true professional that he is, Brel gives everything during the performance. But afterwards he is furious. His performance appears to be linked to a dinner. Food is served during the concert. Brel is annoyed by the rattling of plates and cutlery.
He says: I'm not a bar singer, I belong in a hall! 'And then they bring me here to the province to perform in one of those shit places for the deaf and oldies!' End quote. He throws his fee of 12,000 guilders on the ground... with the message that they can put it in a place where the sun doesn't shine. This will be Brel's last performance ever in the Netherlands. It lifted me up. I feel very creatively misted.
I can live on this for years. We say goodbye to the glitterati and the bohemians of Bergen. We continue our journey to Den Helder. So we are now walking to the northernmost point of the Netherlands? From North Holland. It's called 'Lands End'.
They copied that from the English. Yes. This has been an important military, strategic location for centuries. And it still is. This is the main port of the Royal Navy. Hello! Good afternoon. What an adventure.
Nice. Today our fleet is here, in the Nieuwe Haven. Another impregnable fortress. And it's home port to these impressive guys: The submarines. So long! Bye! What are you doing here? The Directorate of Material Maintenance... we take care of the maintenance of the naval vessels.
And in this case also of the submarines. We're now walking past the Bruinvis (Porpoise). It is under multi-year maintenance.
How long will it take? About three to four years. Three to four years? Yes. If I want one of those things for my birthday, how much will it cost me? Well, quite a lot of money. Yes? Yes. Hundreds of millions? Yes. Certainly.
Sure? Yes. Then I know I have to save some more. Yes. So my own submarine is not an option for the time being. What a thing! But luckily I can look around in one. This is the Zeeleeuw, (sea lion) which belongs to the so-called Walrus class.
Going down. I think: I'll just say it. Very good. Hey, Daniel. Welcome aboard His Majesty Zeeleeuw. It's a bit higher than I expected. Yes, you would almost say: We have the space here.
But we'll see that it is not always true. I am slightly claustrophobic. Well, then it gets even more exciting. It's not that bad here. This is the long room. That is the officers' quarters on board.
The long room. Exactly. Hey! Beds! Beds indeed. Well, this is one of the more luxurious cabins we have here. I wouldn't even get in! You can give it a try, if you ask me. I have a double hernia. I can't even get in, man. How do I do that? I don't think I...
Well, you've come a long way. Yes, I have to... Oh dear. Well, does it feel like home yet? Well, so this is... But Daniel...
I really wouldn't sleep a wink here. Because this is just... I'm in a closed room. And then I'm also in a... You have a little box for yourself. You also close your curtain. This is nice for us. For me it would be total claustrophobia.
Then come out. I don't like it at all. Anyway, I'm 66, right? I'm not there yet. Then we now walk to the central station. The boat is sailed from here.
This is our attack periscope. That's just what I wanted to ask. This is your central binoculars? You could call it that. And it can... This is our periscope. The attack periscope. It comes up here. And then you can indeed look around you, as in the old days. If you go underwater here, what is your maximum range? We could be at sea for weeks.
Underwater? Certainly. Yes. The limiting factor is the food we can take with us. At some point we run out of food.
But sailing for two weeks in a row is easily possible? Certainly. Yes. Certainly. We can go a little longer than that. Incredibly interesting. These enormously complex vessels can disappear beneath the surface... to resurface on the other side of the world. They are used to protect shipping routes.
As a base for special operations. And to gather intelligence on organized crime and international terrorism. Pure espionage at the highest level! When you are at sea for so long, do you suffer from homesickness.
Nowadays we have WiFi on board. This means that we can send messages. Every now and then the mast goes up and then the messages can be sent. But I don't suffer from homesickness myself. Because we know if you're down here that you have to do it together.
And then you get quite a close-knit club. Yes I understand. Yes. Then we will now take a look at the tubes room in the bow That's where we store our torpedoes.
The tube room? Correct. Yes. Here we have the tubes, in the front. We can fire our torpedoes with this.
Oh, that's with...?! Oh yes! Exactly. Yes. How beautiful. As you can see, we have four of them. Have you ever experienced something scary at sea? That you found yourself in a situation with an enemy, imaginary or real? Things happen... There do happen...
There are indeed situations where you... want to get close to another ship to take pictures or something. And if you have the feeling that you are being detected... Those are more exciting things. Do you ever have to chase a drug boat? Drug boats, that did happen.
But we have relatively little to do with that. We are very suitable for... If they have some kind of base near the coast, they won't know we are there. Then we can listen to their way of communicating very easily... I'm told that the Colombian and Mexican drug cartels...
use submarines nowadays... to bring their wares to America. Yes. You hear that a lot indeed.
But we have no role in that at the moment. And whether that will ever happen, I dare not say. I think that's more of a political decision. Yes, I understand. Exciting, honestly. Yes, I get it, Daniel.
It's of course all top secret. Shitting all over the place that you can. Yes. How easy you do that. You really are a Frisian chameleon-like. Sure. Well... Nice. Nice view, right?
We're going there, right? Behind that headland, do you see some delicate lines there? Yes. Afsluitdijk. Do you think? Yes, you know where it leads. To beautiful Friesland. Paradise. Friesland above. Yes. The most beautiful part of the Netherlands. For 50 percent that is completely true. I can't quite admit it, because I'm from Limburg, you know? If it gets out that I think Friesland is the most beautiful province...
then I will be chased out of the city with tar and feathers. I like Friesland. And I once played in a Frisian film. Yes, you seem to speak some Frisian. I don't want to show off. Sybold! Sybold! Sybold is not there. Sybold went to Germany, escaped! Well, I guess they'll let you in at the border.
Yes? With this kind of language knowledge? Yes, should be fine. I'll put in a good word for you. Thank you. Nice place here. Awesome, man.
2023-10-31 06:55
