After visiting the lovely old town of Franeker for the Eisinga Planetarium, my friend and I went back to Leeuwarden to embark on what was probably the craziest bike ride I have done so far. In the end, we cycled nearly 50-kms in total -- yes, on the regular thin-wheeled Dutch bike one can rent out at the stations-- to get to Zwarte Haan and back. I'm not sure if there could have been buses to get us there and back, but we never encountered any on the way. Also, I found the bike journey across rural Friesland rather enjoyable, something I never experienced in the more modern corners of the country. The journey was probably even more memorable than the destination itself, which in this case was the Wadden Sea. Upon reaching the seaside village, we had to climb the verdant dike that is dotted with sheep to finally set foot in the Wadden Sea. From the top on the dike, one can go to a viewing platform right in front of the HG Miedema Pumping Station to have a higher vantage point in appreciating the open views of the sea and the polder behind it. One can also move forward passing the tall grass, and get closer to explore the vast mudflats. On our visit, there was only one person there who was armed with long camera lenses, taking close-up shots of birds. We did not get too deep so as not to disturb the animals.

Given my tropical upbringing, I must say that the standards for "seas" and "beaches" for us are quite high, so the seascape was nothing too exciting. It is flat, formless, and waveless. It was definitely a new experience for me. However, given that I am also an amateur bird watcher who enjoys birding trips abroad and is residing right beside a bird sanctuary in northern Philippines, I was quite impressed by the density of avifauna that can be seen across the horizon; I was fortunate that the time of the visit coincided with the peak of August-October bird migration season. if there is only one thing that I regret it was that I did not bring my zoom lens on that trip. After a little bit over an hour in the Wadden Sea, we cycled our way back taking advantage of the remaining daylight and still being able to see some beautiful Frisian horses on the way.

Zwarte Haan has a proper UNESCO World Heritage Site marker and also has two artwork installed nearby ("On the dike at Zwarte Haan you will find De Slikwerker, a bronze statue of a farm worker made by Frans Ram in honour and memory of the men who reclaimed Het Bildt. In 2010, a memorial entitled Om de kwaliteit fan de romte was erected on the dike, designed by Gunnar Daan in memory of the Frisian deputy Anita Andriesen" [retrieved from Wikipedia]). The village also happens to be the starting point of the Jabikspaad of the Frisian section of the Way of St. James. We also, technically, went along a considerable stretch of the Wadden Sea by going through the Afsluitdijk, but we did not make a stop there anymore as it was windy and drizzling. (Photos: Swarte Haan)