Amsterdam, Scheveningen and now Roompot - we're on a roll!

We set off for Amsterdam in fair winds of about F4/5. Our route meant sailing across the Markermeer, an inland sea separated from the IJsselmeer by the Markermeerdijk - another long and impressive dam. We pass through the dam by way of a lock at Enkhuizen. This is an interesting one because the road actually goes underneath it! It must seem a bit odd seeing yacht masts, or even a ship, on a "bridge" over the road!

The Markermeerdijk lock - situated above a road

The weather was very wet on occasions, reducing the visibility to less than a mile. It was a fast if unremarkable trip, save for the fact that the Markermeer is so shallow! It's odd bowling along at 6 knots with little more than a metre under the keel.

Crossing the Markermeer. It ain't 'alf shallow!

Waiting for the Oranjesluizen and entry to the Nordzeekanaal at Amsterdam

The approach to Amsterdam. I don't think we were seeing it at its best!

We decided to stay at Amsterdam's Sixhaven marina, which is a short (and free) ferry ride from Central Station and the centre of Amsterdam itself.

Our first day's stroll around was marred by appalling weather and we were pleased just to get back to the boat. The pictures below were mainly taken between downpours!

Amsterdam - the only place I've ever seen multi-storey bicycle parks

Buildings don't seem to be vertical in Amsterdam...

.... although we'll put this one down to the photographer!

... and this one. Is that the Grim reaper? Royal Palace

Just look at that weather

Central Station on a better day

Canal view

For our second day, we decided to have a theme. We started off by visiting the Verzetsmuseum - the Dutch Resistance Museum and ended up spending about 4 hours there. It told the story of the WW2 occupation of Amsterdam by the Germans. Its theme was: Nazi Germany has occupied the Netherlands. What do you do? Adapt? Collaborate? Resist? It then gave real examples of people who had done each, with explanations in each case as to why.

The museum also told the story of the 140,000 Jews who lived in the Netherlands - mostly in Amsterdam - during the occupation. The statistics make sobering reading. 107,000 were deported, of whom only 5,500 survived. 25,000 went into hiding, of whom 18,000 survived (some people went looking for those in hiding to claim the 7.5 guilders reward for each Jewish person they turned in). A further 8,000 - mainly those in mixed race marriages - endured other indignities, including sterilization.

It wasn't only the Jews that suffered though. During the Hunger Winter, 20,000 Dutch people died of starvation. To keep warm, they cut down trees and dismantled houses that had been vacated for firewood.

The Dutch Resistance Museum

In times of shortage, you make do!

A painting of roll call in Auschwitz by a former prisoner

We bought a booklet detailing a walking tour between the Anne Frank house and the museum itself and used that as a theme for an afternoon stroll. This was an interesting find, as it guided you to the places that the events we'd read about took place.

The plaque below commemorates those who attacked the municipal register of births and deaths. This information was used by the occupiers to trace Jews, resistance members and young men who were to be sent to work in Germany. Explosives destroyed the whole of the top floor and the fire brigade added to the damage by using huge amounts of water to put out the ensuing fire. Almost all those involved in the attack were betrayed, arrested and sentenced to death.

The building in the picture below used to house a theatre. In 1942 it became the location where Jews were gathered before deportation to concentration camps. It is now a place of commemoration.

Hollandsche Schouwburg deportation site

The theatre's auditorium was demolished in the 1960s and replaced by this monument

Opposite the deportation centre was a day care centre for Jewish children awaiting deportation. About 500 were saved from here. Children would be smuggled out via the school or in bins. When the number 9 tram concealed them from the guards opposite, resistance workers would leave the centre with a baby in each arm and run alongside it to the next stop!

Commemorative plaque outside the former day care centre

Auschwitz Monument

The statue pictured below commemorates a strike that even my dad would have approved of! The first major raids on Jews on 22nd and 23rd of February 1941 made a huge impression on Amsterdam's residents. Dock workers and local authority employees decided to show their outrage by going on strike. The response was huge and, on 25th February, there were no trams in the streets and numerous companies remained closed. This was the only mass protest against the deportation of Jews in Europe.

Statue de Dokwerker

Rembrandt Statue

The building below was the site of a bank robbery. It used to be the Dutch Central Bank and, when Germany invaded the Netherlands, all the gold was taken from the vaults to England. What remained were treasury bills. Two brothers managed to replace these with forged ones and the real ones were cashed in, providing the resistance movement with more than 50 million guilders.

Allard Pierson Museum - formerly De Nederlandsche Bank

Dam: National Monument. The shields conceal urns with soil from execution sites

The Anne Frank house which we've visited previously

The sad thing is that no lessons seem to be learned from history; war just keeps on happening. A demonstration in the square by the national monument provided perfect examples of this with protests against the war in Syria, the troubles in Egypt and the ongoing hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians.

Demonstration against situation in Egypt

A reasonable forecast saw us heading along the Nordzeekanaal for IJmuiden and thence to Scheveningen in the North Sea. Amsterdam wished us a final farewell with yet another downpour soon after we'd left the marina...

Me in a downpour

Jo "enduring" the same downpour - under our sprayhood!

Exiting the canal system at IJmuiden via the Kleine Sluis

Look carefully and you'll see that that structure is actually under tow!

Fortunately Amsterdam's shower soon passed and we had a great sail in sunshine to Scheveningen, where we'd also stopped on our way north.

Scheveningen

We only stayed one night as the forecast was good for the following day. We had toyed with the idea of making straight for Oostend in Belgium, but decided to head for Roompot Marina instead. We're glad that we did as the wind didn't allow us to make our intended course. Instead, we had to beat to our destination in rather confused seas. Doing that for the 80 miles to Oostend would have been an ordeal. Actually, come to think of it, doing that for the 50 miles to Roompot was too! We arrived feeling fairly beaten up at about 1830 and settled to a nice glass of wine. Ahhh!!

Approaching Roompotsluis. Roompot marina is behind this huge dam

Goodbye North Sea

Hello Oosterschelde - another inland sea, but a tidal one for a change

The best thing about Roompot is that, apart from a marina, a large holiday complex, a supermarket, a swimming pool and an enormous sandy beach, there's absolutely nothing here. That means a day where we can just sit and read a book while admiring the view. Marvellous!

Roompot beach

Our berth

The harbour entrance, viewed from our berth

If the weather forecast remains as it is, we'll head for Oostend on Wednesday.

Thanks for reading.