An entire province of the Netherlands is built upon land reclaimed over the last few generations. Driving through Flevoland with my Dutch guide, it was fun to hear him joke about how these planned communities created an almost Stepford Wives-style contentment, a community designed to make Dutch suburban dreams come true–in his opinion, at the expense of their free spirit.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
Climate change is here. Its effects are happening. The Dutch–famously smart, famously frugal, and famously below sea level–are spending billions of euros shoring up their dikes and preparing for a rising sea. We in the rich world can gear up for it. But the worst effects–and the first people to feel the impact–are in the tropics. These are the poorest people…the half of humanity trying to live on $2 a day…the hungry billion trying to live on $1 a day. Helping them in the face of global warming is not a matter of sympathy; it’s a matter of justice. I believe anyone who denies that the climate is changing on this planet–and that it will have a devastating impact–is either ignorant or evil. I know evil is a strong word. But there are powerful and wealthy people who know in their hearts that climate change will wreak havoc on poor and hungry people…people they’ll never have to face in person. They know that human economic and industrial activities are contributing to climate change. And they are embracing lies about it–and discrediting caring people who are telling the truth about it–because of their own financial interest. These people are part of an evil on this planet in the 21st century that (if measured in the amount of human misery caused by their actions) may surpass even the most evil forces of the 20th century.
In Europe, Dutch territory is both the most densely populated and the most below sea level. For centuries the Dutch have battled the sea. In anticipation of rising sea levels and more violent weather patterns, they are assessing their battlements and investing heavily in their own future dryness.
Huge boats are moving sand from far out at sea into shorelines to bolster the already massive dikes that enable the Dutch to sleep soundly (and dryly) at night.
Traveling through the Netherlands, you can easily hike or bike along the dike. I’ll be filming soon at this location (on the coast an hour north of Amsterdam). Do you have any favorite sights I might want to film that show the mighty Dutch system of dikes?
All over Europe I’ve noticed there are two kinds of sights: legitimate cultural and historic sights that thoughtful travelers seek out, and commercial ventures that advertise aggressively and are on sale all over town with various discounts, promotions, and commissions.
It’s fascinating to see how the crowds that patronize these two groups of sights–cultural and commercial–are distinct and different.
Compare the cost. In Amsterdam you can have a fascinating look at the Dutch Resistance Museum filled with actual artifacts from the days the Nazis ruled the Netherlands; a walk through Rembrandt’s studio complete with his personal inventory of curiosities and his best etchings, and then actually print a replica for yourself; be up-close-and-personal with the very best paintings by Vincent Van Gogh–or you can buy a ticket to a tacky torture exhibit with plenty of papier-mâché gore but absolutely nothing historic inside. Choose carefully how to use your precious vacation time and money.
Do you have any warnings about well-advertised but disappointing commercial sights in Europe? How about sights that might be written off as tacky, commercial ventures that are actually a great value?
I’m in the Netherlands for five days before returning next month with my film crew. I’m scouting good spots to film and good spots for various “on cameras” (like this delightful little counterbalance bridge in the storybook town of Marken). I don’t care about the relentless rain I’m traveling through–but when I’m here with our camera, I’ll be praying for sun. Ten years ago we produced one 30-minute TV show in standard definition on Amsterdam that included a side trip into the countryside. Next month we’ll produce two half-hour shows in glorious hi-def: a complete show on Amsterdam and another on the Dutch countryside. They will air (with an entire new season) this September across the USA on your local public TV station. Stay tuned!
While the twenty-somethings head for the Heineken Experience–a Disneyesque brewery tour– older folks cap a visit to the Van Gogh Museum by heading for the House of Bols: Cocktail and Genever Experience, just across the street from Vincent’s place. This clip shows how, at the end of the tour, you employ what you’ve learned about your taste preferences by designing your own cocktail.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.