Journey to the Past: Hoorn, Medemblik, Enkhuizen

What to expect

Maritime Adventures in Hoorn
For the Dutch, Hoorn is more than just a cozy corner of North Holland. Citizens honor the city for its victory in a naval battle, which gave the country independence. We will peek into ancient courtyards, talk about the lives of past city dwellers, and see how present-day Hoorn residents live. You will learn about the country's colonial period, the Dutch East India Company, and pirates, discover what a gable stone is, and how to decipher its relief. Visit a cozy hofje and even a former prison. At the port office, you will hear the legend of a mermaid and the story of teenagers who managed to inflict serious damage on the Dutch fleet. We will see the famous ship Half Moon, whose crew discovered the islands of Manhattan and Long Island, and you will learn how to survive a storm using oil!

Medemblik - a City on the Lake
On the vintage steam train "Stoomtram" with a whistle and a stoker throwing coal into the furnace, we will head to Medemblik. In just over an hour, we will enjoy pastoral landscapes, discuss life in a Dutch village, innovations in agriculture, and the amazing attitude to nature in this country. If we are lucky, Frisians who seem to have come straight from the 19th century will tell us about traditions and national costumes. In the restaurant car, we will try poffertjes pancakes, and at a remote stop in the polders, we will play old games. Upon arrival in Medemblik, you will stroll through the picturesque center and reach the real Count's Castle, which is associated with several amazing stories. Over a cup of traditional Dutch tea with the best apple pie in the area, you will understand how a country, 60 percent of which lies below sea level, protects itself from flooding.

Living History of Enkhuizen
From Medemblik, we will take a steamboat to an open-air ethnographic museum. You will be transported to the 19th century and become a temporary resident of a fishing village: see the fishing shipyards, try on wooden clogs, and help weave baskets, make brushes, or boil resin. Visit a barbershop, pharmacy, bakery, and then enjoy smoked mackerel or sturgeon while sitting on a wooden bench in the smokehouse courtyard. Finally, send a postcard home from an old-fashioned post office, take a gondola ride through the canals, see windmills, and learn how Dutch cheese is made. Dinner at a fish restaurant overlooking the old harbor will recharge your energy before the return journey!