Last weekend, CIEE organized a trip to the lovely island of Schiermonnikoog in the north of the Netherlands. After a 3hr bus ride and a 45 minute boat ride, we arrived on the island Friday night and got our rented bikes and headed towards our hostel. Note: it wasn't just any hostel, the hostel was actually a farm that we had all to ourselves. We got an "American" style feast for dinner complete with cole slaw, spare ribs, potato salad and all the fixings. The Dutch did a decent job - the spare ribs were delicious. That night we just relaxed and played card games in our little attic room that we discovered.
Saturday morning we head to the water. During low tide, you can mudflat hike where the water retreats. We spent about 2hrs hiking - maybe more like sinking into the mud - and learning all about tons of wildlife, currents, etc. All in all, it was a pretty muddy morning being that we were halfway up to our shins in mud, yet fun. We had some free time after that so we took our bikes and went for a ride around the island and ended up at a little lake set within the woods. We had some balls and frisbees so we improved a few games, then headed back for dinner. Just in case I wasn't already amped off of the first night's dinner, it got better. We got a huge BBQ feast with chicken sate, kebabs, stuffed peppers, and steak. Unreal. After stuffing our faces yet again, we made our way down to the beach for a Dutch style bonfire. It was more like a dumpster fire cause the firepits were just steel boxes, but it was still a good time. After the bonfire, we decided it would be fun to hit the town. And by hitting the town in Schiermonnikoog, I mean going to one of the two bars. After the first one, we decided to go to their version of a "club" which was just janky music and designed like the "Smash Club" from Full House. It gets better. Inside, there was a wedding partying using the space as their post-party, a sorority on retreat dressed up in ridiculous costumes, guys from a stag party and us. Good times.
We took a guided bike tour on Sunday morning around the island. The same guide that showed us around the mudflats took us around the island to see the sea salt marshes, sand dunes, a German WW2 bunker, a lighthouse or two, and a seamen's cemetery. After the biking, we took advantage of our free time to soak in the sun a little bit more before we headed home. The island was really cool to explore and felt amazing to do something that doesn't involve a city, bus or metro. Schimonnikoog was actually voted one of the most beautiful places in the Netherlands. Judge for yourself....
Saturday morning we head to the water. During low tide, you can mudflat hike where the water retreats. We spent about 2hrs hiking - maybe more like sinking into the mud - and learning all about tons of wildlife, currents, etc. All in all, it was a pretty muddy morning being that we were halfway up to our shins in mud, yet fun. We had some free time after that so we took our bikes and went for a ride around the island and ended up at a little lake set within the woods. We had some balls and frisbees so we improved a few games, then headed back for dinner. Just in case I wasn't already amped off of the first night's dinner, it got better. We got a huge BBQ feast with chicken sate, kebabs, stuffed peppers, and steak. Unreal. After stuffing our faces yet again, we made our way down to the beach for a Dutch style bonfire. It was more like a dumpster fire cause the firepits were just steel boxes, but it was still a good time. After the bonfire, we decided it would be fun to hit the town. And by hitting the town in Schiermonnikoog, I mean going to one of the two bars. After the first one, we decided to go to their version of a "club" which was just janky music and designed like the "Smash Club" from Full House. It gets better. Inside, there was a wedding partying using the space as their post-party, a sorority on retreat dressed up in ridiculous costumes, guys from a stag party and us. Good times.
We took a guided bike tour on Sunday morning around the island. The same guide that showed us around the mudflats took us around the island to see the sea salt marshes, sand dunes, a German WW2 bunker, a lighthouse or two, and a seamen's cemetery. After the biking, we took advantage of our free time to soak in the sun a little bit more before we headed home. The island was really cool to explore and felt amazing to do something that doesn't involve a city, bus or metro. Schimonnikoog was actually voted one of the most beautiful places in the Netherlands. Judge for yourself....
The island from the dike
Free tractor rides!
Mid-hike
Lookout by the bunker
Pathway down to the beach
Mudflat hiking!
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