This is your DIY manual for enlarging or creating your own terp — an artificial settlement mound or house platform designed to protect against sea or river floods, depending on where it is built. Although terps have been constructed on the tidal marshlands of the Wadden Sea for over 2,600 years, this manual is theContinue reading “manual — Making a Terp in Only 12 Steps”
Category Archives: history
Medieval Migration Law. A Matter of Liability
Hwasa thene vthemeda husath ieftha howath ieftha oppa sinne werf set, sa skel hi thes wachtia, hwetsa hi deth. Who receives a foreigner in his house or in his court or seats on his yard, shall be responsible for all that he does. This is codified law from around 1250, known as the Brookmerbrief. LiterallyContinue reading “Medieval Migration Law. A Matter of Liability”
Walking on the Sea. Experience It! (With Care)
Mud flats are treacherous. Yes, the Wadden Sea stretching along the coasts of Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands is UNESCO protected. We support that. But when hiking the Frisia Coast Trail and you go walkabout on its flats at low tide, do so with the utmost care because UNESCO does not give you protection. “ItContinue reading “Walking on the Sea. Experience It! (With Care)”
Notre Dame of Grou
The ‘First Lady’ of the village of Grou in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands, also named Grytsje of Grou. Archaeologists found her in January 2018, in the village of Grou at Halbertsmaplein Sq. Her grave is dated mid-eighth century. She received the title First Lady because until this find, it was not known peopleContinue reading “Notre Dame of Grou”
The True Pirates of the Caribbean
At the end of the seventeenth century, during the Nine Years’ War, the privateers commissioned by the Dutch Republic and operating from the Province of Zeeland captured booty that surpassed even that of the infamous corsairs of Dunkirk and St. Malo — amounting to some 24 million florins. These Zeeland privateers were known as theContinue reading “The True Pirates of the Caribbean”
Oldest Vessel of the World — The Pesse Canoe
The Pesse Canoe. The world’s oldest known water vessel was discovered near the village of Pesse in the Dutch province of Drenthe. Dated to between 8040 and 7510 BC, it predates even the great cradles of civilization such as Egypt and Mesopotamia. Yes, you read that correctly — feel free to go back and checkContinue reading “Oldest Vessel of the World — The Pesse Canoe”
How to Bury Your Mother-in-Law
Your mother-in-law probably chased your tail during life. But do not be so sure you are free once she is gone. If you are looking for advice on how to stop her spirit from haunting you after death, this blog post is for you. Here is a piece of advice that is over two thousandContinue reading “How to Bury Your Mother-in-Law”
Frisia Coast Trail 