We retrace our steps to the sixteenth century, a time when the potato was still an exotic newcomer. Today, children grow up on pasta, pizza, burgers, shawarma, sushi, mountains of noodles, and fried rice. That is why, when you serve them plain boiled potatoes for supper — once in a while, with a pinch ofContinue reading “Know Where to Find Your Sweet Potato, and the Cradle of Home Nursing Too”
Category Archives: history
Finally, King Redbad Made His Point in the European Commission — Via Facebook
“I can not live without the company of my forefathers”, Redbad said in an interview in 718. In 2018 this sentence caused turmoil in the social media and the European Union. Having such an impact 1300 after your death deserves some further investigation, we believe. This article is about a medieval king, freedom of religion,Continue reading “Finally, King Redbad Made His Point in the European Commission — Via Facebook”
Another Brick in the Wall. A Love-Hate Relationship
Who has not dined at least once in an ’80s Chinese restaurant that carried the name 万里长城 (‘Great Wall of China’)? Certainly, you have been at least once at one of these restaurants for take-away, with the white plastic boxes wrapped in paper sheets, with prawn crackers and a small cup of sambal sauce (‘chiliContinue reading “Another Brick in the Wall. A Love-Hate Relationship”
Refuge on a Terp 2.0. Waiting to Be Liberated
21 August 1930, Wieringermeer in the province of Noord Holland. The reclamation of just another piece of the Zuiderzee ‘southern sea’ was completed. A wooded area, when it was still land, that was called Creilerwoud. Land lost to the sea eight centuries ago during the most destructive All Saints’ Flood in the year 1170. TheContinue reading “Refuge on a Terp 2.0. Waiting to Be Liberated”
Why Was Redbad Skinny Dipping in Eau de Cologne?
In March 716, Redbad’s army reached the shores of Cologne. That is deep in the Frankish heartlands and way out of the traditional Frisian coastal territories. Sure, Frisians were smelly bastards, but eau de Cologne wasn’t invented yet. Was Redbad ahead of his time or why else did he end up there? A movie aboutContinue reading “Why Was Redbad Skinny Dipping in Eau de Cologne?”
Half a Million Deaths. A Forgotten North Sea Disaster…
Did you know that between 328,770 and 502,190 people lost their lives around the North Sea? On the flip side: millions of possible casualties have been prevented successfully. For now at least… Half a million casualties is a lot. How could we forget about such a huge number? Did nobody notice? Did nobody mention? ItContinue reading “Half a Million Deaths. A Forgotten North Sea Disaster…”
In Debt to the Beastly Westfrisians
This blog post is about the town of Medemblik — the grande dame of the Westfriesland region in the province of Noord Holland in the Netherlands. A place steeped in legend, said by some to have been the seat of the heathen King Radbod. But more than myths, Medemblik stands at the heart of aContinue reading “In Debt to the Beastly Westfrisians”
The Battles of Redbad, Unplugged
King Redbad died in 719. Some 1300 years later, as a tribute a movie about this Frisian king hit the silver screen in the Dutch cinemas. Redbad repeatedly ended up fighting his neighbours, the Franks. Where and how often, will be explored in this article. As a hikers blog that follows the whereabouts of Frisian history, we areContinue reading “The Battles of Redbad, Unplugged”
Women of Frisia: Free and Unbound?
Below the green and black image of Saskia Holleman, the reincarnation of Mata Hari, her fellow citizen. Saskia was born in 1945 in the town of Leeuwarden in the province of Friesland, standing stark naked in the milky grasslands with a Friesian Holland cow. It is a pamphlet from the former Pacifist Socialist Party (PSP)Continue reading “Women of Frisia: Free and Unbound?”
Walcheren Island. Once the Sodom and Gomorrah of the North Sea
In contrast to today’s Sunday rest, for centuries the island of Walcheren was a pagan stronghold and a safe haven for Vikings with their slightly aggressive business model. Heathen beliefs were deeply rooted on the island. Even in the eleventh century, the Roman Catholic Church feared that its inhabitants might revert to their former paganContinue reading “Walcheren Island. Once the Sodom and Gomorrah of the North Sea”
Frisia Coast Trail 