The much-celebrated Frisian Freedom refers to the period roughly between 1250 and 1500, when the Frisian terrae (‘lands’) — bearing beautiful, exotic names like Drechterland, Vier Noorder Koggen, Westergo, Oostergo, Humsterland, Hunsingo, Fivelingo, Rheiderland, Emsingo, Federgo, Norderland, Harlingerland, Wangerland, Östringen, Rüstringen, Wursten, and Butjadingen — were small, self-governed communities. A string of so-called marsh republicsContinue reading “Did the Proverbial Two Captains on the Same Ship Make the Frisians Free?”
Category Archives: landscape
The Waugal, Protector of Fresh Water and New Life — Hiking the Bibbulmun Track
In the final two weeks of December 2024, one of the bastards of the Frisian Coast Trail solo hiked the coastal section of the Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia. Naturally, it had to be the coast. This section runs between the towns of Albany and Walpole, with only a brief brush with civilization halfway through,Continue reading “The Waugal, Protector of Fresh Water and New Life — Hiking the Bibbulmun Track”
The Old Man (and Woman) and the Sea — Hiking the Likya Yolu
April 2024. One of the bastards of the Frisia Coast Trail hiked a stretch of the Lycian Way — Likya Yolu in Turkish. This coastal track spans over 700 kilometers along Turkey’s southern shore, often tracing ancient paths once used by the Greeks and Romans. Lycia is the historical name for the Teke Peninsula, aContinue reading “The Old Man (and Woman) and the Sea — Hiking the Likya Yolu”
Between Leffinge and Misthusum — Understanding the Basics of Terps
Man-made hills to dwell upon. Long thought of as typically Frisian, but they are anything but unique. Consider the Kincaid Mounds of the Mississippian people along the Cumberland and Mississippi rivers in the United States. Or the lomas (‘hills’) deep in Bolivia’s Beni district, raised above the Amazon’s seasonal floodwaters to provide ground for livingContinue reading “Between Leffinge and Misthusum — Understanding the Basics of Terps”
Surf on Someone Else’s Turf — Hiking the Rota Vicentina
Boxing Day 2022. The Frisian bastard woke up in the small village of Aljezur in the southwest of Portugal. It was day ten of his hike along the Rota Vicentina, with three more days ahead. Like the Frisia Coast Trail, the Rota Vicentina follows the shoreline. A path shaped by wind, cliffs, and the constantContinue reading “Surf on Someone Else’s Turf — Hiking the Rota Vicentina”
When the Gate of Hell Opened at the Golden Necklace
When you enter the province of Friesland from the west by car via the Afsluitdijk (‘closure dam’) and continues on the A7 Hwy, you will pass a viaduct carrying the name Okkehel. If your destination is the port of Harlingen, also in the area, you might spot in its harbour bright green sloops of theContinue reading “When the Gate of Hell Opened at the Golden Necklace”
A Croaking Ode to the Haubarg by the Eiderstedter Nachtigall
Haubargs. Cathedral-like farmsteads with hipped roofs soaring up to twenty meters high, icons of the Eiderstedt peninsula in the region of Nordfriesland. These monumental farms embody the peak of the friesische Großhäuser building tradition — yet also its end. This tradition, characteristic of the marshlands along the southern North Sea coast from Amsterdam to Husum, flourishedContinue reading “A Croaking Ode to the Haubarg by the Eiderstedter Nachtigall”
The Many Faces of Friesland, Including That of a Coast Trail Bastard
May 8, 2021. Visual artist, photographer Arie Bruinsma approached one of the Frisian bastards. Arie explained to him that his wife Cynthia and he were working on a new project, namely It Gesicht fan Fryslân ‘The Face of Friesland’. It had to be a compilation of 111 portraits of known, lesser-known, and unknown Frisians. OfContinue reading “The Many Faces of Friesland, Including That of a Coast Trail Bastard”
Naranjas and Reservoir Dogs — Hiking the Coast to Coast Walk in Andalusia
In the final two weeks of 2021, one of the Frisian bastards hiked most of the Andalusian Coast to Coast Walk in Spain — a route stretching from Nerja to Bolonia, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. As hikers of the Frisia Coast Trail, any long-distance coast-to-coast path holds natural appeal. And hikingContinue reading “Naranjas and Reservoir Dogs — Hiking the Coast to Coast Walk in Andalusia”
Late Little Prayers at the Lorelei Rock. Reckless Rhine Skippers in Distress
On the west bank of the mighty River Rhine, halfway between the cities of Koblenz and Mainz, lies the town of Sankt Goar. Named after Saint Goar of Aquitaine, a hermit who retreated here in the sixth century. Diagonally across the river stands the famous and mystical Lorelei Rock: steep and over 130 meters high.Continue reading “Late Little Prayers at the Lorelei Rock. Reckless Rhine Skippers in Distress”
Frisia Coast Trail 