port of den helder



approaching amsterdam

the village of de koog is a mix of
tradition and seaside tackiness.
so...
from the village church



to this...............



and back to this

the view out to sea from the highest
sanddune



looking back to the village of de koog

much of texel serves as a nature
reserve and there is a surprising array
of wildlife.

we visit the ecomare reserve where
there is a seal refuge.in dutch they are called
zeehonden which translates as "sea dogs"-
a far better descriptive name.



like graceful birds under water



lunch swims about unaware of it's
impending demise

welcome to texel.we are based in the
seaside village of de koog.in the summer
it's a tourist favourite,but mid-winter with
a biting wind off the northsea it's next to
deserted.just what we need.






sand dunes are the nearest you get
to hills in this part of the world



how the islanders lived a century ago



after the dunes come the woods..

gidionics are simple country folk...
from time to time we need a break
from the city.we decide on the largest
of the wadden islands,texel,which lies in
the northsea just off the dutch coast.
no idea what to expect....a little adventure.

pulling out of amsterdam centraal



out into the dutch horizon



catch the ferry at den helder



our first glimpse of texel



safely disembarked onto texel
gidionics arrive at the village of de koog
and check into hotel cooghen.turns out to
be a great choice-comfy contempory hotel
in a good central location and all for a greatly
reduced price.
time for gidionics to sit back with a glass of
cognac and unwind.