Day 6, Sunday May 15, 2016
Kaytlin E. Musch

Overview

• Visit to the Waterdunen Wildlife Reclamation area, Zeeland, Netherlands
• Touring Damme, Belgium
• Freetime in Brugges, Belgium

Today was another cold day in Belgium. After starting our day with a quick breakfast and a failed attempt to visit a Catholic Mass (that was closed), we began with a trek back to the Netherlands.  It took about 45 minutes, but we were short to arrive to Zeeland and meet our resident guide, Jaap Verherbrugge. Jaap informed us that in 2013 the Netherlands began a sustainability project, called Waterdunnen, that covers roughly 300 land acres and an additional 500 acres of sea. One of the missions of this project is to begin producing crops and livestock that can efficiently utilize salt water and saltine soils. This is substantially important for a coastal town along the North Sea, not to mention that only about 1% of the world's water is fresh water. They also are focused on utilizing more plants such as kelp for a protein source, replacing the traditional animal source. After a short discussion, we loaded back into our vans to see this project in person. Upon arrival we were greeted by the cool winds from the northwest residing from Iceland. We walked up the levee and were shown some of the newest developments to be put into place. He informed us that there was a plan to put in 400 apartments, some shops, and a camp ground near the shore. Jaap also informed us of the visual representation of changing sea levels. There is a lighthouse on the shore that is at the original level of the sea dike from 1865. That lighthouse is now positioned only a few hundred feet away from the incoming tide. To conclude this portion of our trip, we ate lunch at an offshore restaurant. 

Continuing our day, we next stopped at the small town of Damme where we met the beautiful Hilde DeCock.  Hilde showed us around Lissewege, Belgium. She took us to see important pieces of history in the town. One such piece was the in the center of town. Lissewege is the location for an old herring market from the 12th century. This market introduction is the reason that a water system was placed in the town, leading to water accessibility in many placed in the town. We also got a glimpse of an old crop storage cellar that is now a playground for sheep. The next part of our tour began a great adventure as we approached a giant tower. For 2 euros we could climb the multi-flighted tower to peer over the town and take in the breathtaking view. The trek up the stair might have challenged our physical fitness, but it exhilarated our spirits. Or at least until we had to come back down the stairs again. To bring close to our tour, Hilde took us into a Protestant church across from the tower, The Church of Our Lady Damme. This magnificent church was once a Catholic church that was taken over and converted to a Protestant church. During this transition, all remnants of its original origin were wiped clean except for 12 statues atop tall pillars that were too high to reach. This is the sole reason that they still stand watch of the church today.

To wrap up our day, we all split up and headed into the city of Brugge. Today was a sort of holiday to the Belgians, at 2 pm began the Belgian Pro League Futbol Championships between Club Brugge and Anderlecht. Brugge won with a score of 4-0 fueling the uprising of a great celebration in Brugge. Part of our group joined in the celebration, while others left in search of a nice Belgian meal and tacky souvenirs.  Either way, we all made great utilization of our time to explore this new region.

Key Takeaways

• We should all keep an open mind and learn to adapt to our surroundings.
• Sometime you have to work had and persevere to see a breathtaking result.
• Life is short, celebrate every day!