Netherlands and into Germany

The dyke that holds back Markermeer (connected to lake Ijsselmeer) acts also as a road and bike path. We pulled up at the 'Picknick' spot - another Dutch word that was easy to work out! The next authentic village we came to was on the small island of Marken and is accessible via a dyke built in 1957. The houses were originally built on terps or stilts. It was separated from the mainland after a storm surge in the 13th century.