The Peninsula in Markermeer: Marken (A fishing Village near Amsterdam)

Marken is considered a tourist attraction for its characteristic wooden houses. People built their houses on “werven”, artificial knolls, until the seventeenth century. It helped to avoid wet feet. After that they built their houses on poles. Since the Afsluitdijk was built, the island is no longer inundated but the typical houses still remain. The old clog-making workshop and the Marker Museum with its exhibition of traditional clothing are highly recommended.

 

 

Marken is such a small place that a circular hike around the outer side of the island will only add up to be nine kilometers. The lighthouse built in 1839, is still in working condition and provides for a spectacular vision!

 

 

I came across this one house where shoes were decorated as flower pots and it struck to me as such a brilliant idea. It was so simple but it looked so beautiful! I couldn’t help but salute the aesthetic sense of these people. Shown below are other great examples of the artistic sense of the people residing there in Marken.

 

 

 

 

Who doesn’t love some handmade flowers! That too when they come in such vibrant colors! They are perfect for indoor decoration as the real ones look best unplucked.

 

 

The picture above says a lot about Marken. It shows the youthful spirit of the people there, it shows the traditional style statement of the clothes worn by the locals and it shows the cycle culture of the place. Almost everyone’s main mode of transportation are cycles. It is so fresh and untouched by pollution, it feels extremely gratifying just riding on a cycle and roam around the small piece of paradise.