Fietstocht Plug 2017
Day 4 - Haarlem to Alkmaar
De Rijp
After leaving Zaanse Schans we cycled through a quaint portion of the town of Wormerveer and the idyllic countryside (5:00 - 6:30 on the video) en route to De Rijp and eventually Alkmaar.
We took the ferry at Spijkerboor to cross the canal and while waiting to board the ferry we watched MV Cornelis, a 60m vessel, turn in a canal only 40 meters wide (8:00 - 9:30 on the video).
We toured the beautiful town of De Rijp, visited a 400 year old church, introduced our fellow Italian and Spanish fietstochters “croquetten en bitterbollen” and Don was late for a consistory meeting.
Total distance cycled after three days is 165 kilometers.
De Rijp is a village and former island in the province of North Holland and a part of the municipality of Alkmaar. Today it is known for its characteristic rijksmonuments which include some of the oldest wooden houses of North Holland.
Before the lakes on either side of De Rijp were pumped dry, De Rijp was a port town with merchant ships that travelled the high seas on trade routes. The town had a medium-sized herring fleet, and searched for whales with larger ships. Rijper vessels travelled regularly to Spitsbergen. After the success of the polders near Alkmaar and Egmond, plans were formed to make polders of the other lakes in North Holland, including the ones on both sides of De Rijp. In 1605 a project, run by architect-engineer Jan Leeghwater, was begun to drain the lakes surrounding De Rijp. Leeghwater, who had been born in De Rijp and also designed the Town Hall.
The town had suffered a devastating fire in 1654 which wiped out the southern side of the town and destroyed the church, leaving only the north side (including the city hall) intact. Fortunately the herring ships had been undamaged and it was their industry that enabled the town to rebuild the church.
There are no known Plug ancestors that lived in De Rijp.
Day 3: Haarlem to Alkmaar
through Spaarndam, Zaanse Schans and De Rijp
32 miles / 52 kilometers
