A picture of "nothing": nothing left from Kaap Kot, Bezoekerscentrum IJburg, Uitzichttoren etc...Just before this weekend we returned from our family summer holiday. After 3 weeks travelling around in middle-Europe, the first impression of Dutch landscape is always wide and flat. And crowded and busy. On first sight you might call our man-made landscape boring, but on second look it's fascinating. Always changing, and a great place to paddle too. So I was enthusiast when Joris asked me if I wanted to paddle today. This morning we paddled on the IJmeer. Finally a good stretch of water again. I did enjoy some paddling in Czech and Germany last weeks, but a seakayak was a bit beyond proportions on the lakes and rivers around there...
A big surprise this morning: Kaap Kot is no more! Kaap Kot was a beach club at the Zeeburgereiland near Amsterdam. An accessible beach with a parking place nearby are quit rare along the IJmeer. Kaap Kot offered all this and a restaurant with a nice atmosphere to return in after the paddle. But this paddlers delight is no longer. Because of the expanding building activities of Amsterdam everything is pulled down and a big locked gate is placed around the east-part of the Zeeburgereiland. No way to get in from land...
Luckily there still is an alternative starting point nearby: in the weekend you can find a parking place near the water near beachclub Blijburg on IJburg. Also a good place to start: but how long will this little 'republic of freedom' survive the ongoing expansion of Amsterdam?
Details: IJburg-Vluchthaven Pampus - Zeeburgereiland - IJburg: 22,6 km, avs: 7,5 km/h, wind 3-4 Bft. SE
PS: I missed this news, but begin this year there was obviously some buzz about the plans with the Zeeburgereiland: The political party SP Amsterdam demonstrated against the plans to create a gap in the groyne (strekdam) between the IJ and IJburg.
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