"Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce." - John F. Kennedy
WALCHEREN, HOLLAND - April 2, 2014 (Tour 1)
Our Wonderful Trip To Belgium Ended. This Morning We Woke Up To The Fresh Air Of The Dutch Countryside W/ Beautiful Blue Skies. "WELCOME BACK To Holland!"
The Highway To The Emerald Countryside Of Walcheren, Holland. Part Of The Beautiful South West Zeeland Province.
The Highway To The Blue World of Walcheren, Holland. Walceheren, Formerly An Island Of The South West Netherlands. But Polders And Dam Across Oostershelde Have Connected It To The Former Island Of Zuid-Beveland, Which In Turn Had Been Connected To The No. Brabant And Mainland.
Our Visit To National Park Oosterschelde Museum Was Part Of An Onshore Tour W/ Viking River Cruise. The Museum Focused On The Great Flood That Devastated Zeeland In 1953. There Was A Good Overview Of The Magnitude Of What Happened And How The Country Worked To Take Back The Land They Lost To The Sea.
We Visited A Museum Built Inside A Caisson. A Caisson Was A Watertight Retaining Structure Used For the Construction Of Concrete Dam. These Were Constructed Such That The Water Could Be Pumped Out, Keeping The Working Environment Dry. Also Used To Repair The Dikes Breaches After The 1953 Flood. The Museum Was Located On The Very Spot Where The Dike Broke And Gave Great Insight In How It Was Repaired. Also A Replica Made The Experience More Realistic To Visitors.
A Nice Sculptural Art Greeted Us, On Our Way To The Museum.
A Stone Landmark Outside The National Park Oosterschelde Museum
The Stone Landmark Was Located Near The Water.
The Names Of Flood Victims Visually Flowing Out To Sea Was A Powerful Point Of The Visit. Scrolling Names Of The Victims As They Seemed To Flow Along A Darkened River.
The Museum Displayed List Of The Names Of All The Victims Of The Flood. A Memorial To The 18,000 Victims Of the Devastating Flood Of 1953. An Emotional Experience.
Fearful Testimony By Some Survivors Was Engraved On The Wall
Excellent Archival Materials In Scrapbooks, Photos And Books. Made The Tragedy A More Personal One.
Amazingly That There Were Beautiful Display Of Wool Wall Hanging. The Artistic Wall Display Were Like Happy Pills. Truly Art Had A Healing Effect. Took Away The Sad Mood Instantly.
One Of The Very Colorful Wool Wall Art. Eye Catching W/ Red Black And White Colors. The Wool Arts Changed The Mood From Sad To Happy.
Posing Outside The Museum W/ The Outdoor Signs
A Nice Viewing Point Overlooking The Water .
A Closer View Of The Delta Works Storm Surge Barrier.
We Toured The Delta Works. Delta Works Have Been Declared One Of The "Seven Wonders Of The Modern World" By The American Society Of Civil Engineers.
Building The Delta Works Was An Enormous Task For The Dutch Hydraulic Engineers As No One, Anywhere In The World, Had Yet Attempted To Seal Tidal Outlets Of These Magnitude. They Tackled Each Part Of The New Coastal Defence System One At A Time. And Each Element Was An Innovative Feat Of Hydraulic Engineering In The Chance Of Another Flood Had Been Reduced To Once Every 4000 Years. And The People Of Zeeland Started Feeling Safe Again.
Come And See The Massive Storm Surge Barrier, One Of The Largest Moving Structure On Earth. You Really Have To See It With Your Own Eyes To Believe It. My Husband, An Electronic Engineer Was Very Much Impressed By This Amazing Technology.
Delta Works Was A Surge Barrier W/ This Vital Statistics - 3 Kilometers Long (About 9,842.5197 Feet) And Consisted Of 65 Concrete Pillars. The Delta Works Consisted Of Ingenious System Of Dams, Locks, Levees, Gates And Doors That Could Be Lowered To Protect Area From Floods While Allowing The Tide To Ebb And Flow. A Massive Masterpiece Of Dutch Hydraulic Engineering.
We Stopped At Some Panoramic Spots That Provided Views Of The Delta Works. This Artistic Stonescape Was A Stunning Sight To Complement The Man-Made Wonders..
Another Close Up View Of A Stonescape Near Delta Works.
The Zeeland Bridge Was the Longest Bridge In The n=Netherlands. The bridge spans the Oosterschelde estuary. It connects the islands of Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland in the province of Zeeland.
The Zeeland Bridge Was Built Between 1963 And 1965. At The Time Of Its Completion, It Was The Longest Bridge Of Europe. It Has A Total Length Of Approximately 17,000 Feet, And Consisted Of 48 Spans Of 312 Feet, 2 Spans Of 238 Feet And A Movable Bridge With A Width Of 132 Feet. Amazing! Grand!
This Was A Once In A Life Experience For A Couple Like Us - An Artist And An Engineer. Good To See The Marvel Of Human Engineering In Coping W/ An Attempt To Conquer The Forces Of Nature. In Our Quests For Artistic And Engineering Masterpieces On This Trip, We Were Both Happy And Fulfilled That We Finally Made It.
“Follow your Dreams - They give pathway to the wonder of who you are.” ― Debbie Burns, Tukie Tales: A New Beginning for a Better Tomorrow
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