As we “sped” toward Marken, the sky was beginning to darken. We could see that it was raining in Amsterdam. Our determination to do this ride today, overshadowed the thought of riding in a downpour. We just kept riding faster and faster speeding by red-brick homes with flower boxes, quaint waterways, adorable wooden bridges and fat black and white cows with the hope that we would board the ferry for Volendum before the rain. We rode our bikes to Marken along the dike that now attaches Marken to the mainland. It was quite strange riding on a narrow strip of land and having water on both sides! The picturesque streets of Marken reminded us of Provincetown on Cape Cod. Marken was once a fisherman’s town; and it still retains that feel of a seafaring village. The pretty green and white wooden houses which line the waterside are built on stilts to accomodate possible flooding. Marken was originally an island; and, we learned that floods were apparently quite regular and often disastrous due to the temperamental tides. As a result of continuous flooding, inhabitants created artificial dwelling hills on which they built their homes to keep them high and dry. We also learned that due to its island location, Marken had become virtually a ghost town. In 1957, engineers built the long causeway from the mainland to this island hamlet to allow easy access for visitors – thus it is no longer considered an island. We were shocked to learn that Marken currently only has a population of less than 2,000 inhabitants. Marken is quiet, perfectly quaint, and well-preserved, but not annoyingly crowded like Volendam.
The rain came only a few minutes before we reached the ferry from Marken to Volendam. This ferry was originally one of the regular connections for the inhabitants of Marken to reach the mainland. While on the ferry, we “suited up” with our rain gear. To our amazement, by the time we reached the bustling harbor of Volendum, the sun was out! While pulling into the harbor, this colorful, small fishing village looks like it is straight out of a postcard with a harbor full of classic sailing vessels and rows of brick houses. The locals are decked out in their traditional garb and the the town is grotesquely touristy. The main “promenade” is lined with souvenir shops and Dutch cliches-yuk! Dutch food specialties of waffles mini-pancakes, herring and smoked eel are everywhere along with signs for Heineken and Amstel beer. After a delightful seafood lunch, we traveled a different, shorter route for 1 1/2 hours back to Amsterdam on our cruiser-bikes. It was a delightful biking day.