Here are some video's I've taken in the past month or so.
Above is a place called 'Oude Kooi', which literally means 'Old Cage'. It was used as place to catch wild ducks. Tame ducks were used to lure wild ducks into the wooden entrapment and then those wild ones could no longer get out. It has not been in use for many years, but it was fully restored a few years ago and is one of the most magical places on the island. It is surrounded by lots of ferns and small dirt roads and fully hidden from view from any main road.
This is 'Nieuwe Kooi', which indeed means 'New Cage'. It was meant to be a duck catching place just like the old one, but it was never put into use, so it just remained a pond in the middle of the woods. It's also a very quiet place. I often feel many of the tourists can come here for years without ever seeing these two 'cages', which is a pity, but also kind of a blessing, because you can be fully alone there even in the busy season.
This is the Posthuyswad. I have no good translation for 'wad', but I think 'floods' comes pretty close. It's on the west side of the island. The Posthuys is and old way station for the mail service that came through here back then. Now it's a restaurant and hotel quite removed from the town. It's kind of like the last outpost of the island and a very popular place among tourists. Anyway this is the Posthuyswad at low tide when a lot of it is laid dry. In the very distance you can see the part of the island that is the east side and that's where the town is where I (and most other people) live.
Along the Posthuyswad runs a dyke and on the other side of that dyke are the Kroons Polders. They are basically a failed attempt of making extra dry land on the west side of the island. Now it's a protected wildlife area where thousands of birds live and prosper. You may not enter the area, but you can walk along side it by use of the dyke, which is where I was standing when I took the above video.
Lastly I cannot give you a bunch of videos of my island without at least one look at the ocean. This was taken about halfway the island on the north side from the top of a dune on a gloriously lovely day with wind and lots of waves and foam on the beach. This is the North Sea by the way. Just breath it in!
Well, I hope you got your island fix with these little movies. I know that Blogger downsizes them, so don't try to enlarge them too much, because they will become too pixelated. Still, they should give you a good impression of this place I call home.
Wishing you all a wonderful and artsy day!