Citytrip de Koog, Texel,
Netherlands, June 2021









Day 7
Monday, June 14th



Today also starts with a clear blue sky and a bright sun. One would think one is in southern Spain. Today we will visit Den Burg. That is pretty much the same way as any other day. Once breakfast is finished we are on our way to Den Burg.

Den Burg is the largest place on the Island. Archeological evidence proves it existed even before the seventh century. By the time we arrive it is a busy beehive. In spite of being a Monday all shops are open due to the holiday season.

 




 




Cycling through Den Burg


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We leave Den Burg behind us and follow the road to the cheese farm Wezenspyk. The milk from the cows and sheep is processed on the farm and also sold in the farm shop. You can also visit the farm and observe how the milk is processed in an artisanal way. Obviously being cheese lovers we buy some of this cheese.

The name Wezenspyk existed even before the reformation (1517). The polder was than owned by the Beguines nuns (Dutch: Begijnen) that lived here in a monastery, and named “Beguines spyk”. The old Dutch word “spyk” refers to a fishing ground where people put up fishing traps made from branches.

 




Visiting the cheese farm


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The Beguines (Beghards male version) were Christian lay religious orders that were active in Western Europe, particularly in the Low Countries, in the 13th?16th centuries. Their members lived in semi-monastic communities but did not take formal religious vows. They promised not to marry "as long as they lived as Beguines," to quote one of the early rules, and they were free to leave at any time.

After the Reformation the nuns moved to the town of Leiden and the monastery stood abandoned for some time. After a while it was given a new function; it became an orphanage. The Dutch word for orphans is “wezen”. Hence the name!

We also sit down for a while and have a refreshing drink. For me one of the local brewed Texel beers will do.

 




Cycling through Den Hoorn


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We continue our cycling tour across the island to Den Hoorn, a small hamlet near the south tip of Texel. It is close to the North Sea dunes and woodlands behind these. From here we head north, returning again to De Koog.

 




 




Dinner at the beach


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Wild rabbits foraging

 















and welcome!





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Texel beer

Texel beer



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Den Hoorn

Den Hoorn