Day 7 - Gloom and Grey on the Wadden Zee

This morning marks a turn: for me, better; for Johan, worse; for the weather, a torrent of wet. Today’s Covid test still claims Johan is negative, though his cough and congestion and general weary demeanor suggest whatever’s ailing him is growing worse. Trapped inside all day, the incessant rain drumming against the glass door, filling the air with a grim grey -- nothing to do but continue hunkering down and waiting it out.

In the early evening, it finally lets up. Bundled in layers of warmth and our rain gear to shield us from the wind, we head out of our cave for an evening stroll. Just south of the farmhouse a lane heads west towards a pocket of neatly trimmed Dutch houses and the dike that fronts the Wadden Sea. A tangle of scrap metal by the side of the road blights this idyllic scene, but rather than rusty abandoned farm equipment as we expect, a nearby sign tells us these are remnants of war planes from WWII. Many landed in these fields as they were hunted down by the Germans. Those pilots that survived were cared for by the local farmers.

At a curve in the dike, we encounter a low-lying wetlands, full with birdlife. Another sign tells us this area was settled by Vikings well before the Dutch claimed it. When the earth was excavated from what is now the wetlands to build the dike, ancient Viking coins and other metals were found as evidence of their habitation here.

We find a long roping walk trail through the grass-covered dike heading north along the beach. Others are out, walking their dogs, jogging, taking photographs of the compelling grey landscape. Despite the apparent misfortunes, there is still a sense of gezellig. “The adventure of the mis-adventure,” Johan quips as we circle back through the village to our den.

We spend the rest of the evening watching a movie on my little 12” laptop. Later in bed, Johan reads an article he’s found in the New York Times about other, and not infrequent, cases where family members all get sick, but don’t all test positive for Covid. Apparently the vaccine, diligently doing the job it's intended for, can make it difficult to detect the virus, even when symptoms are rife. So perhaps it is safe to assume we’re both infected with the dreaded disease?

The furry white giants standing guard at our guesthouse