Medemblik is a coastal town on the IJsselmeer just before it opens into the North Sea. Our Cruise Director arranged to stop here so we could experience, if for a brief time, a traditional North Holland village. (The municipality dates to the 13th century.) Docking in Medemblik was also a reminder of the intricate inland waterways of Belgium and the Netherlands. We had traveled from Amsterdam south down as far as Ghent and back up north through Dordrecht and Amsterdam out into the man-made Markereer and IJsselmeer, all via interconnected rivers and canals. The IJsselmeer is a freshwater lake created out of the saline Zuidersee by dike and drainage. Some passengers explored the town in the early evening drizzle while I stayed close. From my vantage point, I could see Sint-Bonifaciuskerk (1404), the Medemblik railway station,
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