Giethoorn
We sailed to Kampen and in the morning took busses to Giethoorn (pronounced [ˈɣitɦʊːrn]), so named because they found hundreds of goats' horns in the marshland, the goats having been victims of tenth century floods. (See also 'Cramerton'.) The old part of the town has just canals, no streets. There is now a bike path. We boarded canal boats to tour the town.
A couple of our guides told us the saying that Dutch is not a language, but a throat disease. The Dutch "G" is just about impossible for non-natives, and pronunciations vary between regions anyway. Luckily everybody speaks English. Germans approximate the "g" with their "ch" as in "Bach." My effort comes closer to the sound of the Arabic letter that approximates the sound of a camel in heat, according to the Arabs. On the plane back to the US I sat beside a young businessman from Rotterdam. He asked me where I visited, and I told him "Giethoorn," making a funny noise in my throat for the "G". He looked at me funny for a minute, and then said, "Oh, Giethoorn," making a different funny noise in his throat.
I understand that there are four different pronunciations of "Gouda," and that's just in English. Anyway, I'll be careful not to try to say a Dutch "G" in the presence of male camels.
Most of the homes have thatched roofs.
Our boats docked on a side canal, and were able to walk around for a while.
There are homes and cabins on small islands to rent.
The town's crest and such have pictures of goat horns.
We passed along some interesting little towns on the bus ride back to Kampen.
I don't recall whether the guide said why there was a large crown in the intersection traffic island. Perhaps it was in honor of the recent accession of King Willem-Alexander.
