Kampen
After the bus ride back from Giethoorn, we boarded the ship for lunch. Then we had a walking tour of Kampen. This picture of the ship was taken when I got back from that tour. My stateroom was on the level even with land in the picture. That level varied with the tides, of course. The near windows you see on that level are for the dining room. The lounge is in the area above. The top deck has some recreation areas. The staterooms are beyond the ramp where you see people boarding. There are no lifeboats. Our safety briefing told us that in case of emergency we were to put on our life jackets and head to the top deck and await rescue. The ship is six meters tall. The deepest water we would be in was seven meters. We could get our feet wet.
Jews lived in Kampen for centuries, and a thriving Jewish community was there in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. There was some decline along with Kampen's economic fortunes. During the German occupation, most of the Jewish citizens were sent to death camps. Their former synagogue now stands as a museum and place of remembrance.
Three of the gates in Kampen's city wall are still standing, all pictured on this page.
