During the Dutch War of Independence in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Dutch found an ally in their arch enemy. Their struggle against Spain seemed almost hopeless and that is when the Dutch turned to water as a weapon against the Spanish by flooding enormous swaths of land to stop or even defeat the enemy. During the war, they deliberately flooded vast swaths of land to prevent the Spanish army from reaching them. Later, when Holland survived, the Dutch constructed a line of fortifications and waterworks to facilitate military inundations, known as the Dutch Water Line. 

TRIP TO UTRECHT

Morning 10:30 am

Our siblings were preoccupied with schoolwork, so Lewis, Zerina, Yusef, and I were the only ones who embarked on this vacation with our adult coordinators Mrs. Marieke and Mr. Beek. We arrived at the Waterline Museum of the Netherlands and it was a 400-meter walk to the museum pavilion from the parking lot. The museum was deserted, and only a few individuals were seen. The sun shone brightly, but it wasn't quite hot enough. 

We had too many misconceptions when making presentations for this trip, and we walked with uncertainties and ambiguities. For approximately ten minutes, we went across a bridge to the museum. We only observed a canal, a scarecrow, and beech trees shedding their green leaves. The air had more warmth and more fragrance.

After we registered, we were handed wristbands and told to scan them on the exhibits in the museum to hear what they were attempting to tell us which sparked our interest.

The museum brought the Waterline to life through personal stories, original elements and replicas, working models, and digital media. We were able to operate it ourselves and observe how inundation and dry pumping works. 

By scanning our wristbands, people from different times took us along in their experiences. Maurits, the prince told us about the brilliant idea he had in 1589, a farmer's wife took us into her personal life in the Disaster Year 1672 and the soldier showed us the weak spots of the line in 1794. Engineer Kraijenhoff explained why the waterline was moved in 1815 and a workman let us experience for ourselves the harsh conditions under which he had to do his work in 1880.

From the soldiers fighting in the war to the mother with her infant longing for her man to return home, history has always been as a narrow flashlight in a darkened room, only allowing sight of some artifacts, hiding others, yet this museum spoke to us about more than simply relics. The narrative intervention was easily recognizable from the air and the roof of the fort.

With our Virtual Reality (VR) glasses on, we flew over the waterline at the museum and witnessed what truly happened when the Dutch Waterline was flooded. Then we watched a war film together and sat on the bunkers for a while. 

There was a tangible beauty in the quietness of the museum, an elevation of simple subtle flavors into the consciousness. As we strolled throughout the museum, we grew hungry. So we went to a cafe for a small snack. The café seemed a little desolate, but it offered unusual teas and the pastries looked tasty.

Each block has had so many exhibits that you don't even know where you began, where you were, where you would go next, and where you would end. The open-air museum was massively huge. It has been restored to its former glory after it was abandoned by the Dutch in the 17th century. 

We had a lot of fun playing the waterline-themed virtual games. Lewis, Zerina, and I were a team, as were Yusef and Mr. Beek. Our team was having fun and destroying their ships while they took the game seriously and were ahead. A merchandise vendor from the museum saw us enjoying the fun. He approached us and asked if we liked the Netherlands, then handed us complimentary keychains from the museum.

I recall sliding down on the grass from a great height to snap photographs near the canal. The grass on our spines was soft on soft, warm on warm, a subtle tickling as each giving arm formed a green cushion.

Disabled toilets were scattered around the site. Dogs were allowed in the outside area of ​​the fort, provided they are kept on a leash. We headed back to the parking lot down the green path of the flattened hillock, taking in the vivid colors that flashed in a jocund and reverberated to the flowers in a flow of companionable peace.

We eventually arrived at the entrance of the Pyramid of Austerlitz. We were perplexed because the renowned Austerlitz battleground was hundreds of kilometers to the east and had nothing to do with the Dutch, therefore we wanted to know what the narrative behind Austerlitz was. 

We parked our car in the lot next to the entrance. After we bought our tickets, we were allowed inside the pavilion and watched a movie on the history of the pyramid together. Napoleon's pyramid of Austerlitz was built by General Marmont as a tribute to his friend and example Napolean Bonaparte. 

But Louis Napoleon, the new king of Holland, renamed the hill the Pyramid of Austria in memory of the Battle of Austerlitz. They even displayed souvenirs, shields, swords, and photographs shot during the conflict.

We trekked for more than 30 minutes to get to the pyramid and never got exhausted. After a lengthy period of learning history, hiking was that time when we felt absorbed and welcomed into nature when we entered her lungs and were given a deeper sense of wonder. As we hiked the pathway rose to meet our soles as the sky beckoned our eyes upward. 

When we finally reached the center, we stood on the plain ground surrounded by trees, with no shade. The brilliant light hugged the ground as the sun stretched out with its golden arms. Finally, we saw the pyramid planted with grass and topped with a stone obelisk, it's one of the strangest structures and the only pyramid in the Netherlands.

There were photo booths all around the pyramid, and it was crowded. So we decided to start with the pyramid. As we walked up the stairs beneath the sun that caressed our skins, there was a sense of laughter in the abandoned pyramid, as if all those high-velocity emotions, the joys and the bonds made here, had taken hold within its bones.

As soon as we reached the top, we gasped our breath and the view from the pyramid was a million bucks if it was a dime. The scene was treetops as the birds knew them in the broad light of day, congregating with fluttering leaves upon wide avenues. We yelled our names from the top, and the eagles soaring above the desolate pyramid heard us. We have made and captured our fondest memories on our phones. 

We ran back to the vehicle, happy, yelling, and marveling at everything. Our laughing resonated across the deserted light woodland. Woodland remained as an audience, and we portrayed the role of the clown. 

And as soon as we got in the car, I fell asleep cuddled right into Zerina, she was always the large spoon, I have been always the tiny spoon. Sleeping on her lap was my safe place. We returned to school, and Juliette was waiting for me. I was exhausted and wanted to go home.

When we went to unlock our bikes, she stated, "Today we're taking the other path," and I wasn't shocked or delighted either. We usually take the right lane, but this time we picked the left. I was used to the rural path with cars on the lanes and now everything was in different hues of green. There were no bikes, only trees. It was calm and quiet. We heard our bike wheels spinning, and the legs pedaling. The wind was cold, but I got stronger against it, working my muscles even more. It's the freshness on my skin that serves as a wonderful signal for my messy hair. 

We returned home, enjoying the magnificent scenery. Despite the fact that my four-hour ride was spent learning history, I had a pleasant laugh with my buddies. There was warmth as I pondered on memories with my friends. 

Are you a foodie? Do you enjoy trying new dishes when traveling? 

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Keep an eye out for updates on what I've tried.

I hope this chapter did not disappoint or bore you. I worked extremely hard on it to make it engaging. It was challenging for me to study history. Thank you for always keeping an eye out for updates and your support.

Much love ❤