Giethoorn, Netherlands

Thatched roof house in Giethoorn. Source: Hojjat (aka Huji)

In a rural corner of the Dutch province of Overjissel lies a city known around the world as the Venice of the Netherlands, although the locals refer to it as Giethoorn.  Founded in the 13th century, the original city center has no traditional roads.  Instead, nearly 10km of meter deep, interconnecting canals wind through the town connecting houses and businesses alike.  Instead of cars, the locals get around using  kayaks, canoes, and "whisper boats" which maintain the tranquility of the surroundings by using silent electric motors.  Nearly all of the houses sit on private "islands" surrounded on all sides by these canals.

The history of the town of Giethoorn is a little foggy.  Some say that the village was originally founded by fugitives from the Mediterranean, while others believe it was Franciscan monks that were the first to settle here.  According to legend, the first settlers of Giethoorn came upon loads of goat horns shortly after arriving, which is how the town got its name (giethoorn = goathorn).  It is believed that large numbers of wild goats were killed in a flood some 60 years before humans arrived.  Meanwhile, the same flooding conditions that led to the death of these goats, were also likely the cause of Giethoorn's picturesque canals.  The canals that wind throughout the city were originally dug out by peat diggers in order to transport the peat in and around the town.  These peat diggers would dig large quantities of peat from the marshy areas surrounding Giethoorn, forming large lakes in the process.  Without their homemade canals they would have had no way to transport the peat from these lakes to areas where it could be of use.

One of the many bridges that cross the canals.  Source: Hojjat (aka Huji)

Nowadays the canals serve as the main method of transportation for the locals and tourists who come to visit on a regular basis.  There is also a bike path and over a hundred footbridges that criss-cross the canals connecting individual islands.  And, as you might expect, in the winter time the city is also an ideal spot for ice skating with people traveling from all over the Netherlands to skate along the frozen canals.  While many locals do reside in town, tourism is still a major economic source for the village as the local restaurants and attractions tend to reflect.  However, for all its boat rental shops and out-of-place cafes, the town of Giethoorn still manages an impression that is authentically Dutch.  The thatched roofs and wooden bridges will have you feeling like a part of a real life Vincent Van Gogh painting.

House in Giethoorn surrounded by canal.  Source: Hojjat (aka Huji)

Travelling to Giethoorn is actually quite simple.  Located only 1.5hrs outside of Amsterdam means that many tourists make only a day trip to Giethoorn.  If you'd prefer to stay in the village you have a choice between a couple of hotels/bed and breakfasts, or a vacation house rental.  Wherever you end up staying, a room with a view is a must if you want to get the most out of the charming surroundings.  And lastly, if you'd like to make your stay more permanent house prices in Giethoorn start at 3/4 of a million dollars and can run much much higher.  Whether you visit in the summer or winter, Giethoorn is a picturesque Dutch village that is both relatively easy to get to and inexpensive to visit.

Navagio Beach, Zakynthos, Greece

Shipwreck at Navagio. Source: Ghost of Kuji

     Navagio Beach, also known as "Smuggler's Cove", is a small beach cove on the northwest shore of the Greek island of Zakynthos.  An all too typical example of the beauty of the Greek island's beaches, the white sand on Navagio beach is surrounded only by limestone cliffs and crystal clear water .  For the most part it looks exactly how you would expect a Mediterranean beach to look, unless you know Greek.  In which case you would know that the word Navagio is the phonetic spelling of the Greek word ναυαγιο, which literally translates to "shipwreck".  The cove was so-named because of the remains of the ship Panagiotis which ran aground at this spot some time in the early1980's and was left to become a permanent part of the picturesque landscape.  All together, the shipwreck makes this location a beautiful blend of pristine nature and legend that can only be found in a handful of spots in the world.

So, we know why it's called Navagio Beach, but why is it also referred to by many as "Smuggler's Cove"?  This is where the story gets more interesting.  Although there are conflicting reports as to when the wreck actually happened (some say 1980, other's believe it was in '82 or '83), most agree that the ship was carrying a load of black-market cigarettes from Turkey when the Greek Navy began pursuing it to investigate.  At some point the ship ran into stormy weather causing it to run aground on Zakynthos, where the crew abandoned the wreck in order to evade the Greek Navy's pursuit.  Some versions of the story even go so far as to suggest the illegal cigarettes were be transported on behalf of the Italian mafia, giving this tall tale an almost mythical touch.  However, there are also those (mostly the locals of the island) who believe that the ship did not wreck there at all and was instead placed there by the Greek Ministry of Tourism.

Navagio Beach from cliffs above. Source: Anna Oates

If the ship was indeed placed at Navagio Beach by the Greek government it has definitely been a successful experiment.  Despite its relatively remote location Smuggler's Cove attracts thousands of visitors each year, mostly during the peak tourist months of May through August.  To visit the shipwreck at Navagio Beach one would most likely need to take one of the water taxi tours from Porto Vromi.  These boats take tourists around to many of the Greek caves on the northwest coast of Zakynthos and allow you to spend as much time as you want at Navagio Beach before catching a different boat back to the port.  Alternatively, if you don't want to venture out of the water you can make the journey via motor vehicle to the top of one of the cliffs overlooking the cove to get an amazing view of the beach, cliffs, water and shipwreck all in one.

In the end, the natural beauty of Navagio Beach combined with the story behind the shipwreck put this location pretty high up on the list of things I want to see.  And with a location that is relatively near other great places to check out, I think I will make this one a priority.