Visiting the sea doors was such an amazing experience. To learn so much about how the Netherlands is managing the effects of climate change, and also how they have mitigated the effects of living in a drainage area for other european countries was a cool opportunity.
The sheer scale of the sea door infrastructure was enough to stop you in your tracks. They were massive! As our guide was explaining the many designs that were proposed and rejected, and what was good and bad about each of them. There were many designs that at first I thought were very good, but then when the flaws were pointed out, like the issue of sedimentation or brackish water, it became clear why they were flawed. The design discussion definitely pointed out why I am not an engineer, as some of the concerns never even entered my head!
Ultimately I was very impressed with the information that the tourist/information centre provided. It was equally historically and technically interesting. Thankfully it was a beautiful day to visit as well, so our tour outside was quite pleasant.
There were lots of road bikers riding around the cycle tracks near the sea doors, and it made me think it was such a shame we didn’t get the chance to ride there. That being said, I think I would have enjoyed the ride more if I was on my road bike and clipped into to my pedals, rather than upright on our single speed bikes. While I have enjoyed biking around Delft and the Hague I can’t say I will miss living the single-speed life. I enjoy the shape my knees are in too much to ever want to commit to that again.
