Netherlands July 21

Staying put for camping tonight, but we traveled on a long day trip, looping out and back to Meppel.	Notice the tiny green chocolate frog in the cappuccino saucer.
	In Giethoorn we watched a pair putting on a new thatched roof.  It was highly educational.  Since there are no cars allowed in this town (no roads, for that matter), the thatch was delivered by boat through the canal system. There is a video at the bottom of this post (assuming I can get it to load). I thought there would cheat with a vapor barrier and just make it look authentic, but Bill told me the plastic we were seeing was probably just a precaution against rain while they worked up the roof.
Even the letter carriers ride bikes, in towns, cities and the country. The paths in Giethoorn are pretty narrow, considering all the traffic they get.  Both directions of bikes and pedestrians use these paths.		The bridges are also narrow, necessitating that bike riders need to wait for others to get off the bridge before crossing.
Many intersections have excellent signage, though occasionally they show two different directions to get to the same town.  The blue sign shows this is a bike path.  When you see a blue sign with a red circle around it, it means the official bike path has ended; it doesn't mean that bikes aren't allowed.  There are so many signs; I hope to put up a page specifically to host cycling signs.
Near Havelterberg  we visited a hunebedden, as megalithic tombs are known in the Netherlands. It had been so badly disturbed by WW11 that it is no longer very interesting.  The Germans had constructed an airfield on top of it and displaced all the stones.  Of some interest, however, was an impact crater from a bomb.  It brings to heart a little of the terror the civilians must have felt. It is interesting that this bomb crater would have naturally filled in by now, but for the efforts clear the brush and dredge it. It brings to heart a little of the terror the civilians must have felt.		Our mini tent city in Meppel