The Naked Kayaker
  • Blog
    • Search the site
  • Resources
    • Complete List of Posts
    • Trip Planning 101
    • Intro to Kayaking - Course Outline
    • Where can I rent a kayak in Belgium/the Netherlands?
    • How do I get certified in NL?
    • Map of Paddling Clubs
    • Dutch-English Watersports Dictionary
  • Destinations
    • West Coast
    • Great Lakes Region
    • New York State
    • New England
    • Europe
    • Oceania
  • Water Nerd
  • About & Contact

Blog

"Believe me, my young friend. There is nothing, absolutely nothing,
half so worth doing as simply messing around in boats." 

The Wind in the Willows

A short day paddle near Kasterlee, Belgium

11/23/2015

2 Comments

 
I've been pretty bad at maintaining the blog lately. On the bright side, you haven't missed much. This summer I had big goals about kayaking in each country that Emily and I traveled to, but in the end we just kayaked once in France (stay tuned!) and once in Belgium (this post). 

In August, Emily and I met up with my Belgian-American kayaking friend, Stijn (from San Francisco), ​for a day trip in Kasterlee, Belgium.
Picture
There were endless raspberries and blackberries on the river banks!

Read More
2 Comments

Catching some November rays of sun on the canals of Utrecht, Netherlands 

11/18/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
The launch site - Kanoverhuur aan de Gracht.
Utrecht is a big city located in the middle of the Netherlands. It's rich in culture - apparently second only to Amsterdam - and a central point for transportation. With a student population of 30,000, it's definitely a lively college town. As we paddled through the city, we saw many bikes dangling perilously over the canal, held only in place by their locks... 

Read More
0 Comments

A summer paddle with Emilia in Wachtebeke, Belgium

6/20/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Emilia, my cousin, leading the trip!
Emilia and I went on a kayaking trip near home (my new home near Antwerp, Belgium!) in celebration of her Confirmation a month ago. Emilia is my 11-year-old cousin and goddaughter. The closest kayak rental shop that I could find, Kano & Kayak  Center,  is located in Wachtebeke, close to the border with the Netherlands. It's possible to paddle a 38 km route, but we just did an out-and-back trip for a few hours. We kayaked, ate good food, and kayaked back. Emilia wrote a short guest post - click Read More to read that and see some photos!

Read More
0 Comments

Trondheim, Norway: A city with Vikings, whale burgers, and many bridges

6/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Downtown Trondheim
A short paddling trip through the city of Trondheim, Norway (spoiler alert: we did not see any Vikings but we did ear whale..). 

Read More
0 Comments

A Sunny Afternoon in Leiden and De Kaag

5/23/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
View from a harbor on Het Joppe. Photo by Alwin.
Alwin (fellow member of the Windhappers kayak club) and I spent Thursday afternoon kayaking around the city of Leiden. I haven't been to Leiden before, so I'm happy I got to visit before my departure from the Netherlands in a week. It's similar to Delft in size and ambiance - a small city surrounded and divided by canals, with many old buildings lining its narrow streets. 

Read More
1 Comment

Le Catch Bizarre: 4 American girls kayak Les Îles Chausey in Normandy

5/20/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture
It's always been one of my dreams to ride along on a fishing boat and see fish being caught first hand. I just never expected this dream to manifest itself during one of my sea kayaking trips. This weekend it was accidentally realized when we found ourselves on a big fishing boat (sea kayaks on top), plowing through the waves of the English Channel towards Les Iles Chausey - a beautiful archipelago (52 islands at high tide, 365 at low tide) about an hour boat ride from Granville in Normandy. 

Read More
2 Comments

Castles, monasteries, churches, and other ancient things in Trogir, Croatia

2/11/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Kamerlengo Castle, Trogir, Croatia
Last week Elizabeth (American roomie in the Netherlands), Sara (outdoorsy traveling buddy from Virginia), and I made an epic road trip across Croatia (known there as Hrvatska - hence the "HR" stickers on all the cars). We started in Zagreb, the capital city, and made our way towards the coast, stopping at Plitvice Lakes National Park (stay tuned) along the way. We managed to kayak twice - once near Dubrovnik and once near Split. Our first trip took us through an ancient city (and a UNESCO world heritage site) called Trogir, ~30 minutes west of Split. Click Read More to see a gallery of photos and write-up of our kayaking adventure through this historic city!

Read More
1 Comment

New Year's Paddle at the Windhappers

1/13/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Each year, the Windhappers celebrates the new year with a paddle and a party. This year's turnout for the paddle was a bit slim due to high winds, but four of us braved the gales and paddled a 2-hour loop through the canals around the town of Poeldijk.

A toasty member-filled clubhouse awaited our return, welcoming us with a table full of wine and snacks!

Read More
0 Comments

Days 21 - 24: Revisiting Owasco Lake, BayCreek, and NYC

8/12/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
Kiran, Maya, and Mallika fresh and full of energy
This weekend I met up with Maya at her grandpa's lake house on Owasco Lake where we spent the day kayaking with her brother Kiran and sister Mallika. We launched from the lake house (east side of the lake) and paddled north. Back in 2010 I paddled around the southern half of Owasco, so much of this territory was new to me.

Read More
1 Comment

Day 18: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

8/5/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture
The Legend of Sleeping Bear (courtesy of NPS)
Long ago, along the Wisconsin shoreline, a mother bear and her two cubs were driven into Lake Michigan by a raging forest fire. The bears swam for many hours, but eventually the cubs tired and lagged behind. Mother bear reached the shore and climbed to the top of a high bluff to watch and wait for her cubs. Too tired to continue, the cubs drowned within sight of the shore. The Great Spirit Manitou created two islands to mark the spot where the cubs disappeared and then created a solitary dune to represent the faithful mother bear. 

You can see the two islands in the map to the right.
Picture

Read More
2 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Welcome!

    This is a blog about exploring the outdoors (mostly by kayak), traveling, trip planning, and coastal engineering. It currently focuses on kayaking in the Netherlands and Belgium, but previous posts cover Upstate New York, California, and much more. See the Complete List of Blog Posts for a history of the site. Looking for something specific? Search the site here.

    In addition to the blog, check out the Water Nerd section, where I write about coastal engineering and hydrology. 

    ​Happy Paddling!
    ​Nena

    Subscribe Here!

    Email updates on new blog posts, about once per month.

    Reader Tips

    Click the "Read More" link at the bottom of each summary for more photos, to see an interactive map of the route, and to read about the adventure.

    Maps in each blog post: Click the icons to learn more about the launch site (amenities) and destinations. Click the square in the bottom-left corner to see an aerial photo behind the route.
    Suggestions much appreciated!


    Archives

    December 2020
    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    May 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010


    Categories

    All
    Biking
    Camping
    Canoeing
    City Trip
    Distance: 00 - 05 Miles
    Distance: 05 - 10 Miles
    Distance: 10 - 15 Miles
    Distance: 15 - 20 Miles
    Distance: > 20 Miles
    Guest Post
    Hiking
    Kayak Polo
    Reflections
    Region: Belgium
    Region: California
    Region: Canary Islands
    Region: Croatia
    Region: France
    Region: Great Lakes
    Region: Greece
    Region: Italy
    Region: Netherlands
    Region: New York
    Region: New Zealand
    Region: Norway
    Region: Oregon
    Region: Portugal
    Region: Spain
    Region: Switzerland
    Region: UK
    Region: US East Coast
    Region: Vancouver
    Region: Washington
    Roadtrip
    Tide: Non-Tidal
    Tides: Non-Tidal
    Tides: Tidal
    Time Capsules
    Trip Planning 101
    Type: Bay
    Type: Canal
    Type: Channel
    Type: Fjord
    Type: Lake
    Type: Lake/Reservoir
    Type: Open Coast
    Type: River
    Water Nerd

    RSS Feed

    Click the RSS Feed link, copy the URL, and paste it into your favorite feed reader.
    Blog Expat: living abroad

    Expats Blog
© 2021 The Naked Kayaker. All rights Reserved.