One of the most poignant places I visited with Grietje and Henk was this fishing village on the dike along the North Sea.  This section of the North Sea is called the Wadden Zee by the Dutch.  Here is a street scene in the village, with the churchyard on the left and homes along the right of the picture:

The church was very impressive, with its front tower soaring high in the air against a beautiful blue sky:

However, as in any coastal fishing community, there are many reminders of the dangers of fishing the sea in small crafts.  On December 1, 1893, a sudden, vicious storm claimed the lives of almost all the men from this tiny village.  This memorial plaque says that 17 ships and 22 fishermen died in that storm, their bodies never to be recovered.  The last line translates "22 fishermen found their grave in the waves."

This plaque commemorates those men.  It's clear that there were only a few families involved, and all of them were out on the boats when the storm broke.  Note that the Prins family lost six members to this one storm, one of them a man of 80 years old, and one who was only 19.  Note also that the last family name listed, "Visser," is translated "Fisherman."  These people had never known any other lifestyle for generations.

Here is another memorial stone I found, with more of the Visser, Sikkema, Kamma and Prins families.  The title reads "Lost At Sea."  Notice the Sikkema boy who drowned, only 12 years old. 

This picture is one you should DEFINITELY click on to enlarge, so you can read the story.  It tells the story better than I could.