In-Dutch, Again!
A Kayak Adventure in the Heart of Holland
Kayak adventurer Jim Payne has faced many challenges on waterways around the world, but this time he has a new distraction: falling in love with the Dutch people.
Payne's attachment began when, as an American teen hitchhiking in Europe over 50 years before, he experienced a remarkable act of kindness in a park in Amsterdam. He's since returned for bicycling trips, as well as a long-distance solo kayak voyage on the Rhine River narrated in this book.
As he tackles this famous waterway, dodging massive freighters and meeting nautical crises, Payne also explores the culture. He makes side trips to windmills, church services, local craft and drama shows, and is invited into many homes. All this experience reveals remarkable qualities of patience, kindness, and maturity in this surprising little country. As Payne puts it, "in fostering healthy human relationships, the Dutch seem to be a generation ahead of the rest of the world."