North across the IJ

Took the ferry across the IJ (pronounced 'Aye' I think) which is the main shipping route now to the North Sea. Its name is an obsolete Dutch word meaning "water" (surprise!). This is the first time we have ventured north of central Amsterdam. We went specifically to see the De Ceuval site. "Developed by a bottom-up community of Amsterdam-based entrepreneurs, De Ceuvel hosts a restaurant, a bed-and-breakfast, and 16 offices built from old houseboats that were recycled into creative offices and placed on land."

De Ceuval is sort of an experiment for a 'closed loop' urban development, meaning that it is nearly completely sustainable and off the grid of electricity, water, and sewer. In other words, "funky".