*Misspelling intentional, per usual

5/28/16: This weekend, we are the grateful guests of our best friends in Cherry Grove, Fire Island, located off the southern edge of Long Island in New York. One of Fire Island’s best features is the fact that there are no cars. You take a ferry to get there, then you just walk (or bike) everywhere. After the incessant noise and traffic of New York City, it’s a wonderful relief.

There are a number of other communities across the world which are without motorized vehicles, and the village of Giethoorn is one of those. This tiny, beautiful place is known as the Venice of the Netherlands, and residents and visitors travel by boat along the village’s canals. When the community’s original residents settled in the area, there were no canals. But when they discovered the area was rich in peat deposits, and their digging for that peat eventually created the waterways for which the village is best known today. The majority of the village’s houses are located on islands, connected by 50 wooden bridges.

And here’s the best feature of this aquatic community: only electric and non-powered boats are permitted! What a lovely way to live. Giethoorn has definitely made it to my list of places I want to see in person!

You can learn more about Giethoorn on their tourism website.