Deep Water (2017)
Most people get a vacation feeling from it: Vlieland and its sea. Swimming and floating in the water, walking and dozing on the beach. It used to be different. How different? You can hear that in the podcast Diep Water.
Because what was it like to be stationed as a soldier in wartime on Vlieland? And why did you have to take a sea bath against your STD in the eighteenth century? Mathijs Deen and Anne van Mourik traveled together to Vlieland and investigated it.
Episode 1: The Happy Soldier
During the world wars, the sea brought soldiers in their uniforms to the island. It didn't take long for the buttons to come undone, the laces were no longer tied so tightly. Control came over the water, you could see them coming for hours from the dunes through the channels. The surrounding water created distance; war was something from the other side. Stationed in the setting of sea, beach, birds, and wind meant during the best moments for the soldiers a kind of working vacation, far away from the battlefields.
Episode 2: The Unreachable Paradise
When we think of islands, we quickly imagine havens where all our worries wash away with the seawater. No packed schedules, no news reports, and no constraining thoughts. In this second episode of the podcast Deep Water, we measure the idea of the island as a mythical place. What is it that makes life feel lighter when you are surrounded by water?
Episode 3: The water is coming
Imagine you are a prehistoric human and you find yourself in present-day Friesland. You did not know the North Sea and the islands. Because the only thing that existed were monotonous grasslands, with some dunes here and there. You are freezing cold because even your thick prehistoric coat cannot withstand the ice age. You are so cold that you are freezing to death. A thousand years later, you wake up and to your great surprise, you see a huge North Sea. What happened in the meantime?
Episode 4: The prison as a safe haven
On Vlieland, there is a cemetery of less than six square meters. The sailors who lie here were once not allowed to be buried in the local cemetery. Out of fear of contamination. Or perhaps because these people were, in fact, not welcome on the island. Why not? You can find out in episode four of Diep Water.
Episode 5: At the doctor's recommendation
Do you have an STD? Then seawater is the best remedy! At least that’s what British doctor Richard Russel found in 1760. In this episode of Deep Water, we investigate how seawater can alleviate our ailments. But that’s not all. We also look at the invention of the beachgoer. Because jumping in the sea to fight STDs was not only beneficial but also a lot of fun.
Episode 6: Distant men, strong women
With the water came the maritime adventure. While the men hunted whales, the women managed the comings and goings on the island; emancipation that women on the mainland could only dream of. But how did it actually work to catch such a big whale? And what happened to those who did not survive the journey?
