Haersterveer Zwolle

A ferry boot that can be pulled across to the opposite bank by hand – its beauty lies in its simplicity. The journey to the other side is short and a steel cable offers the ferryman the required handholds. Those wanting to cross have to pay: sixty cents, one way. The money is destined for the volunteers who keep the Haerster ferry working through the summer. This is no place for travellers in a hurry, the surroundings invite one to meditate by the waterside. As the wind rustles through endless shades of green, time looks to have lost its compass. Is this really the Netherlands in 2012? The ferry isn’t just a monument to a sober, non-motorised past, it’s also an ode to the harmony between man and nature. Seen that way it could even be an ode to the future.