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  • Today's journey takes us to the Dutch town of Giethoorn.

  • Giethoorn is just like any normal town.

  • With one exception, roads.

  • They don't have them.

  • The people are left with boats,

  • some can get to their destinations by bike,

  • or else they'll have to walk.

  • I am Bert Dedden, vice mayor of Giethoorn,

  • There are about 2,400 inhabitants and 1,100 houses.

  • And boats, lots of boats.

  • On a good day, there are about 500 to 600 boats here in Giethoorn.

  • That's Jan, one of the town's resident boat builders.

  • He's known for punters, a flat bottom boat that originated in Giethoorn.

  • The punter was created in Giethoorn, but now it's all over the world.

  • And where there are boats, there are bridges.

  • 167 to be exact.

  • And just like any town, people need their groceries,

  • their furniture, their beer, you name it.

  • But in Giethoorn, they must pass through Anton.

  • He's the town's bridge guard.

  • If the bridge guards were to stop, the village would come to a halt.

  • On a busy day, we open the bridge for about 300 boats.

  • One of those boats is the fire boat.

  • This is Bart and Erik.

  • Here, in the village of Giethoorn, there are many places that we can't get to by car.

  • Many homes are by the water, so we go out to extinguish fires,

  • we also save people from drowning, boats from sinking, you name it.

  • And this is Jan.

  • He's in charge of maintaining the natural lands around Giethoorn.

  • All the fields around Giethoorn are reachable by boat,

  • and cows on a boat isn't something we see a lot anymore in Holland,

  • but in Giethoorn it does still happen.

  • But for us it is really just normal.

  • So, there you have it.

  • The residents of Giethoorn prove

  • that a life without asphalt, traffic and trips to the DMV can be pretty damn great.

  • Roads, who needs 'em?

  • Bye, Giethoorn.

Today's journey takes us to the Dutch town of Giethoorn.

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