Just when you think you’ve heard everything, something comes along that reminds you that you haven’t even begun to touch on the weird and wacky.
So it went with this story in Eurosport about the Dutch building a mountain.
Yes, you read that correctly. They’re going to build a mountain.
One thing the Netherlands is not: mountainous. Or hilly. There aren’t even very many gentle slopes.
Oh sure, there are a few hills, primarily in the southeast. But for the most part, Nederland is flat.
When you are in the countryside, it can be very lovely, in that ‘eyes sweeping the horizon as far as one can see’ sort of way. It feels vast and open, not tightly constrained.
Over time, you learn to appreciate this; it’s like a min-version of how 19th century pioneers must have felt heading west in America. That wide open range kind of feeling.
You may not even realize that you miss higher elevations.
That is, until you encounter them.
Wherever we travel, the minute I catch a glimpse of rolling hills, rounded mountains or jagged peaks, I feel such a thrill.
Ditto for driving on winding, curvy roads.
Some people dislike hairpin turns, but not me.
The sway of the car, the climbing elevation, the change in topography and vegetation – they all remind me that I am no longer in flatland.
So when I read the Eurosport article I was both skeptical and intrigued.
The project is named ‘Die Berg Komt Er’ (the mountain is coming).
It’s the brainchild of a Dutch sports journalist, Thijs Zonneveld. He threw out the idea in jest, musing aloud about the possibilities of the Dutch using the mountain to train for winter sports.
Some people thought he was gek (crazy), but the idea took hold with athletic groups, then futurists, urban planners and the like. The end result is that it looks as though the Dutch may actually build this mountain.
It will be 7,000 feet high which is tall, but not gargantuan. In contrast, the world’s tallest mountain is Mount Everest at 29,035 feet.
Of course altitude quickly becomes a problem the higher you climb, so the Dutch manmade mountain will be a more reasonable, comfortable 7,000 feet to allow for skiing, mountaineering, cycling, hiking and the like.
That’s what will be occurring on the outside.
On the inside of the mountain and beneath ground-level, the builders envision a massive center of shops, roads, railways, indoor arenas and living space.
Sort of like the Jetsons’ space age world, except underground. They even envision the project providing its own power and water supplies.
The projected cost and timeline? Ah, there’s the rub.
Estimates range from 40-270 billion British pounds (46-308 billion Euros or 65-438 billion US dollars, in today’s rates).
And it could take 30 years.
No doubt that the creativity, imagination and idealistic vision of this endeavor are exciting and noteworthy. Much good could conceivably come out of it. Perhaps it is in fact the way of the future.
But I can tell you that if I (or just about anyone) pitched a project that would take THAT long, cost THAT much, and the range of costs was THAT iffy??
Well, let’s just say that I wouldn’t be allowed in charge of household spending, the budget of a commercial project or public purse strings for a long, long time.
Excellent! I love it. Just the thought of the thought is reassuring – that people can come up with such an idea makes me believe that all is not lost.
That budgeting must have come from a Government department.
Yes but what an out-there estimate! As I mentioned earlier, I thought it was a typo and they meant millions (still huge but at least in the realm of understandable). Will have to see how this goes. I’ll stay tuned.
Bloody hell! Incredible concept but I do wonder if alcohol was involved when the idea was put forward. Given there are hills/mountains in France, Switzerland and Germany it would be less expensive to pay for everyone in the country to go to any of the aforementioned on vacation than build a mountain here. You have to wonder.
Yes you do. I thought the estimates had a typo and they meant millions rather than billions. The Dutch could BUY a mountain in any of the aforementioned countries and commute regularly.
This is quite ridiculous in my view, and certainly not worth the enormous cost. All the Dutch have to do is go over the border to France, Germany, Switzerland etc and they will find plenty of REAL mountains!! Having said that I’m not fond of flat places. So dull. In Kingston, Jamaica, where I live, the Blue Mountains are right nearby and visible from anywhere in the city. I love them at different times of day and in different weathers. My fave city is San Francisco, which is hills everywhere of course – you are hardly ever on the straight, always walking up or down!
Thanks Emma and welkom! Perhaps all of the less-than-stellar publicity may make the Dutch rethink the mountain-building. Speaking of mountains, the Blue Mountains are indeed gorgeous. I visited Jamaica years ago for work (Kingston, Ocho Rios and Port Antonio) and found it to be a tropical paradise. Lush, verdant and lovely. I find Petchary a fascinating name for you and your blog – I checked it out and found a woman after my own heart (Premier League Fan). Anyone who includes a gratuitous photo of a shirtless Diego Forlan is alright in my book!
I had no idea about the underground portion, sounds wonderful in a very crazy way. I heard that there’s talk of it being built in flevoland, which would mean that it will only make it to being half finished, much like the castle in Almere…
There is something so mysteriously creative about it. But 30 years and that price tag? I know I’d go see it while being built!
The Dutch are inventive and ingenious engineers having spent centuries successfully pushing back the seas so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they built their man mountain. Sadly, I suspect in a land short of land, it would be a bit of a folly. Talking of flatlands, Liam and I are thinking ahead to our proper retirement in a few years time and have Norfolk in mind. It was the Dutch who first taught the English how to drain the nearby Fens (England’s very own nederlands).
The Dutch truly are well-versed in engineering and land reclamation, so I actually don’t doubt their technical abilities in this project. It will be interesting to see where it is to be built. I’ve not been to Norfolk but it sounds lovely. In the meantime, may you have many more years of Turkish delight 😉
I do not doubt for one bit the Dutch and their capabilities to build a mountain. I wonder though will it be one of many? Imagine what would all the cyclists do?!
The Dutch are also frugal and certainly not ostentatious, so I’m guessing they’ll stop at one mountain. Unless of course pressures mounts (pun intended) for surrounding hills!