Marken Island, The Netherlands

I so much love this card....not just coz its a lighthouse, and dominated by the blue colour...the whole view is just beautiful...and i just love how that black line of birds 'cuts' the sky...it really brings some nice 'disturbance' to the overall peacefulness of the image..

This is a lighthouse on the former island Marken.

Marken is an island and gemeente (municipality), in west-central Netherlands within the IJsselmeer. Lying some 17 km northeast of Amsterdam, Marken was separated from the mainland in the 13th century during the formation of the Zuiderzee. Then 3-km- long island has an area of  2.5 square km and lies about 2.5 km offshore. Since 1957 it has been connected to the mainland by a causeway. Before the Zuiderzee was made into the IJsselmeer by the 30-km Afsluitdijk, the inhabitants of Marken and its neighbouring island of Volendam made their living from fishing, especially for eels. Most residents are orthodox Calvinists. Their houses were grouped on small mounds and built on piles to protect against high tides. The island has retained much of the atmosphere of past days. During tourist season the residents enhance this effect by dressing in traditional regional costumes.