Season 1 2023

Huub starts his journey along the IJssel in Westervoort. Farmers also have to deal with the vagaries of the IJssel. The Reijers family, for example, has been running a farm on the IJsselkop since 1875. The journey continues past beautiful country houses and castles. Middachten Castle is the biggest pearl. Here Huub has a special meeting with count and countess zu Ortenburg. Huub ends with Doesburg's pride: a delicious mustard soup.

On his journey along the IJssel, Huub arrived in Hoog-Keppel. Until 1983, dozens of residents of Laag- and Hoog-Keppel worked in the iron foundry: the most dirty work you could do. In Dieren, Huub visits the largest walled vineyard in the Netherlands. This is the domain of the Gelderland nobility, but also of "de Oranjes", Dutch royalty. The old pumping station in Bronkhorst has been given a special new purpose. Joost Wolters' grandfather worked as a manager of the pumping station, which is now a gallery. In Zutphen, attention is paid to the Walburgis Church, which contains the oldest library in the Netherlands: De Librije.

Huub pays a visit to Baroness Van Lynden, who years ago inherited an estate with a 13th century ruin - De Nijenbeek - from a distant relative. One of the oldest cities in the Netherlands is located on the IJssel: Deventer. Bert van Marwijk grew up there and he talks about his connection with the Deventer football club Go Ahead Eagles. The IJssel flows through the life and books of Jan Terlouw. He recites a poem about the river.

Huub crosses the IJssel with the Cossack ferry. Forest ranger Jeroen den Hartog shows Huub the protected nature reserve of the Duursche Waarden. And Huub visits the Sluiter brothers, whose farm had to make way for the water of the IJssel. In the Zwolle floodplains, the band Tangerine brings a musical ode to the river. The village of Zalk became known for a striking woman: Klazien uut Zalk. She will have her own museum.

In this last episode, Huub visits a special museum dedicated to the first weatherman on Dutch television: Jan Pelleboer. He also visits the traditional cigar factory in Kampen. And there is attention for the high water brigade, a group of volunteers who "go to war" at high waterlevels. Huub concludes his journey in style on a cog on the IJsselmeer.