The Netherlands

The Netherlands May 16-22, 2012

After a great nights sleep, Larry and I got up to a breakfast of hard boiled eggs, toast, and bananas. We are spending the week in Richard and Jolanda's daughter's, Rachel's one bedroom, one bath condo built in the 1930s. It is a few doors down the street and up a steep flight of stairs from Richard and Jolanda's condo in the city of The Hague.

Jolanda and Richard

Rachael's Condo

Holland is a nickname for the Netherlands (means low lands because half of the country is below sea level). Much of Holland is reclaimed land from the sea. What were we expecting to see? Wooden shoes, windmills, tulips.....I think we were in for a few more surprises. Holland is thought to be one of the wealthiest and best organized countries in Europe. The average income in Holland is higher than in the US with only 8 per cent of the labor force being farmers, 70 percent of the land is cultivated.

                                                             Bikes were everywhere!

All of the flat land around Holland makes for a biker's dream. You can literally bike to every city and town. All highways have bike paths beside them. Richard secured bikes for the three of us to ride all day throughout The Hague. His bike was a motorized one that Larry hogged most of the day, riding with the biggest smile on his face. He has decided that he must have one just like it to ride around Clearwater Beach.

Made just for the laid back folks!

Richard has lived most of his life in The Hague and was a perfect guide for showing us so many things that we would have never found on our own. The sky was blue, the sun shown brightly, and the air was crisp...What else could you ask for?

We took off about 10:00 am riding through the Zuiderpark, one of the many beautiful parks that we enjoyed through out the day....I think Richard was checking out our bike riding skills before going too far from the condo. Of course Richard soon found out that Larry and I were up for the biking challenge. 500,000 people live in the Hague and there are triple that many bicycles...no kidding! Each person owns two or three bikes. If the bikes are not on the road, they line the streets in long parked lines. We rode our bikes right on the streets in the traffic....bikers had the right away. Some streets had bike lanes and some did not. You had to pay close attention to every twist and turn that Richard led us through because you were dodging pedestrians, other bikers, cars, buses and trolleys as well as scooters. Scooters were allowed to ride on the bike lanes and many times they would whiz by you unexpectedly.

We also had a green and red bike traffic light to abide by. It was all exhilerating riding with so much activity going on!
What a stupendous day! The Hague, the third largest city, has been the seat of the Netherlands government since 1588. The city is a wonderful blend of old and modern. Skyscrappers tower over the older quaint brick buildings dating back to 1600's. Truely amazing!

We toured an open air market that sold fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, meats, clothing, leather goods and so many other things at excellent prices. We purchased apples, strawberries, bananas....Larry and I had to experience the Holland tradition...eating a fresh  smoked herring....right there in the market. We were troopers!

A statue even shows the herring being eaten!

We rode to the Peace Palace and viewed a movie about its beginnings and its importance in the world. Although a Russian prince and the queen of the Netherlands began the process by hosting two peace conferences in 1899 and 1907, American philantharpist, Andrew Carneige, donated 1.5 million dollars for the palace to be built. Other countries donated various items and materials.

Peace Palace

We visited the Binnenhof the seat of the Dutch political power. Richard shook hands with the Prime Minister of Finance. A beautiful gold fountain centers the courtyard where once a year Queen Beatrice of Netherlands rides into the courtyard during a National holiday in September. We passed the stables where  100 horses are cared for at her majesties request just for this event.

Binnenhof

Richard led us through the Schilders Buurt where streets are name after the famous Dutch painters and then on to the Dutchland China Town. All along the way we passed canals with boats lining the shore lines and birds nesting with either eggs or little peeps.

We walked through an indoor French style shopping mall built in the 1800s.

Wedding were everywhere....Didn't matter what day it was!

We stopped to have a traditional Dutch lunch, kind of a fried goulash on a roll and a Dutch meatball. It was very tasty.

                                                         Tasting a Dutch Meatball

We stopped at a nut and candy shop. The owner was friends with Richard, so he allowed us to sample several delicacies...Chocolate covered dried strawberries, fish bowl gravel candy, and some other tasty delights. Larry was literally a kid in a candy shop! We biked through a couple more parks and rode a small boat across a canal to a German bunker...viewing the inside was interesting.

Inside the bunker!

 Kurhaus Hotel

 We rode to the Kurhaus, a beach side hotel on the North Sea. A large board walk opened up to the wide golden beaches. Here each January 1, 5000 Dutch welcome the new year by taking the polar plung. Brrrrr! We stopped at a butcher market when all kinds of yummy carniverous delights danced in Larry's eyes. We tasted a yummy Dutch bacon and liverwurts. We journeyed on to another market to purchase chicken breasts for dinner.

We finally arrived back to our ' home away from home' around 6:00pm. My it looked wonderful! We figured that we had rode somewhere around 60 kilometers.... 35 miles. I thought, "Hope I can get out of bed tomorrow!"

Our Thursday, our 2nd day in the Netherlands was beautiful sunshine. Richard claimed it has been cold and rainy for the past month and that we brought good weather with us. We just feel lucky that we had great weather.

Richard and Jolanda drove us to Keukenhof, a beautiful park that is home to all the tulip industry. We left The Hague around 10:00am an drove past the International Crimes Tribunal where international flags lined the streets. Driving on for almost an hour, my heart just sank as we passed tulip fields that had already bloomed and died....a little color here and there. I was beginning to think, "We have just missed the time of year to see this wonder." Once we started getting close to the park, traffic picked up and a parade of cars were entering the parking lot. This was a National Holiday and thousands of people were coming to enjoy the last few days of the park being open. (The park is only open from March 16 to May 20).

Inside was a wonderland, most beautiful manicured park of blooming tulips, daffodils, hyacins, and other varieties of bulb flowers. Keukenhof is the world's most famous bulb flower garden in the world.

More than seven million bulbs were in full bloom on this 80 acre flower farm. Many buildings featured speciality flowers. One had orchids while another had only lillies. A grand Dutch windmill was open on the property to tour.

Fountains and waterfalls graced by a variety of trees and shrubs made for a photographers paradise. The air was full of all kinds of floral smells. Swans floated along many of the waterways. It was fascinating sights to see and we spent about four hours walking the paths and walkways, just enjoying every moment.

After visiting Keukenhof, we drove about half an hour past Amsterdam to see the quaint village of Brock en (Waterland) where wooden houses lined narrow streets with many waterway canals. Grand old tall trees shaded with well groomed gardens to these century or older structures. Wooden homes are rare due to the lack of wood so most Hollanders build brick homes as well as brick roads. Most of the structures that we have seen are brick. This was a very special area because of the old wooden properties were well preserved.

One of the beautiful wooden restored homes

After touring Brock en we drove on to Edan and walked on the dike there. The huge inlet from the sea had been diked to the north  adjacent to Amsterdam as well making this a large lake. Beautiful Dutch homes lined the walkway leading to a lively area of shops and restaurants. Views of very old wooden sailboats as well as modern motor boats flanked the lake's marina. We noticed that eel was a popular catch for area fisherman and a restaurant bar was set up to sell ell on a bun. We were not brave enough to try it, but we did try the tiny round pancake like treats with powdered sugar.

 Reminded me of funnel cake. A live band gathered a crowd of the younger generation(including us)  around who were having a good time and enjoying a Heinekin or two. We meanderd behind this area to the small houses that were built up along narrow alleyways with a 4 ft canal complete with foot bridges.. Neat and compact...well taken care of and a joy to walk through, these older homes were very unique.

Richard took us to three windmills in a row. Wow! What a sight!
After driving down the highway toThe Hague, we stopped to have a Dutch fast food dinner. Belgium fries with this unusual tasting sauce and Kroquets....Fun fast food! We got home about 7:00pm. Highlights of the day...the gorgeous Holland tulips, three windmills in a row, and walking on a Dutchland dike. What a great day in the Netherlands!

The sun shone brightly on our third day, Friday, in the Netherlands. We decided to bike to the small town of Delfe, a quaint village to the south of The Hague about 15 kilometers. The ride was fantastic through forests, parks, and green fields. On the way we were amazed to hear the sound of the Cuckoo bird and Larry actually spotted the bird. Last year we had hiked the forests in Slovenia in search of the Cuckoo with no luck so seeing and hearing this one was a real treat .

The village of Delft was formed back in the 11th century when a canal was being built from Rotterdam to The Hague. A giant Gothic "new " church over looks Market Square. Inside are buried William I and other famous Dutch Royalty. A few blocks away is the "old" church, much smaller where Vermeer (famous Dutch painter)and Leuwenhoek (Dutch inventor of the microscope which allowed him to discover bacteria) are buried.

Delft is unique town with many old, old buildings dating back to the 1400's.... at least that was the oldest that we saw. Lots of canal waterways and scenic bridges are everywhere you look. Every turn has a "WOW" moment in the architecture and quaintness of the town.

We met Richard's father at one of the many sidewalk cafes in the city center at noon and ordered something to drink. The weather was so nice that we decided to have lunch. I asked them to order a Dutch favorite which was ham, cheese and a fried egg on brown bread. Very tasty...Larry enjoyed eating part of it....Richard and his dad had the same.

After lunch we rode around Delft taking pictures and just enjoying the scenery.

It started to cloud up so we started our ride back round 2:00. We passed two cute windmill homes that had been chopped off at the top.

We also passed a working windmill and were fortunate to watch the paddles turn and the wheat being ground to flour inside. Wow!!!! So cool!

We stopped by Richard's Dad's home and was entertained by his father singing some opera to us for about an hour. It was delightful. He offers us some refreshments while we sat in his garden....a little paradise.

We journeyed on back to the Hague, stopping to have ice cream a kilometer before reaching Richard's home. Today was a bike riding dream to cross over so many canals on our ride to, through, and back from Delft. Can't think of a better way to have spent the day!

On Saturday, our 4th day, Larry and I caught a tram to the central train station in The Hague where we then boarded a train for a 40 minute ride into Amsterdam. We enjoyed looking at the greenlands out the train window also seeing several more windmills and farms with canals. We arrived in Amsterdam around noon. Amsterdam is known as "the Venice of the North". The Central Station was a massive piece of architecture. Lots of people, lots of bicycles, and lots of tourist.

2 and 1/2 hour line waiting to see the inside of the Anne Frank House. We just said, "Oh we will save that for another time."We stopped to have lunch at a picnic table beside one of the large canals.


Tour boats and personal watercrafts of all sizes went by...it was very, very busy. . Accordian and clarinet players were walking about. We enjoyed our PB and J, trail mix, and apples ....throughly entertained.

Everyone seems to speak English and enjoy practicing it with you. We spoke to several helpful folks who helped us find our way many times during the day.

                                                Hooks help hoist things to the upper floors.

We walked on and on and took loads of pictures of the row houses...each with their own special architecture. I kept saying" Look over there" while Larry got a callous on his camera finger. We took lots of pictures of the canals...just one beautiful sight after another .

The cities' 100 canals are about 10 feet deep and are crossed by 1200 bridges, fringed with 100,000 Dutch elm and lime trees. We passed Nieuwe Kerk (massive church, went in to take a peek), Madame Tussauds (wax figures), monument op de Dam,Oude Kerk(another gigantic church), the Red Light District (what an eye opener...Amsterdams oldest neighborhood has hosted the oldest profession since 1200's....it is legal to be a prostitute in the Neatherlands), Nieuwmarket (an Asian Festival was going on)

 and tons of little sidewalk cafes. There were so many people while we were there that we had a hard time finding a cafe with two seats to take a break....we have never dodged so many people and bicycles in all of our days....but the city architecture was worth every step to see.

We found Amsterdam to be a city of alternative lifestyles...a city where nothing is illegal as long as nobody gets hurt. We observed a commemorative plaque saluting a homosexual person...tulips were laid upon it.....Many shops offering marijuanna and parafinalia....smelled it everywhere....red light district offered sex for $$. All of this was a bit on the wild side for us!

OMG....the height of the Dutch. Many are the size of a giant. At times Larry and I have felt like munchkins. The average height of a Duchman is 6'1'',but we have seen many, many who have towered over that. The women as well are oh so tall.

Bikes were all shapes and sizes.

At the end of the day we found our way back to the Central Station and had just missed the train back to The Hague. Oh well, we sat for half an hour until the next one arrived. I fell asleep on the train on the way home...the ride was that smooth. We meandered a bit at the Central Station in The Hague to find the trolley and finally boarded the correct one...number 2. Thank goodness I had brought a map of the city with us....we were unsure of where to get off....but with a little help from a Dutchman, found our way. By 7:30 we were "home sweet home". We had walked and looked so much that we were both ready to hit the sack.

Our Sunday, our 5th day in Holland was a gorgeous day as well. As Richard has said, "We are really fortunate with the weather". We rode bicycles to the beach to see an antique VW show.

Passing through a neighborhood who were celebrating the European football...Go Holland!

 What a show! Some were fixed up so nice and some were in the process of being fixed up....bugs, vans, carmanghas,Things, dune buggies....there was a lot to look at and Larry enjoyed seeing each one.

Brought back memories!

 Also we got to watch a world kite surfing championship that was going on at the beach. There were about 20 out braving the chilly waves. Richard said they race in about 15 cities and total their times in all to decide who the winner is.

Arriving home about 2:00, we decided to relax the rest of the afternoon...I was ready.

Richard's  family came over in the evening for a little visit. We went over to meet his mom.

On Monday, our 6th and last day in Holland, I worked on updating our blog while Larry went with Richard on his scooter to Rotterdam to pick up another motorized bike. Larry enjoyed riding the scooter back while Richard rode the bike. We had invited them to dinner for the last night so Larry bought some thick T-bones from the butcher. Richard said he would cook them. I said I would bring a salad and some potatoes. Jolanda promised to be home by 6:45 from work so we had a great dinner ready at 7:00....enjoying their flower garden, some good food and some good Dutch vino....and looking at the pictures we had taken during the past week in Holland. What a wonderful relaxing last day.

So what does Holland bring to our mind now that we have spent a week here?

Not just tulips, windmills, and wooden shoes! We have fallen in love with the people and their gentle ways. There is a relaxing, peaceful tranquiltiy in Dutchland.... The unforgetable bicycles and bike paths will rank high in our minds.....Cheese from all the dairy farms....Good clean water to drink from the faucet.... The endless canal ways...oh how we wish we had our boat...and the unbelievable architechture from centuries long ago. The Netherlands ranks highly with good memories, good friends, and good times.

Farewell to Holland and our sweet little home away from home...Rachael's condo.

We flew out of Amsterdam Tuesday morning.