| 9/9 Weekend Trip to Holland We left Dusseldorf
Saturday morning on the ICE train to Amsterdam complete with backpacks, maps and water
bottles. The ICE train is a high speed Intercountry train. Quite a nice way to travel. Our
intent when we left was to spend the weekend in Amsterdam. It didn’t quite turn out
like that but then again, that is part of the fun of traveling, one never knows what will
happen when you leave with your backpack and an open itinerary.
We arrived in Amsterdam around noon. That was us and about 100,000 other people. The
first sights you encounter when you leave the central station is how many people and
bicycles there are all trying to get down the main street and this wasn’t even a
special holiday. The second reckoning is the large signs hanging across the streets
warning you of the pickpockets around. Up front the Chamber of Commerce tries to set the
stage and make you a better informed/aware tourist.
We found our hotel after a few false starts. The street maps are not that easy to
follow since the same name can/are used multiple times. After the initial experience, we
decided to take a tour or two to get the most out of our remaining hours there. We sign up
for the Volendam and Maken 2:30PM Saturday tour. We only had about 15 minutes after we
signed up at the hotel to get to the tourist place so off we ran leaving our back packs in
the hotel room for ease of flight. This becomes a point later.
Vodendam is an old picturesque fishing village on the shore of the former Zuiderzee. We
watched how they make wooden shoes. The technique is the same as how they make a key using
your initial key as the pattern. The machine has an existing shoe on one side and they
place a block of very wet poplar on the other side and off it goes to make the outside
form. They then transfer the shoe form to another machine, which proceeds to bore out the
inside again, using the model of an existing shoe. This whole process takes less than 5
minutes.
Part of this tour is to show the typical Dutch countryside of polders and little
canals. We passed through Zaanse Schans, which is a well-known windmill village. Many
years ago with the Dutch depended on the windmills for power to grind the grain and manage
opening/closing of the dams, there were 1000s of them, now less than a 1000 remain and all
are protected by the government.
After this we went to a cheese factory complete with samples. Quite good. Then to a
small village for shopping time. You know the tourists, need this time. It had started to
sprinkle and since we had left our backpack at the hotel with our umbrellas, we needed to
buy rain gear, once again. We purchased ponchos, with Jim complaining all the time that a
few sprinkles would never hurt anyone. Just wait….
Then via boat to Marken. Let me tell you, the skies opened up and started pouring as
the boat pulled out of harbor. This large lake was once full of sea water but through
several dams and years, it now only contains fresh water. When we got to the other side,
we had to walk a few blocks to get back to the bus and it continued to pour all the way.
By the time we found the bus, Jim was quite thankful for the ponchos. Instead of the
bright springy tourists that started out, we now looked like a bunch of wet rats. The
inside of the bus was as steam as a sauna.
We went for a walk after dinner through the illustrious/notorious Red Light district of
Amsterdam. Again, us and the few thousands of tourists in town for the weekend. As
advertised, the ladies are in the windows and ready to make eye contact or any other level
of contact with anyone who is interested. We strolled and enjoyed the sites and sounds of
the evening.
Sunday morning we left Amsterdam and went to the southeastern part of Holland. We went
to see the fortified town of Naarden with is history of bloody sieges. We walked around
the town and looked at how they had tried to fortify the town with double canals/moats and
walls. Naarden was built to protect Amsterdam from invasion from the South/East.
We then went through the "Gooi", Garden of Amsterdam. Homes were so beautiful
on the canals and the river Vecht. We have no idea of what a flower garden can really be
like. Here where it is not so hot and the water is so plentiful, it is indescribable and
the Dutch people pride themselves on having this beautiful area around their homes.
Originally all the homes had thatched roofs and then after tiles were invented, only the
poor people had thatched roofs. Now days the very rich have gone back to the traditional
thatched room and the poor now have tile roofs. Insurance is a premium for them due to the
potential for fire. Most of the homes have the tea house out on the property someplace.
This is where the ladies go with their friends for their morning/afternoon teas and all
with boats tied up outside on the canal.
We saw a couple of 17th / 18th century castles and mansions.
We met some really nice people from the states. Two couples from New York who was just
starting out on a 3-week trip that would take them through Russia. Just imagine. Another
couple was originally from Los Gatos but had lived in Texas for a few years. She worked
for Dell and had been on an assignment in Ireland for the last two years. They were
getting ready to go back to the states and wanted to move back to California but
didn’t know if they could afford the re-entry price for a home. We commiserated with
them and wished them well.
By the time we got back into Amsterdam, we only had time for a canal trip and then it
was time to head back to the train station. So, if we can, we need to go back and visit
Amsterdam… never did get to see the Ann Frank house or the museums. Next Trip.
Wish you were with us. |