DAY 123 – 138 Part 2: Visiting other cities in the Netherlands

- May 23, 2019

While in Holland, I got a bit lazy and decided it is just easier to post directly on Facebook but always intending to eventually transfer the posts to the blog... Well, it has taken me a few months but here goes! The rest of my trip, on the blog.

While house sitting in Oosterhout, I took the train on several occasions to visit other parts of the Netherlands. The train system is great, trains are clean and comfortable and run on time but cheap it ain't! In New York a 7 day pass was $32. In London a 7 day pass was 20-something pounds. Here a ONE DAY pass is EUR39!!!! And that is still cheaper than buying separate single tickets. The Netherlands is not cheap...

I managed to visit Amsterdam, Delft, Den Haag, Zaanse Schans and Breda and of course, the views from the train windows were stunning. On the way to Amsterdam, we went past Keukenhof and though it was not really tulip time, there were enough flowers in bloom.

Amsterdam:

25 years ago I visited Amsterdam for the first time and I loved it. Not so impressed this time round. I don't think Amsterdam has changed, I think it is me... one's views change with age and life experiences. I tried to stay out of the red light district, checked the map and went wide and still... "oh look, a bakery... yum, and a book shop and a gift shop and... oh gosh... " Yeah, some things you just cannot un-see!

What is the same though, is the bicycles… they are everywhere. One thing I did notice about the Dutch and their bicycles is that you cannot ride a bike with your pants halfway down your butt... and that is why young men in Holland wear their pants where they belong, up where they cover their underwear!

I kept thinking that another good thing about the Dutch and their bicycles is the fact that at least they cannot be on their phones, so they actually look around and if they have a friend or friends with them, you can hear them having conversations..... and then I saw that one girl on her bike today.... in Amsterdam, in between cars and pedestrians... ON HER DARN PHONE!!! Honestly!

Only in Amsterdam - bicycle bells!

Feijoa - Not sure what this has to do with New Zealand??

It's the KIDS I am worried about being told! :)

Seems you can buy anything with Canabis now.

And then there are the windows to be rented!

Den Haag:

I managed to visit Den Haag twice and specifically the Binnenhof, where my Huguenot ancestors denounced the Catholic faith at the hofkapel in the 1600s. Even though the original building no longer exists, the building that is now in it's place, refers to it and that did have special meaning to me.

I have not had these in many, many years. The dude selling them told me they are imported from Italy. Will have to see that I find some when I get there.

Plaque on the building where the hofkapel used to be. Here Charles Marais and his family renounced the Catholic Religion before leaving for The Cape of Good Hope.

Delft:

Delft is a very cute town. The old town centre is very compact and easy to walk. I spent a few hours there on my way to Zaanse Schans.

Zaanse Schans:

This is the Holland of posters and postcards! It was a long train ride but so worth it. Sadly it is very overrun with tourists. The one thing that will always stick in my mind is the smell of cacao... the whole place smells of it!

Breda:

Breda is the closest larger town to Oosterhout and a 25 minute bus ride away. I arrived here by train and departed also from here on my way to Germany. I spent one afternoon just walking around, admiring the architecture and parks etc.