Showing posts with label Netherlands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Netherlands. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Windmills that you find - 4 May 2009

KinderdijkAlthough we weren't quite in the neighbourhood, UNESCO dangled a World Heritage site 'carrot', and we decided we couldn't miss the Kinderdijk site and its 19 preserved windmills in a dual canal system, dating from the 14th century. The canals had been dug by hand and when they could not keep pace, the windmills were added from 1738 to 1740, and the windmills drained the surrounding countryside, into the nearby River Lek. It really is an impressive sight, a real piece of quintessential Dutch history.
KinderdijkKinderdijk
After a pleasant stroll around, we set of to catch the ferry back from Calais. The guide book told us that Breda was a pleasant town, and we had enough time for one more stop before we left the Netherlands, so it was a great place for lunch. Breda could almost be said to be wall to wall cafes.BredaBreda As it was Monday and a working day, the town was relatively quiet, but we enjoyed a fabulous lunch in the sunshine, within sight of their magnificent gothic cathedral, said to be the best in the Netherlands. We decided that the Netherlands do the best bread of any place we've visited. Breda Cathedral ceilingEach morning the two B&B's we stayed in had superb fresh, soft, yet crusty bread, as did this cafe. We heartily recommend sampling bread when travelling in this part of the Netherlands.

It was then a bit of a mad dash across Europe, getting tangled in the Antwerp motorway ring road and on across Belgium and France to get back to Calais in time for our ferry sailing. We made it with time to spare, had a rest on the ferry then a dream run home on the M20/M25 which we were dreading as it was the end of a Bank Holiday weekend.

Delta Project - 3 May 2009

ZierikzeeThe day got off to a very interesting start when we decided to collect the car from the overnight carpark building before breakfast as rain was threatening and it would have been an unpleasant walk in the rain. We got to the carpark only to find it locked up like Fort Knox and accessible only with the bar-coded parking ticket that the machine had dispensed when we parked. Unfortunately said bar-coded ticket was safely locked inside the car inside the locked carpark. Had our Dutch been a little better, we may have seen a sign saying to take the ticket with us.

VeereThere was an intercom button by both of the pedestrian entrances to the building but neither elicited any response. In desperation I flagged down a passing motorist who, fortunately for us, spoke excellent English, and he agreed to drive his car to the vehicle entrance at which point the doors automatically opened allowing us Veereaccess. Problem solved, we drove back to the B&B for a well earned breakfast while the rain poured down outside.

Leaving Middelburg we drove a short distance to the very attractive town of Veere. Clearly a tourist trap as even on Sunday there were parking charges.

ZierikzeeAfter walking around the town we headed off for to see the Delta Project. After a storm surge in 1953 that killed 1835 people and flooded a huge swathe of the Netherlands, the Dutch embarked on a massive engineering project to prevent any such recurrence. Modern windmills at the delta ProjectThe last section was completed in 1986 and comprised a closeable storm surge barrier across the Oosterschelde. A man-made island was created as a construction site for the project and this island has now been turned into the visitor centre and theme park.

It is quite expensive, €18.50 each plus €6.50 parking, plus high priced food inside, but really worth a visit. There are films about the project; displays about the history, the flood, and the construction; a 45-minute boat trip; a walk though the barrier for a close-up look; an aquarium; Zierikzeeseals; a 'grave-yard' of interesting pieces of equipment from the construction phase; a whale exhibition; a fun water feature to amuse the young and young-at-heart; a water slide; and play areas and rides for the kids. It was very easy to fill in the better part of a day; they have clearly set out to make it an interesting day-out destination for families.

Delta Project gate lifting gearBut, it was time to move on to Zierikzee. The guide books we read were not overly complimentary about Zierikzee but we thought it was a lovely cute settlement with houses from the 14th C (even our B&B was built in 1650). The historical centre, inside the old moat is only a short walk from side to side and there a plenty of sights to be seen with the old and new harbours, the ancient gates and so forth. We came across a 1953 flood-level marker on a building that was at least 3m above the foot-path. It made the information we had seen earlier in the day that much more real and relevant.

ZierikzeeDinner was in the pub at the end of our street that had also been chosen by the local football team as a suitable venue for a farewell party for one of the team, They were a jolly and noisy bunch as they serenaded their mate. I could not understand why all these burly lads had jackets emblazoned with 'The Dancemasters' but discovered that that was the name of the team sponsor.

ZierikzeeThe reason we picked that particular establishment was that we had noted on the menu earlier that they served Orange Roughy, a delight we have not seen on this side of the world before. It seemed particularly appropriate to be enjoying one of New Zealand's best export fish in Zeeland.

Zealand to Zeeland - 2 May 2009

MiddelburgMiddelburg Square
As Kiwis abroad, we decided it was about time we took a look at the original Zeeland.

The bells, the bells!We always thought New Zealand was named by it's first European discoverer, Able Tasman. But apparently it is thought to have been named by Dutch cartographers.

An early start got us to Dover for an 8.30 sailing. A three hour drive, including a 6k tunnel, brought us through France and Belgium to Zeeland, the south-western province in the Netherlands.
MiddelburgMiddelburg
Middelburg is the largest town. Like one of our favorite towns in Holland, Horne, Middelburg was also a base of the Dutch East India company.
Middelburg Town HallMiddelburg Town Hall
It has several grand old buildings and our B&B was right beside the Abbey, a wonderful complex, now housing several museums and churches. The only draw back, was the Abbey bells, housed in a fabulous bell tower we had admired during the day, marked every quarter hour and rang out the hour, right through the night. But the B&B was still an excellent location, and attached to the Desafinado Jazz cafe, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner. MiddelburgDesafinado Jazz cafe

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Windmills - 9 April 2007

No trip to Holland could be complete without seeing some genuine Dutch windmills.

Zaanse Schans from the river
Zaanse Schans is an area beside the River Zaan that used to have The water pumping mill200 windmills. Today there are eight working windmills left. As well as the expected flourmill and water-pumping mill (both quite tiny) there is a sawmill, a mustard mill (family run since 1792), an oil mill and the last remaining paint mill where they grind pigments for artist’s paints. The area has been turned into a model village, by the addition of houses that have been relocated here. There are merchants' houses along the river and workers' cottages on the lower-lying ground. In spite of the tourist buses it is a tranquil and fascinating place to visit.

Oil Mill, Paint Mill & Saw MillMerchant's houses
Back in Amsterdam we had a final wander through the city before heading to the airport for a dream run home: the BA pilot managed to chop 20 minutes off a 65-minute flight; the immigration queue was three people long; bags were 4th and 7th on to the carousel; the inter-terminal shuttle was waiting; the Southern train was at the platform when we got there; we had 5 minutes to wait at Clapham Junction; and the Harrow & Wealdstone Tube had just pulled in to Wilesden Junction as we ran down the stairs. 2:40 from take-off gate to front door at the end of a holiday weekend - quite remarkable.
Workers' cottagesWorker's cottage

Haarlem - 8 April 2007

An interesting old doorwayForgoing our free bus ride, we paid for a train ticket to speed us back to Haarlem, our final stop of the day. This is even more attractive than Delft: the town square is impressive and there are many interesting streets to explore leading off the square.

Down one of these side streets, we came across an Indonesian restaurant, which we decided to try. We had read that one must try Indonesian food in Holland, as this was one of the Dutch territories.


Haarlem Grote KerkHaarlem Grote Markt

An excellent way to approach this is to have a rijsttafel, The canals are everywherewhich on this occasion was 14 separate dishes plus rice. Unfortunately, like our selection of fish in Hoorn, we ended the day none the wiser as we had absolutely no idea what we had sampled. What we did establish was that it was another fantastic meal: so, when in Haarlem, dine at De Lachende Javaan.

Delft - 8 April 2007

Church on the squareDelft Town HallTo get to the Keukenhof Gardens from the train we purchased another all day Bus Pass; so, following on our success of the previous day, we decided to use our pass in the afternoon and visit Delft. This proved to be a 2½-hour expedition, and included a bus change that required us to walk though the centre of The Hague. We did not enjoy this city: compared to the other places visited in Holland, it is most unappealing.

DelftDelft
Delft is attractive and, naturally, full of Delftware shops. We wondered at the similarity to Chinese Willow pattern china, but this was explained when we leant that Delft was another of the cities where the Dutch East India Company was based.

Keukenhof Gardens - 8 April 2007

The main reason we choose Amsterdam in April was to visit the Keukenhof Gardens: the best spring bulb garden in the world. However, after paying €13 each to get in, the miserable toads charge €0.30 to use the toilets. How mean can you possibly get?


Nevertheless, the day was brilliant,


and we spent several very enjoyable hours


wandering around the gardens.


It was a wonderful way


to spend Easter Sunday,


enjoying the symbolism of the 'dead' bulbs


becoming new life


with their beautiful blooms.