Category Archive

Nemo Science Centre, Amsterdam: South Holland, Netherlands Nemo Science Centre, Amsterdam: South Holland, Netherlands

Day two of the Bucket List to in  The Nemo Science Centre. Adults, let out your inner child. One has need to experience the electrical buzz in the atmosphere, as words can’t describe this place! Fun packed floors of activities (work labs and lectures), covering all areas of science, there is something to find there […]

Amsterdam West to East: Netherlands Amsterdam West to East: Netherlands

After a short morning motor , we arrived at our base for the coming weeks.

Uitgeest to Castricum (by train): Netherlands Uitgeest to Castricum (by train): Netherlands

The Huis Van Hilde Museum was so worth the time. This wasn’t a place that dealt with showing the artefacts. The Dutch really do fantastic work in this realm.   One of the things that set this museum apart was the way many real life figures that had been reconstructed from their skeletal remains. It really brought […]

Alkmaar to De Rijp: North Holland, Netherlands Alkmaar to De Rijp: North Holland, Netherlands

We visited the most beautiful country town of De Rijp this morning. Just a glimpse for you below. Situated in the middle of farming country, for anyone looking for that perfect peaceful place for relaxing, this would have to be one of the best. Small cafes, restaurants, a few B&B, waterways, history, some interesting museums, small boat […]

Huis Van Hilde Museum, Castricum: North Holland, Netherlands Huis Van Hilde Museum, Castricum: North Holland, Netherlands

What a fantastic informative, interactive museum was this! The people were brought to life from the stories their remains told. There were even a few bones of extinct mammals: this was that of a mammoth. We also learned more about the formation of the landscape over the millennia. Once I have a moment to catch up, […]

Spijkerboor to Uitgeest: Netherlands Spijkerboor to Uitgeest: Netherlands

First thing this morning, Little G2 was lowered, and to the gorgeous village of De Rijp headed we. De Rijp, we discovered, is a township in which many building are constructed of wood and where the lone canal runs through the centre of town. There were several museums, quite a surprise in a township so […]

Alkmaar to Spijkerboor: Netherlands Alkmaar to Spijkerboor: Netherlands

A lovely rainy day in which we motored toward the tiny town of De Rijp. The final bridge was, sadly, too low and not a lifter, so Bob motored Gratis into a free berth in front of the closed B&B. There, we spent the afternoon relaxing, whilst the rain continued falling.

Alkmaar, Netherlands Alkmaar, Netherlands

  Settled inside the marina, away from the barge traffic, Bob and I settled into to explore Alkmaar. In one word, ‘delightful’ describes the township of Alkmaar perfectly. We loved the few canals that surrounded the old centre as we wended our way through them in Little G2. The  old Protestant – ex Catholic  – church […]

2017 Journey, August 2017 Journey, August
Warrland to Arkmaar: Netherlands Warrland to Arkmaar: Netherlands

A morning of pleasant motoring and waiting for bridges, heading southward we arrived in the larger town of Alkmaar around lunch time. Situated in the land of Leeghwater, the town of Almaar is surrounded by peat bogs and reclaimed landscape. During the afternoon, Bob and I motored the dinghy into the centre and wandered the […]

Medemblik to Waarland: Netherlands Medemblik to Waarland: Netherlands

The first part of the morning was spent wandering through the Medemblik castle museum. During the late thirteenth century, Count Floris V of Holland gained control of West Friesland. The local populations balked at his rulership and continual attempts were undertaken to wrest their land from his hands. Deciding enough was enough, the count had […]

Stavoren to Medemblik: North Holland, Netherlands Stavoren to Medemblik: North Holland, Netherlands

Sunlight skies, the sun emitting a rarely felt warmth, it was perfect for a motor across the Ijsselmeer, thereby leaving Friesland behind us. Once the Zuiderzee (to we English speakers, the South Sea), this man – made lake was created upon the completion of the 32km long Afsluitdijk that protects the region from the forces […]

Lemmer to Heeg: Friesland, Netherlands Lemmer to Heeg: Friesland, Netherlands

For a change, we were blessed with a warm sunny day as Gratis motored us upon the canals and lakes. First, a walk through Lemmer, which proved to be a pleasant holiday town, then off Bob and I went. A short ten or so kilometres later, Sloten with its old stone arched gateway and working […]

Joure to Lemmer: Netherlands Joure to Lemmer: Netherlands

A pleasant 21km motor in a bit of rain led us through the Langwarder Wielen along Langwarder Feart, back into the Princeses Margriet Kanaal, across the Grutte Brekken and into Lemmer. It was an afternoon where Bob continued working on the installation of the hot water tank, whilst I attempted to catch up on bit […]

Sneek to Joure: Friesland, Netherlands Sneek to Joure: Friesland, Netherlands

Our trip this morning took us across the Sneekermeer and Goaliingarypster waterways. It was on these large lakes that the sailing races were taking place. For Gratis, it meant a game of ‘Dodgem Boats’ as she wove her way through the field whilst simultaneously keeping clear of the shallows. At one stage, a quick 360 […]

Sneek, Netherlands Sneek, Netherlands

During the morning hours, Bob continued working upon hot water system installation. Lunch finished, it was time to head out for the last of our Sneek exploration. A little more was learned about the township’s history. Situated on the edge of peat and clay areas, the township took form in the eleventh century when two […]

Sneek, Netherlands Sneek, Netherlands

Pleasant walk Bob and I are gradually wending our way along the 11 Frisian Cities route. The towns are generally more like a typical Australian country town or German dorf. According to the Sneek tourism (VVV) website: ‘Where in the world are the cities smaller than villages? In Friesland of course. Our cities do not thank the […]

Skutsjesilen Race, Grou then on to Sneek, Netherlands Skutsjesilen Race, Grou then on to Sneek, Netherlands

  Today was the day of days: our opportunity to experience the vibe and excitement of a Skûtsjesilen (pronounced ‘skootshuh’ – oo as in book) race! The Skûtsje is a style of Frisian ship that was once used by the Frisian farmers for ferrying cargo along the narrow, shallow waterways. Ranging from 12 – 20 […]

Earnewald to Grou, Netherlands Earnewald to Grou, Netherlands

Waking to a cool, wet day Bob and I visited the two museums, both of which were entirely different. The first, the Fries Landbouw Museum (Frisian Agricultural Museum) focussed on the landscape and whilst the second was all about the traditional Dutch Skûtsje. In the Fries Landbouwmuseum, the visitor was taken on a journey that […]

Earnewald, Netherlands Earnewald, Netherlands

It was Little G2 day as we motored through the waterways of this beautiful landscape. Sadly, it must have been the wrong time of year to view the animals – or else it was just far too busy. Lazing in the dinghy after midday, a barge appeared on the horizon. Imagine our surprise to find it […]