The villages of Oude and Nieuwe – Tonga were until 1284 part of the Grijsoord manor estate owned by Floris V (Does the name sound familiar? He was the guy that annihilated the villages in West Friesland and had 5 castles constructed in the region. We visited one of them in Medemblik.). It was in […]
It Rained!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! An inside day as it rained all day. What dd we do? Relaxed.
With practically a click of the fingers, the clouds were blown away and out came the sun. We two Aussies don’t deal too well with days of grey! On went Betsy – Bob renamed her – and off down the Spui went we. Other than for a working barge, the river was ours. Some time […]
We enjoyed today’s visit to the Maritime Museum. A section focussed on the development of the cruise liner over time and the visitor had the opportunity to partake in a number of the activities once played. Once only affordable for the rich, the first of the ship leisure travellers commenced boarding ships that were still […]
WOW!!!!!!! This UNESCO World Heritage site is a ‘must see’ for anyone who visits South Holland. Catching water Ferry 202 just west of the Erasmusbrug, off Bob and I went. Depending on the time of day the ferry may drop you off right on the doorstep, otherwise the visitor hops off at Ridderkerk and alights […]
It rained for much of the day and we won’t mentioned the bone numbing cold. Despite the unpleasant weather, with the tram stop right outside the marina, Bob and I still had the opportunity of having an outing. Forgetting most museums are closed on Mondays and not checking opening times, the Maritime Museum – one […]
A mid – morning start took us to through a lock and out of the Gouwe Canal into the Hollandse Ijssel River. Within seconds, Gratis felt the gentle current giving a helping hand and her speed increased slightly. The rain had passed thankfully, but a chill wind swept the air and we were both well […]
After almost two full days and a night of rain of rain, the skies commenced clearing around mid – afternoon: enough for Bob and I to walk the kilometre and a half into Gouda. World famous for its cheeses, the centuries old tradition of the cheese market still takes place every Thursday – sadly, we […]
Sadly, the weather forecast proved spot on for a change: a deluge of rain poured down upon us throughout most of the day. It truly has been a wet season! With numerous days of similar ilk predicted, and only three weeks remaining until we arrive in Vlissingen for the winter, a change in the last […]
Yesterday, the intention had been to moor in Katwijk, however a late start had us spending the night in Lisse. This morning, a morning trip should have put us there, however two bridges determined otherwise. All was going well as the landscape was being admired. Then bridge one, in the shape of a small wooden structure, struck!!!!! […]
After months of searching Bob at last found them!!! Two good second hand e bikes with a reasonable price tag at ‘De Groene Tweewieler’, a bike shop that deals specifically with e – bikes in Haarlem (new and second hand). The friendly salesmen couldn’t have been more helpful and we highly recommend them if you […]
A bike ride and train trip took us to Zandvoort this morning. The aim had been to explore the region south of yesterday’s exploration. Known as Kraansvlak, this is where the visitor has an opportunity to sight the endangered creature called the Wisent. A species of bison that colonised Europe, its Asian forefather wandered the […]
As we said yesterday, Haarlem is an exquisite township full of history and beautiful architecture. Dating back to the tenth century, a time when the counts of Holland set in place a toll post in order to collect fees from the marine traffic, the name itself originated from the word ‘Haarloheim’, which meant a wooded area situated […]
It’s been a delightful couple of weeks that Bob and I have experienced, exploring South Holland’s city of Amsterdam. One last trip to the washerette, and then we are on our way. Washerette in the Netherlands. One makes the most of these when they can them in the Netherlands, as the coin laundry is […]
Another two items on the bucket list ticked today. Initiated by the Amsterdam council in 1638 as a medicinal herb garden, Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam is among the oldest botanical gardens in the world. In those days, medicines were created from herbs and with the plague running rampant through Europe at the time, the race […]
A relax day today, in which I sorted through the pamphlets collected and Bob completed the electrical connections to our new hot water system: It works a dream! Taken on the phone from my walk And it’s just outside of the city.
A tram trip or two took us south of Amsterdam to Sloten. Just loved the Molen Van Sloten and Kuiperijmuseum! Run by volunteers, our guide was a font of information. This photograph was beautiful – my image of it doesn’t do it justice, but you get an idea. This image shows the levels of Amsterdam in […]
This was market day! First off, the Dappermarkt. Other than for a few food stalls that served foods not usually found in these markets, it didn’t hold our interest, so on we dinghied. The Noordermarkt, now that was worth the effort! A wide variety of healthy fresh bio foods, numerous cheese stalls – one of […]
The plan today? A visit to the Molen Van Sloten en Kuiperijmuseum. Where the hours went, we shall never know! Morning departure was the earliest, yet. We paused on occasion, as I attempted to procure that perfect shot of the timid blue heron. What are you looking at, says he! A stop here and there […]
In a combination of cycle and train journey, Bob and I travelled to the modern township of Lelystad. An unexpected tour through the exquisite Zuigerplas, with its creeks, lake and multitude of wood and heath areas. This was a large parkland and pond area that was created from the sand extracted when the dyke that now […]
