C&Y Adventures

On Monday we started the day with shopping at the Flower Market and continued with various shops on the way to tour the Anne Frank House.  It was good that we had pre purchased our tickets since the line up went down the street and around the corner.  The house was interesting especially the videos of people who knew her.  Afterwards we continued to explore Amsterdam and even enjoyed a drink sitting outside watching people.

Laura & Glen at the Anne Frank House

Gargoyles

On Sunday we set out in the rain and wind to explore Amsterdam. We started with a canal cruise followed by lunch at the library by the Central Station.  At the bottom of the library was a sculpture titled “The Mouse Mansion, A World of Encounters”.  This mouse mansion which is tied to 3 children’s books has over 100 rooms done in lots of detail.  Afterwards we walked to the Verzetsmuseum (Resistance Museum).  This is an excellent museum about the Dutch people from 1940 to 1945.  The museum described those who collaborated, adapted or resisted.  Resistance included hiding people, aiding them or fighting against the Germans.  It was very sobering to read about what happened to the Netherlands during the war.

Amsterdam canals

Saturday morning was overcast with a forecast to rain starting at noon.  It started at breakfast.  We rode our bikes to the monument near Haarlam to recognize the youth and the ongoing a battle with the sea (no he did not have his finger in the dike).  It continued to rain all the way to Amsterdam, a total of 35 km.  Arriving in Amsterdam we had lunch at a film and food festival before continuing on to the Elodie.  We relaxed on the barge before going out to an Argentinian restaurant for dinner.  Wamme, our skipper, took some of us for a walking tour around Amsterdam to end the evening.

It was still raining on Sunday morning.  We had our final breakfast before heading out to find our hotel in Amsterdam.

Laura, Glen, Karen, and Don ready to ride in the rain

Nina telling us the “story” about the monument

The rain ended in the night and the morning was overcast and very windy.  Our captain of the Elodie told us to expect wind gusts up to Force 7 (50-60 km./hr.).  Fortunately most of the riding had the wind either from the side or behind us.  We left Leiden for the Keukenhof Gardens which were about 20 km. away.  The Gardens were very good but the tulip fields before the gardens had no flowers left.

Many colours

Tulips

Some of our group

The ride to Haarlam was through many quiet bike paths including a narrow path between houses which tested our riding skills.  A stop at a cafe gave us a refreshing break before we met up with the barge.  The total for today was 40 km.  Just after we got back we had a small thunderstorm with some hail. We were very pleased that we were inside dry and warm.

Yesterday we first toured a Delft Blue factory where all the pieces are hand painted.  From there we rode from Delft to Den Haag.  While riding past the king’s residence we were able to witness the official welcome of the Ghana ambassador.  This was especially significant for our tour guide, Nina, who has lived in Ghana and her husband was from Ghana.

Official Welcome

We then toured a panoramic museum which had a 14 meter by 120 meter painting from the late 1800’s. Lunch was outside the International Court, an impressive location to eat our lunch.

International Court

We then rode up the along the coast in a park of sand dunes.  Here the road was hilly with lots of curves.  Fortunately we had a tail wind.  At Katwijk we stopped for a break on the sea side and a taste of pickled herring.  By the time we got to the Elodie in Leiden we had gone 39 km., a very good day.  After dinner we took a canal tour of Leiden.  Today (Thursday), we had a short ride to a farm that makes it’s own Gouda cheese (6 km. away).  We were back to the barge at 11:30 and had the rest of the day to ourselves.  We ended up walking downtown to do some shopping.  When it started to rain we found a coffee shop in the library to catch up on email and post this blog.

Sand dunes at Katwijk

Group picture. Charlie is the one with the pointed head.

Our tour guide Nina.

In Gouda we toured the longest church in the Netherlands. From Gouda we rode to Kinderdijk through an area with many canals. From Kinderdijk we took the fast ferry to Rotterdam and the barge brought us to Delft.  A bit of rain but nothing too bad. A walk around Delft after supper was very interesting with some amazing architecture.

Kinderdijk

Elodie

The barge has no Wi-Fi so we have to find a coffee shop with free internet.  Yesterday we boarded the barge after being dropped off at the dock by Jan and Gerda.  The barge brought us to the Amsterdam forest to start on the bikes.  We rode through the forest, past the Schiphol airport.  Charlie is the “sweeper” to make sure no one is left behind.

After 18 km. we arrived at Kudelstraat.

On Monday we had a long day of 58 km.  We started the day with the flower auction at Aalsmeer.  The volume of flowers and the ability to move and sort the flowers is amazing.

After breakfast we continued to Nieuwkoop to tour an operating windmill.  After lunch in Alphen a/d Rijn we continued in the Lake District on quiet paths seeing birds such as swans, herons and of course geese.  Livestock included cattle, sheep, pigs and llamas.  Finally after 58 km. we arrived in Gouda.

Swan

Working Windmill

Joop and Jenny took us to the Watersnood Museum in Ouwerkerk in the province of Zeeland.  This museum highlights the damage, recovery and the future after the flood of February 1, 1953.  The museum is in the 4 original caissons used to close the breach in the dyke at Ouwerkerk.  Afterwards we drove by the Delta Works which has gates which can be closed in times of storms and flooding.  From there we drove to the Plompetoren (Plump Tower) on the Oosterschelde and Joop & Jenny’s cottage at Brugh-Haamstede.  The back yard had no wind and with the sun shining it was very pleasant to sit in the back yard with a cup of tea.  Before heading home we stopped for ice cream and a view of the sea.  Supper was at a pannekoeken restaurant in Leerbroek.  Afterwards we had a very good visit with Aunt Annie and Uncle Jan showing the pictures of the last 4 days.

We had noWi-Fi (pronounced wee-fee in the Netherlands) until late Friday so here is 2 days of updates.  On Thursday, after a good night’s rest and breakfast with Jenny, Jan picked us up to take us to the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery from World War II. This is a very peaceful place of 2 617 burials of which 2 338 are Canadians.  Also, the Cemetery honours those who did not have a known grave.  Afterwards, we drove to the Doorwerth Castle close to Jan’s work near Wageningen.  While Jan went to an audit meeting at work we explored the castle.  It is a smaller castle but in good condition.  Jan met us after his meeting and we picked up Gerda on the way to the Hoge Veluwe National Park and the Kroller-Muller Museum.  This museum contains art from Van Gogh, Picasso, Gris, Renoir and other famous artists.  Continuing to drive in the park we saw marshlands forests sand dunes and the Jachthuis St. Hubert house.  Returning through the park we eventually saw some deer to prove that there is wildlife in the park.  After being dropped off at Joop & Jenny’s we visited before heading off to bed.

On Friday Jan & Gerda took us to Maastricht and the Sint Pietersberg tunnels.  These are tunnels made by cutting out the limestone starting with the Romans until modern times. They were also used for refuge when various armies invaded the area. It was very interesting to learn about the history and the amount of tunnels (approximately 250 km.).  On the way back we drove through the Limburg province including Thorn (a village with white houses). Returning we went out for supper with Jan, Greda, Joop and Jenny.  Returning to Leerdam we stopped to look at the bunkers from WWII that were use urging bombing raids.

We left Calgary the afternoon and arrived in Amsterdam airport the next morning after a 8.5 hour flight.  We had a printed our boarding passes Monday evening but couldn’t get seats together.  Fortunately the agent at the gate was able to get us together in row 39.  After a good flight which included 2 meals (the first included wine) we landed a half hour early.  However, after a very long taxi, an a long walk to our bags (there was no line up at customs) and then waiting for our bags we used up all that saved time and more.  Jan and Gerda were waiting for us in the arrivals area.  After coffee we drove to the National Aviation Aviodrome in Lelystad.  The first thing we noticed was how lush and green the countryside was compared to Alberta.  The museum had some very interesting exhibits regarding the history of aviation in the Netherlands.  Afterwards Jan & Gerda drove us to Joop & Jennie’s where we are staying for the next 4 days.  After supper we visited Charlie’s Auntie Annie and Uncle Jan.  Auntie Annie broke her leg 5 weeks ago, has a cast from her hip to her toe and needs to stay in bed for 7 more weeks.  Returning to Joop and Jennie’s we could not keep our eyes open.  After being up 31 hours we went to bed.