Netherlands , part 1

We travelled south of Amsterdam for our first section of Netherlands.

Haarlem

After finding Bastion hotels on the out skirts of some Netherlands town we booked in early after our drive from the airport and picking up the car and driving the short distance to Haarlem.

A great hotel with nice room , fair price and on the outskirts of town with great easy access to public transport to town.

We walked around this small town though the cobblestone streets

seeing

St Babokerk Cathedral 15 century with a stunning organ and the floor made out of large tombstone slabs. 1500 gravestones.

Then around Grote Market which had lots of food stalls in the area

After more strolling we ended up on the Mole de Adriaan boat cruise passing houseboats and lovely houses and two windmills.

Hague

Our journey south took us past the Amsterdam airport south where the runaway is adjacent to highway.

We detoured to see the North sea and dykes

Then found another Bastion hotel at Rijswijk , again out of town so it was another bus, no 17 then tram 1 into Hague. We walked around the Binnenhof , government buildings and the Uilebomen and Voorhout and statue.

and to the Noordeinde Palace

then past lots of shopping areas

Then we took another canal cruise around the town with 60 bridges some very low with everyone bowing their heads. Here is where the lolly bracelets are made, a real blast back to the past event.

Then a little shopping and back to the hotel.

Day 2

Still at the same hotel we left for Delft on the Number one tram, a 30 minute trip.

Delft

First stop was the Royal delft experience. A museum and shop explaining the history of Delft Porcelain.

The art started in the 16century where the Dutch copied China and started making the famous blue and white porcelain and with Netherlands being a rich country they had 184 factories but by the 1800 down to just 1 factory.

The Porcelain after the clay model is made and dried is put in a kiln at 1150 degrees down to 200 degrees. Then it is painted , glazed and back to the kiln to finish it off, then checked prior to being sold.

Next was a walk to the Oostport to see the twin towers of the city gate.

Past the canal areas

Then in the rain we ventured into the centrum seeing one of the four local churches and the city hall , before

back on the tram 1 all the way past Hague and out to the beach and pier area by the beach

and back to the peace Palace which wasnt open

and back to the hotel.

Nice to be out of the rain and cold.

Day 3 Gouda

After a tram to Hague central and a train to Gouda we were there in a hour. We were amazed at the bike stations , everyone here in the Netherlands rides bikes. You really have to watch when crossing the road or stepping off the footpath or you will get knocked over by a bike rider.

First the Gouda cheese experience a fun and informative tour on making cheese right from the cow that produces the milk and how and what it consumes to the selling of the cheese. This was followed by cheese tasting.

Then we wondered around town the market square and town hall buildings brought some little porcelain clogs at the De Goudse Waag historical building dating back to 1668 now a cheese and crafts museum and the info centre.

Then we learnt about the stoopwafel manufacture with tastings at the Kamphuisen Siroopwafelfabriek. Stoopwafel is famous in the Netherlands and this variety is the syrup stoopwafel, and is put between two thin waffer type of biscuits. Nice!

Then back to the Hotel.

Kinderdijk

Here the dyke system remains with 19 windmills present from the years 1738 and 1740 and the area mainly for tourism but a lot are being lived in and two that are museums. The podder (land) is 2 m below sea level and the mills were used to pump water from the land then the system changed to a steam pump 200 yrs ago .Now electric pumps (1996) and the water is pumped into the river Let

Originally a canal was dug to drain water from the land pre 1700 so the peat bogged land was useable and then as the land sunk this wasn’t effective and another canal was dug and the windmills were used for draining the land , then some land became to dry and some sunk and needed drainage while higher land needed water this was when the steam pump station became active and then this was replaced with electrical pump station. Dates above

But the land continues to sink and sea levels rise so one day ??!! the dykes wont be high enough.

We stayed at Cosy garden B and B which was amazing a cosy cabin in someones backyard with use of the kitchen etc inside the house , a little breakfast house and private parking.

Dinner 300 m away was amazing. John had fried mussells and I had a goats cheese dish.

Breakfast at the B and B was great with personalized eggs, notes and fruit designed as the Netherlands flag.

Next day we got off the freeways and headed west going through farmlands with glasshouses for growing vegetables

stopping at a cute town Ouddorp for morning tea.

Next we drove south and stopped and looked the north sea (Stand Reneese) and at a beach area also on the north sea called Haamstede where we had lunch packed from the B and B.