Netherlands

Day 1 - 8 October

A long 24 Hours after leaving Sydney, we arrived at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam in the Netherlands - we had very little sleep, after transfers in Singapore and London.

Map of the Netherlands

We planned to visit a couple of Frances' cousins and their families in South Holland and Brabant.

We could tell by the goods in the tourist shops at the ariport that we were not in Sydney any more.

We were picked up by Han and Jolanda who took us back to their home in Zoetermeer, about 40 minutes away. It‘s great to catch with them again - we visited them twice before in the Netherlands and they have also stayed with us in Australia.

Even though it's been seven years since we’ve seen each other, it seemed like only yesterday.

Schiphol Airport

Netherlands souvenirs

More Netherlands souvenirs

Varieties of "Stroop Wafels"

Cheese, not Tim Tams, we must be in the Netherlands

Ric looking a bit "Miffy". Miffy (Dutch: nijntje) is a fictional rabbit appearing in a series of picture books drawn and written by Dutch artist Dick Bruna.

The weather was a pleasant, 20° and overcast. After catching up on each other’s news, we headed out to the man-made lake at Noord Aa for a walk to stretch our legs. We also walked to the nearby venue, Boerderij't Geertje, which is a sort of children’s farm and local produce venue.

The Boerderij't Geertje farm near Zoetermeer

Ric, Frances, Han and Jolanda

Local pumpkins

Jolanda and Frances "hamming" it up saying "cheese" in the delicatessen

Lots of different fruit juices

It was nice to be in the Netherlands again

Pick your style of meat

Huge biorganic carrots

The canal beside Boerderij't Geertje which was actually higher than the farm

Day 2 - 9 October

Today, Han and Jolanda took us to see Slot (fort) Loevestein. First we drove to Gorinchem, a quaint town about 50 minutes drive south west of Zoetermeer, via Rotterdam , Gouda (famous for its cheese) and Dordrecht.

From there we took a ferry to the walled town of Woudrichem from where we caught a small boat across a river tributary where, after a short walk along some fields, we arrived at the castle.

The castle is more than 650 years old, built in the Middle Ages. It is heavily fortified with external and internal moats, steel-reinforced doors and designed to survive an extended siege. Importantly, it has a cafe which served excellent slices of apple pie and cream which we sampled after fully exploring the fort.

To return across the river, we had to summon the boatman by ringing a large bell, constructed from half of a gas container.

After crossing the river we explored the walled and fortified town of Woudrichem. Parts of the town are below water level, so the earth wall around the town, also serves to protect it from floods. Typical of towns in this area, the entry is built to take large timber planks which can be lowered into slots to protect the town from rising floodwaters. it is hard to appreciate that people in townships like this, all live with not only the possibility, but the probability of being flooded.

The area along Gorinchem where we took a short boat trip to Slot (fort) Loevestein.

School children disembarking form the ferry with their bicycles - there is an area on the boat to hold them.

Travelling down the Boven Merwede (river) from Gorinchem. The border between South Holland and North Brabant regions.

Slots in the perimiter wall to the village of Woudrichem which can be fitted with huge timber planks in case of flooding - which happens.

Crossing in a small boat from Woudrichem to get to Slot Loevestein.

Approaching Slot Loevestein.

Model of the fortress.

The central part of the fortress which was expanded to a larger fortress surrounded by earthen fortifications.

The second moat to access the fortress.

Courtyard within the fortress, also heavily fortified.

Apple cake and cream - we must be in the Netherlands..

Oh, and a windmill - we must still be in the Netherlands.

Ring the bell to call the boatman from the cafe across the river.

As we returned by ferry to Gorinchem we saw the small river cruise ship, MS Normandie, part of the Dutch Barge Cruises which operate in the region between Amsterdam, Bruges and Paris. Tempting for a future trip.

We then spent some time exploring the interesting town of Gorinchem, also surrounded by a defensive earth wall and with a small lock for boats to enter the town whose canals are at a higher level than the river.

By now we were quite hungry and stopped at the De Gasterij cafe in the main plaza for lunch. Frances had some very nice meat croquettes with salad, and I had a delicious beef carpaccio salad. Unfortunately no photos because we were too hungry.

Although we were not really suffering from jet lag, we both had to have a rest in the afternoon. That night Jolanda cooked a delicious stir fry of vegetables with rice and peanut sauce accompanied by a crisp Dutch beer, Hertog Jan.

Day 3 - 10 October

Today we travelled to Etten-Leur by train to visit another of Frances’ cousins, Ineke and her husband Ed. We were a little surprised by the cost of train travel in the Netherlands, much higher than in Australia. Also, since our last trip they have implemented a travel card system almost identical the the Opal card in Australia. We had to catch one train to Den Haag, and then another to Breda, and then one more to Etten-Leur, however the train was delayed at Rotterdam meaning we arrived 30 mins late.

The weather was perfect, temperature in the mid 20s and a clear blue sky. It was great to see them again, and like Han and Jolanda, we connected again immediately even after a seven year break. We had an easy day, walking into the city centre for some shopping and lunch at Hema, a department store which has a cafe, before heading back home to catch up on family news and generally chill out.

At the Albert Heijn supermarket we bought a dinner package for green curry which included all the fresh vegetables and sauce, then some chicken. Much the same as a “Hello Fresh” dinner where they supply the ingredients then you cook and prepare it yourself. I wonder how soon the concept will be applied in Australia?

After a delicious dinner prepared by Ed and Ineke Nelemans-Batist, their daughter Saskia and husband Tinco took us back to the train station for the almost 2 and 1/4 hour train trip back to Zoetermeer.

Frances in the sweets shop where she made a selection from the vast array of “drop”, Dutch liquorice

Low alcohol beer for the “designated driver”

A crisp Dutch beer, Hertog Jan.

My burger in Hema, a department store with a cafe which serves quite nice lunches.

The shopping centre in Etten-Leur

Frances, Ineke and Ed, seven years ago in 2016

Ineke, Ed and Frances in 2023, enjoying dinner outside in the unusually balmy weather for October in the Netherlands

Day 4 - 11 October

Today was a big day. Han drove us to Havelte, a small town approximately 170kms north-west of Zoetermeer, more than a 2.5 hour drive.

Along the way we passed a couple of large wind farms, a growing source of energy in the Netherlands, a country with a long history of utilising wind power. I think in Australia, we have to “bite the bullet“ and allow more windfarms, and not be too precious about the views in parts of the countryside.

The main attraction some “dolmen”, an arrangement of large stones deposited by ancient glaciers which were used to construct burial mounds. Interestingly we were still able to climb over and under the stone formation, but that maybe not be permitted in the future.

There are many wind farms in the Netherlands

"Dolmen", an arrangement of large stones

They are hollow underneath.

Australian tourists.

Jolanda, Han and Frances.

Frances in front of one of the "Dolmen"

"Dolmen" from a distance.

From Havelte we drove a short distance to Meppel, the town where Jolanda was born and spent her youth. Her father had a small printery where he produced a newspaper and also did some commercial printing. The building now houses a lingerie shop. There are some quite exclusive shops in the town now, and the fashion store across the street provides clothes by appointment to the queen, Dutch of course.

After exploring the town and the former Catholic Church which was taken over by the Protestants during the Reformation, we settled into the Stadscafe Oasis for lunch. I was tempted to have a beef carpaccio salad again, while Frances ordered the meat ball with salad.

The carpaccio salad was quite similar to the one I had 2 days earlier - raw sliced beef over a bed of mixed lettuce leaves dressed with mayonnaise, vinaigrette, grated cheese and roasted pine nuts, accompanied by slices of crusty bread - delicious. I tried a Dutch zero alcohol IPA “Brand” beer which was pretty good. Frances’ meat ball consisted of one huge meat ball accompanied by a green salad, bean salad and dark bread - her verdict was…excellent.

Street scene in Meppel

Street scene and church

The former Catholic Church.

Fashion store…..

Jolanda outside her father’s print shop

A cheese shop

They store quite a bit of cheese. It is also sold by age, young to old versions with accompanying variations in flavour.

… by appointment to the queen.

The Stadscafe Oasis.

“Brand” IPA beer

Dutch beer Heineken on tap

Meat ball with salad

Some serious eating

Beef carpaccio salad

From Meppel we drove a few kilometers to the village of Giethoorn, billed as the Venice of the Netherlands. It’s not Venice, but it’s a town built when peat was being dug commercially during the Middle Ages and all transport was undertaken by water over the many canals cut through the town. Because of the shallow depth, the boats were punted with poles. The peat quarry later became flooded, creating a large lake which only 1m deep which has become a feeding and breeding ground for swans - and summer playground for tourists. Because of the shallow depth, the water can reach up to 22 degrees in summer and freeze over in winter.

It’s quite a tourist attraction, and apparently chaotic in summer, but fairly relaxed when we were there. There were however quite a few foreign tourists, and some on board the small tour boat we caught to travel the canals were quite obnoxious. The little cruise along the canals through the “Venice” part of town was quite nice, and once into the open lake, populated by swans feeding below the waterline, I had an opportunity to “captain the boat”.

We encountered some heavy traffic on the return journey and arrived home tired and hungry, but fortunately Jolanda had made a Bolognaise sauce the night before so win enjoyed some nice plates of pasta.

The boat we caught to tour the canals

“Enjoying” the free complimentary coffee on board before leaving - probably the worst coffee we have ever had

Typical canal scene

Cruising a canal

Han, a happy traveller (punter?)

Numerous bridges cross the canal

Captain Ric - if only for a short time

Video: Emerging onto the lake - with swans

Video: Finishing the tour

Day 5 - 12 October

We planned an easy day today, and so we did not get going until 10am. First we travelled to Kasteel de Haar (De Harr castle) - about a 50 minute drive through light rain, west towards Utrecht. The castle dates from the 1300s, but origins of the current castle date from the 1500s under ownership of the Van Zuylen family.

In the late 1800s the baron of the time married into the Rothschild family and the current version of the castle was built. It is essentially a no expense spared indulgent folly designed for entertaining and to impress, featuring a mix of architectural and decorative styles. It is certainly impressive.

We then drove a short distance to Utrecht for lunch. Jolanda had selected Oudaen, a brewery and restaurant. We reached it after a short walk along the main canal. It has cafes and restaurants housed alongside the canal in cellars which formerly provided storage for the shops at street level above. Oudaen was warm and cosy and not too loud even though it was quite busy.

I ordered a carpaccio (again!) sandwich on dark bread and a Pilsner while Frances ordered the celeriac soup with a dark Herfstbock beer. I was really getting into the carpaccio salads as a nice compromise between a healthy, tasty and a not too heavy lunch. It was similar to the salads I’d had recently, but with the addition of capers and shaved Parmesan cheese which nicely complemented the other flavours. The Pilsner was pretty boring, but the Witbier I tried next was a vast improvement. I did manage to resist the temptation to try the delicious-looking apple tart.

Before leaving we visited the gothic style Domkerk (Dom Cathedral) which has suffered from a number of storms and disasters over the centuries, including destruction of part of the building which has left the tower physically separated from the rest of the church. Then there was the destruction of Catholic iconography following the Reformation, leaving it now in the hands of the city and the Protestant church. As we left, the rain settled in with a vengeance and by the time we reached the car we were all soaked, even though we had wet weather clothing. About an hour later, we arrived home, desperate to change into some dry clothes.

Kasteel de Haar

Our shirts matched the doors

Castle entrance

The main castle

The administration section

The main hall

The kitchen - apparently the count wanted shiny cookware

The lower storerooms along the canal converted to cafes, bars and restaurants

Oudaen brewery and restaurant

The bar area

Carpaccio sandwich

Dutch style apple tart

Day 6 - 13 October

It rained all night and it was still raining in the morning. Jolanda had booked us on a river cruise in Utrecht for later in the morning and fortunately, by the time we drove there, the the rain had stopped. The cruise was on the Rederij Stichtse Vecht boat, the River Cloud. It is capable of carrying 160 passengers,but being late in the season there were only 12 on board.

From the wharf at Maarssen, the boat set off at a leisurely pace north along the River Vecht - you cannot travel quickly on the narrow river. Just like Sydney, everybody wants to live on the water, so land along the canals is quite expensive. The properties along the sides of the canal, varied from farmland to ostentatious mansions, and almost everything in between. There were also a number of house boats, some quite luxurious with sleeping quarters below the water line.

A short while later, we were served drinks and a nice lunch of open sandwiches with a mixture of toppings. Along the river we encountered a few bascule bridges, which lifted up as we arrived to allow the boat to pass through.

After a little over 1.5 hours we reached Loenen where the boat turned around for the return journey. All-in-all a very pleasant trip and a further insight into Dutch culture, and fortunately the rain held off until it was time to disembark. We did a little supermarket shopping on the way home, including buying some fresh herring for breakfast tomorrow before we leave for Italy.