The Netherlands 4 - Arnhem - the Nederlands Openlucht Museum Part 1 - trams , sticky creamy cakes and the farmfields

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Well the plan today was to travel to see the summer residence of the Dutch Royal Family Het Loo . However , as normal things were not going to plan at all . It was Monday and Het Loo was closed . So a quick rethink had to be had . What else was on the way to the Tunnel ? We had rebooked the return trip so had to fill today with something , drive to our overnight stop near Antwerp and then to the Tunnel the next morning .

So what was there on the way home ? The Nederlands Openlucht Museum came to mind. That is the Dutch Open Air museum to you and me. The home to old houses rescued from being destroyed and given a home in the Museum grounds . A cross between Crich Tram Museum, The Black Country Museum, Blists Hill and Heage windmill . We parked first on the massive almost empty carpark . A walk across took us to the ticket office where we bought two very expensive entrance tickets and a 7 euro car park ticket . We were stuck in the car park without this rather expensive car park ticket . I felt they knew how to fleece your money out of your pocket .

The park is described in full in the leaflet you are given at the entrance kiosk . A fantastic time will be had at the museum . We are told that we will be talking about it long after the visit is over. It will be fun but also educational and it is clear much is geared towards children. We will learn something new and we will be taken back to the traditions and experiences of the past . We can stroll through the history of the Netherlands in the 44 hectare site . We will see how people lived centuries ago and we can enjoy freshly cooked poffertjes from a stall and buy fresh baked bread . But before all that it was coffee time . Coffee and cake were taken in a utilitarian cafe . IKEA furniture came to mind. There were shelves all round the walls and each shelf was filled with cooking items from early coffee pots to more modern ones , from sieves to mixing bowls . I could hear the conversations "Mum had one of those " ringing round the room .

After our trip to the cafe it was time to see what was on offer. We could learn about wartime life. There was an exhibition with the odd title of The Canon of Dutch History which told the story of the history of the Netherlands based around 50 key events , people and historic moments . And there were all the special buildings which had been rescued and placed around the park. An exhibition questioning How Free Are We ?

Our first part of the sight was called the Erven - the Farmfields were we could see farmhouses of varying sizes, a wheelwrights shop and an oil mill . Moluccan barracks , a TB patients rest hut and a manor . All were different and interesting but perhaps lacked the personal touches . The wheelwright in his shop could have been working . The oil miller should have been inside explaining his mill . Sadly they were empty and we had to imagine what was going on . In the manor the fire could have been lit and the servants beavering away with the lady of the house idling away her day . Ok that would need an army of volunteers and there seemed not many about .

We headed for the tram stop . The old trams - three or more of them ran a route around the site picking up and setting down passengers along the way . It saved walking and it was a hop on , hop off service . The tram driver and conductor were immaculately dressed and welcomed us on the tram . It was in Dutch and they gave a Dutch commentary on the way round . We did come across one conductor who came over to us and explained in English how the tram worked , where to get on and off and what we would see along the way . The trams ran in a clockwise direction every fifteen or so minutes so we did not have to wait long for the next one to come along . It trundled slowly past the windmill on the Langoed , through the Dorp the village , from the Erven to the Lint and the Platland .

The circuit was 1.7 km long and serves six stops . A passing track exists at the entrance. The museum owns classic electric trams from Amsterdam , Arnhem , Rotterdam and The Hague. The is also a replica of the 1929 Arnhem tram that was destroyed . The tram shed was open and we went inside to have a look at the trams . Isn't it odd how sometimes something can be said and we understand it in different ways . The young lad inside shouted "Not in service ". Glenn read this as meaning you cannot look at what is inside this shed . I read it as these trams are not being used to go round the tracks . You need to go to the stop outside and the tram will come round . We came out , took a few photos and moved on to the rest of the site . It was a lovely area of the park to visit . And the rest would not disappoint .

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