Blogs from Delft, South Holland, Netherlands, Europe - page 2

This is it you guys: In less than a week I'll be leaving the Netherlands for an extended period of time again! But this time around I won't be studying or going to high school. No, this time it's all about exploring new continents, cultures and creating memories to last a lifetime. For the last year I've been saving more than 600 euro a month for this trip and I've spend the last month preparing, packing and most of all: Making lists. Lists of places I want to visit, sights I want to see and things I want to bring. All of these lists were way too long, so I've had to tone them down a bit. But I think I've got them down to a decent size now ;) Also , the list of things ... read more

Monday What a difference a day makes! We started off this morning with a much smaller group; only ten of us continued on after yesterday's ride. The rest said they would ride again on Tuesday. While it was still mostly cloudy and windy, there were only two occasions of very short showers, one we were able to take shelter under the canopy of trees and the other didn't last long at all. We also had periods of sunshine; honestly without Sunday's ride we would not have appreciated today. The countryside was so beautiful; I had not thought about seeing so many geese, ducks and swans and their offspring, but they were everywhere. All the canals were full of new life and we really enjoyed stopping to take pictures or just watching the swans protecting their young. ... read more

A bit of a late start after our cosy night in Bertha the six man tent with Lilo Lil. I spent ages in the shower as it was so hot and then Ian headed to the showers as well…. we made it off the site by 11am! Finally setting off our first stop was to find Fort Rammekins, near Vlissingen. Surprise…we couldn’t find it! We have maps that show points of interest but the sign posting seems to be non-existent in the Netherlands, but Woolly did find his first windmill…. Woolly says – I was dead chuffed to find it and then another seven came along, I’m getting windmilled out! We decided to follow the N57 which proved to be full of brilliant scenery, although flat the views are spectacular and the houses and towns were ... read more

This blog will just go through the little time we spent in Scheidam and Delft (famous for their delftware china) on Monday (still on no sleep). Our trip to Scheidam was strictly to see the windmills there, after all what would a trip to the Netherlands be without seeing some windmills. Apparently, the windmills are used to help pump water out, due to the fact that most the country is below sea level. There isn't much to be said, for a windmill is a windmill. However, there are several small bridges that cross the canals throughout this country, and we found one that oddly enough is hand cranked up by two men. After letting the boat pass, they get on their bike/ scooter and make their way to the next bridge to allow the vessel to ... read more

Sunday continues to be cool and windy but I soldier on. After a hearty breakfast, we tram it south to Delft (c.1075) known for its weaving and brewing industries. This pretty town is very picturesque with many canals and a central Markt square. It is also known for its blue and white hand-painted earthenware; an idea the Dutch “borrowed” from trading in Chinese porcelain. We specifically wanted to visit the Johannes Vermeer museum (sited in the building where the painters' guild of his day met). After lunch, we walked around the Markt square and then headed back to the north-bound tram station. Back in Den Haag, we walk to the Madurodam from our hotel. The Madurodam depicts the Netherlands in miniature (1:25 scale ) by replicating historically significant buildings and regions. It opened in 1952 by ... read more