3 Mini Vacations in The Netherlands
Mar 24th, 2016, 12:12 AM
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3 Mini Vacations in The Netherlands
Of late there have been queries about "day trips outside Amsterdam" on the NL forum. And that's wonderful, because there's so much to see and do outside of Amsterdam. And almost all of it can be reached by taking a train, with most journey times between 1 and 2 hours from Amsterdam. Haarlem has been visited, many people go to Den Bosch for the big Bosch exhibition. I see Kröller - Müller a lot. All great. Here are three mini-vacations of my own. One pretty extreme, the other two sedate, cultural affairs.
1. Crossing the big rivers by bike, from Rotterdam to Den Bosch.
I do a lot of Audax cycling (really long distances with time checks) and I'm in training for a couple of big rides, the first a 200km in Belgium. I do many short training rides near my home, but on weekends, I have time for big rides. This one was from Rotterdam to Den Bosch.
I chose a route past Dordrecht, Sliedrecht/Hardinxveld, crossing the river Merwede to get to Werkendam, crossing the "land of Heusden and Altena" to get to wonderfully preserved Heusden and so, along the Meuse to Den Bosch. Side trips could have been Loevenstein Castle, Woudrichem and Gorinchem.
I cycled to Dordrecht by way of the Kinderdijk mills. This often is part of my training round, also because there is a convenient coffee stop in the little kiosk where they sell souvenirs. This time too I stopped for coffee, meeting a Canadian school band on an exchange with a school in Groningen. So weird to hear their hosts speak the Groningen dialect that my grandmother spoke, oddly comforting too. After a brief stop, I cycled on past the mills, impressive in the morning sun. To think that this is the peak of 17th century hydraulic engineering is humbling, especially if you consider that the entire system is functional to this day.
Onwards, across the bridge that spans the Noord river and on to Dordrecht.
Dordrecht, oldest city of the province of Zuid Holland, and founding city of the Dutch Republic, fountainhead of Dutch Calvinism. And also, the place where modern Dutch was born, by means of the official Dutch translation of the Bible, the "States Translation" (Statenvertaling). It's a beautiful city, but also strangely frozen in time, somewhat of a provincial backwater. The river is never far away here. On the way to Dordrecht I cycled past huge shipyards, lots of busy doings on the river banks.
I crossed the river to Papendrecht by ferry, and then suddenly found myself on my old cycle route to school. I lived in Sliedrecht, and cycled to school in Papendrecht every day, on the river dike, which, at that time, was the main access route for Sliedrecht, with many heavy lorries making cycling there somewhat nerve wracking. Still following the river, I cycle through Sliedrecht, on to Hardinxveld. Familiar territory for me. Just before Hardinnxveld a landmark: Sliedrecht's minute synagogue. Not in use for services anymore, but handsomely restored and used for cultural events. "I go to the house of the Lord with joy" the Hebrew above the door reads.
But it's cold and I press on to the Werkendam ferry. Dutch rivers are slow and wide. Looking east I see the city of Gorinchem. Beyond that, I can just make out the big tower of Castle Loevenstein. This is where the rivers Meuse and Waal converge and this has always been a strategic location, hence the castle, that, during the Dutch revolt, was used by the Spanish forces to hold (political) prisoners. Such as famous legal scholar Hugo de Groot, who escaped from there in a chest of books.
This is where there would be excellent side trips to be had, not by bike, because the small ferries that criss cross the river here get you to Gorinchem to Hardinxveld and Werkendam, but also to Woudrichem and Loevenstein. Gorinchem is another one of those 17th century towns, since then frozen in time, and is - like Dordrecht - very well preserved. But, Den Bosch is my goal and I must go on after a brief stop to refuel and I cycle across the Land of Heusden and Altena to Heusden.
Heusden shatters me with its cobbles. Heusden is a fortified town, and these fortifications are completely intact, so you can walk the city walls and the ramparts. Within these walls, Heusden is gorgeous, with its main street attractive with cafes and interesting shops. Quite a bustling town too and a destination from Den Bosch for many people. But not overrun with people either. I decide to have tea here and I get a little bit too comfortable, taking my time.
25 km from Den Bosch and now I am led along the river's south bank on a beautiful path, all the way to Den Bosch. It's cold and grey, yet spring is around the corner, that's obvious. Lapwings busy themselves trying to trick me with their antics, everywhere the land is freshly plowed. This is where the Dutch landscape really is, with a silvery quality to the light, due to the river's large reflective surface.
Pushed along by the freshening wind I speed along the Zuid Willemskanaal to Den Bosch, and navigate its superior cycle ways to the Central Station. I can't get on a train just yet with my bike, because that's only allowed after the afternoon rush hour and so I decide to cycle into town and have dinner first.
Cycled: 90 km in 6 hours, with ample stops and ferry trips.
From Den Bosch, Heusden would be an interesting visit. As would Woudrichem and Loevenstein be from Gorinchem. And Kinderdijk and Dordrecht are a good combination if you take the waterbus from Rotterdam.
Next up: a morning in Delft.
1. Crossing the big rivers by bike, from Rotterdam to Den Bosch.
I do a lot of Audax cycling (really long distances with time checks) and I'm in training for a couple of big rides, the first a 200km in Belgium. I do many short training rides near my home, but on weekends, I have time for big rides. This one was from Rotterdam to Den Bosch.
I chose a route past Dordrecht, Sliedrecht/Hardinxveld, crossing the river Merwede to get to Werkendam, crossing the "land of Heusden and Altena" to get to wonderfully preserved Heusden and so, along the Meuse to Den Bosch. Side trips could have been Loevenstein Castle, Woudrichem and Gorinchem.
I cycled to Dordrecht by way of the Kinderdijk mills. This often is part of my training round, also because there is a convenient coffee stop in the little kiosk where they sell souvenirs. This time too I stopped for coffee, meeting a Canadian school band on an exchange with a school in Groningen. So weird to hear their hosts speak the Groningen dialect that my grandmother spoke, oddly comforting too. After a brief stop, I cycled on past the mills, impressive in the morning sun. To think that this is the peak of 17th century hydraulic engineering is humbling, especially if you consider that the entire system is functional to this day.
Onwards, across the bridge that spans the Noord river and on to Dordrecht.
Dordrecht, oldest city of the province of Zuid Holland, and founding city of the Dutch Republic, fountainhead of Dutch Calvinism. And also, the place where modern Dutch was born, by means of the official Dutch translation of the Bible, the "States Translation" (Statenvertaling). It's a beautiful city, but also strangely frozen in time, somewhat of a provincial backwater. The river is never far away here. On the way to Dordrecht I cycled past huge shipyards, lots of busy doings on the river banks.
I crossed the river to Papendrecht by ferry, and then suddenly found myself on my old cycle route to school. I lived in Sliedrecht, and cycled to school in Papendrecht every day, on the river dike, which, at that time, was the main access route for Sliedrecht, with many heavy lorries making cycling there somewhat nerve wracking. Still following the river, I cycle through Sliedrecht, on to Hardinxveld. Familiar territory for me. Just before Hardinnxveld a landmark: Sliedrecht's minute synagogue. Not in use for services anymore, but handsomely restored and used for cultural events. "I go to the house of the Lord with joy" the Hebrew above the door reads.
But it's cold and I press on to the Werkendam ferry. Dutch rivers are slow and wide. Looking east I see the city of Gorinchem. Beyond that, I can just make out the big tower of Castle Loevenstein. This is where the rivers Meuse and Waal converge and this has always been a strategic location, hence the castle, that, during the Dutch revolt, was used by the Spanish forces to hold (political) prisoners. Such as famous legal scholar Hugo de Groot, who escaped from there in a chest of books.
This is where there would be excellent side trips to be had, not by bike, because the small ferries that criss cross the river here get you to Gorinchem to Hardinxveld and Werkendam, but also to Woudrichem and Loevenstein. Gorinchem is another one of those 17th century towns, since then frozen in time, and is - like Dordrecht - very well preserved. But, Den Bosch is my goal and I must go on after a brief stop to refuel and I cycle across the Land of Heusden and Altena to Heusden.
Heusden shatters me with its cobbles. Heusden is a fortified town, and these fortifications are completely intact, so you can walk the city walls and the ramparts. Within these walls, Heusden is gorgeous, with its main street attractive with cafes and interesting shops. Quite a bustling town too and a destination from Den Bosch for many people. But not overrun with people either. I decide to have tea here and I get a little bit too comfortable, taking my time.
25 km from Den Bosch and now I am led along the river's south bank on a beautiful path, all the way to Den Bosch. It's cold and grey, yet spring is around the corner, that's obvious. Lapwings busy themselves trying to trick me with their antics, everywhere the land is freshly plowed. This is where the Dutch landscape really is, with a silvery quality to the light, due to the river's large reflective surface.
Pushed along by the freshening wind I speed along the Zuid Willemskanaal to Den Bosch, and navigate its superior cycle ways to the Central Station. I can't get on a train just yet with my bike, because that's only allowed after the afternoon rush hour and so I decide to cycle into town and have dinner first.
Cycled: 90 km in 6 hours, with ample stops and ferry trips.
From Den Bosch, Heusden would be an interesting visit. As would Woudrichem and Loevenstein be from Gorinchem. And Kinderdijk and Dordrecht are a good combination if you take the waterbus from Rotterdam.
Next up: a morning in Delft.
Mar 24th, 2016, 03:02 AM
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I am exhausted just reading this 
.
Also envious, since I fall off bikes almost as often as I ride one. Haven't ridden for several years now after a particularly nasty fall on Vlieland. I have lost my nerve.
Looking forward to the next episode.
. Also envious, since I fall off bikes almost as often as I ride one. Haven't ridden for several years now after a particularly nasty fall on Vlieland. I have lost my nerve.
Looking forward to the next episode.
Mar 24th, 2016, 05:02 AM
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2. A morning in Delft
Mid March and this is a rare, spring-like Saturday. M and I set out for Delft in the morning, by train for Rotterdam, to attend morning services at the Synagogue. As it happens, it is M's first time at Synagogue, even though he is as jewish as I am. This is a usual feature of postwar jewish existence in the Netherlands.
We admire Delft's new station, built half underground next to the old station that now stands abandoned. This was part of a project to put the elevated railway line underground, so on the whole, for Delft it's a blessing. For years the area around the station was a building site, but now everything is finished.
We have to get our bearings, but eventually find the right alley to get us to Koornmarkt where Delft's synagogue is located. This was the first newly built synagogue in The Netherlands after Napoleon's legislation awarded full rights to The Netherland's Jewish citizens. It was built to an engineer's pattern that's also visible in the many newly built catholic churches of that time. Like Jews, catholics also were the fortunate recipients of full citizen's rights. This almost prefab like design is called the "Waterstaat Pattern" after the department of state engineers that engendered it.
But it's early, so first we walk along Koornmarkt to get to a cafe on the Market Square to have coffee. We note the heavily armed guards that arrive to guard the entrance to the synagogue.
After coffee we return for services. Inside the interior is sparse, yet elegant, this is a jewish community that prides itself on its openness and welcoming nature. They possess two beautiful sifrei Torah. Services are pleasant, the kidush after services, featuring many cakes and, again, coffee, is lively. A warm welcome that delights M, here for the first time.
We say our goodbyes, stepping into a bright, early spring day and we decide to go for a brief stroll. We cross the Market Square and wander the streets behind it. This is a day that makes you believe that spring will arrive, but of course March hides its wintery surprises up its sleeve.
After about an hour we head toward the station and get on a train to Rotterdam. I don't often get to Delft. It's another one of those preserved, provincial towns, of which there are many. Delft, like Dordrecht, is at the heart of the republican founding myth of The Netherlands. Scene of the assassination of William of Orange, "father of the fatherland". What I find fascinating about Delft is that you can see the republican revolutionaries taking over a medieval town and its religious institutions and "camping out" there, setting up their government institutions in the face of a continuing struggle to make their ideas of religion and statehood work.
Mid March and this is a rare, spring-like Saturday. M and I set out for Delft in the morning, by train for Rotterdam, to attend morning services at the Synagogue. As it happens, it is M's first time at Synagogue, even though he is as jewish as I am. This is a usual feature of postwar jewish existence in the Netherlands.
We admire Delft's new station, built half underground next to the old station that now stands abandoned. This was part of a project to put the elevated railway line underground, so on the whole, for Delft it's a blessing. For years the area around the station was a building site, but now everything is finished.
We have to get our bearings, but eventually find the right alley to get us to Koornmarkt where Delft's synagogue is located. This was the first newly built synagogue in The Netherlands after Napoleon's legislation awarded full rights to The Netherland's Jewish citizens. It was built to an engineer's pattern that's also visible in the many newly built catholic churches of that time. Like Jews, catholics also were the fortunate recipients of full citizen's rights. This almost prefab like design is called the "Waterstaat Pattern" after the department of state engineers that engendered it.
But it's early, so first we walk along Koornmarkt to get to a cafe on the Market Square to have coffee. We note the heavily armed guards that arrive to guard the entrance to the synagogue.
After coffee we return for services. Inside the interior is sparse, yet elegant, this is a jewish community that prides itself on its openness and welcoming nature. They possess two beautiful sifrei Torah. Services are pleasant, the kidush after services, featuring many cakes and, again, coffee, is lively. A warm welcome that delights M, here for the first time.
We say our goodbyes, stepping into a bright, early spring day and we decide to go for a brief stroll. We cross the Market Square and wander the streets behind it. This is a day that makes you believe that spring will arrive, but of course March hides its wintery surprises up its sleeve.
After about an hour we head toward the station and get on a train to Rotterdam. I don't often get to Delft. It's another one of those preserved, provincial towns, of which there are many. Delft, like Dordrecht, is at the heart of the republican founding myth of The Netherlands. Scene of the assassination of William of Orange, "father of the fatherland". What I find fascinating about Delft is that you can see the republican revolutionaries taking over a medieval town and its religious institutions and "camping out" there, setting up their government institutions in the face of a continuing struggle to make their ideas of religion and statehood work.
Mar 24th, 2016, 06:38 AM
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Enjoying reading this.
I think when you were in Delft, I was exploring Leiden (but spent the evening in Delft).
Your bike ride sounds terrific - and you are hardy b/c I am sure it was on the cold side. I have been to den Bosch 2x, and really liked that town, which is pretty much off of the standard tourist trail. Whenever I get back, I would like to explore several of the towns you mentioned, including Heusden. I was considering Dordrecht on my recent trip, but opted for Leiden instead.
I think when you were in Delft, I was exploring Leiden (but spent the evening in Delft).
Your bike ride sounds terrific - and you are hardy b/c I am sure it was on the cold side. I have been to den Bosch 2x, and really liked that town, which is pretty much off of the standard tourist trail. Whenever I get back, I would like to explore several of the towns you mentioned, including Heusden. I was considering Dordrecht on my recent trip, but opted for Leiden instead.
Mar 24th, 2016, 01:17 PM
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@PhillyFan: Heusden was a wonderful surprise. I had been there once, more than 20 years ago, to look at a man's boat. That was all the memory I had. Lots of B&B's there too. And it's quite close to Den Bosch, although you need to take a bus to get there, but that's no hardship.
If you cycle at my speed, you don't get cold. I only felt the cold waiting for ferries, and stopping. But I slept on the train home.
I have another mini vacation planned by the way, so maybe my trip report will feature one more, who knows.
Delft has lost about 100 M euros in building the station and is now slashing services left and right. It used to have its own ethnographic museum specializing in the material culture of the Dutch East Indies, Nusantara, but not anymore. And its vibrant centre for the arts has been slashed too.
http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/32904/Delft/a...e-crisis.dhtml
Leiden and Delft are linked, at least in my understanding, because they both had Indological schools that trained civil servant for the colonial service. I studied indology at Leiden university, at its famous KERN institute and Delft was already a very distant memory. But one of my professors, Jan Heesterman had studied there. There was the "Delft Movement" of military style colonial government by strong means, and the Leiden "ethical school" that wanted "soft" colonial government. Two styles of ruling the "other" that are visible in Dutch politics to this day.
bitter sweet memories: Delft's Nusantara Gamelan (named Kyai Paridjata) being played.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vezWaMh3M0
If you cycle at my speed, you don't get cold. I only felt the cold waiting for ferries, and stopping. But I slept on the train home.
I have another mini vacation planned by the way, so maybe my trip report will feature one more, who knows.
Delft has lost about 100 M euros in building the station and is now slashing services left and right. It used to have its own ethnographic museum specializing in the material culture of the Dutch East Indies, Nusantara, but not anymore. And its vibrant centre for the arts has been slashed too.
http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/32904/Delft/a...e-crisis.dhtml
Leiden and Delft are linked, at least in my understanding, because they both had Indological schools that trained civil servant for the colonial service. I studied indology at Leiden university, at its famous KERN institute and Delft was already a very distant memory. But one of my professors, Jan Heesterman had studied there. There was the "Delft Movement" of military style colonial government by strong means, and the Leiden "ethical school" that wanted "soft" colonial government. Two styles of ruling the "other" that are visible in Dutch politics to this day.
bitter sweet memories: Delft's Nusantara Gamelan (named Kyai Paridjata) being played.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vezWaMh3M0
Mar 27th, 2016, 10:51 AM
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Mar 27th, 2016, 11:12 AM
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3. Medieval sea defences, to the island and back again.
By now you may know that I cycle a lot. On Friday I had been invited to a festive lunch. I decided to take the bike along to do a bit of cycling over the weekend. The next morning I set out for Harlingen, along De Slachte, a medieval sea defence. A few years ago the missing stretches of the Slachte were restored, and an entire route connected, from the City of Sneek to the City of Harlingen.
Where I'm cycling now you might call "deepest Friesland". It's a fiercely independent nation, with a minority language that is the official second language of the Netherlands. And I'm cycling past the village where the Mennonite movement was born: Witmarsum, Arum, another village that was important in Menno Simons' preaching, is nearby. From these minute villages and sea of pastures to the Amish of today: this is where it all came from. To this day, in certain regions in Friesland, every village will have its "Vermaning", its baptist house of worship.
The wind pushes me and I speed through Kimswerd, birthplace of that Frisian rebel: Greate Pier. Then right, and I hurtle towards Harlingen. I cycle along Franekereind and with 15 minutes to spare till the next sailing, I'm at the ferry port, where the ferries to the islands are. I decide to risk it (Easter fills the islands with guests) and I buy a ticket across.
We have ties here, my brother studied here at its Merchant Navy Academy and he's now a pilot in Vlissingen. He still has a house here, and the key is under the mat. He and his family are in Spain, escaping the Easter cold. With the freshening wind I sweep into Midsland. I buy some food in the 10 minutes that the supermarket is still open, then I cycle north towards the sea. The key is, indeed, still under the mat. I cook dinner for myself and hunt through the house to find out where the essentials are: sheets, a duvet, towels.
The islands are "almost Scandinavia". That sense of the nordic pervades Friesland already, here it is stronger. The Landrover is the vehicle of choice here. Salvaging cargo if it washed up ashore is practiced passionately, by everyone on the island.
The forecast for tomorrow is bad, that for Easter Monday worse still. I decide to make a run for it tomorrow, and cycle from Harlingen to Leeuwarden to take the train home from there. I cycle from Midsland to West against a formidable breeze. Then I cross with the noon boat, and cycle the 20 km to Leeuwarden in about 40 minutes. Not my doing: by now it's BF6.
The ride on the train home is uneventful and easy. It feels as if I've packed 3 weeks of activity in two days. Exciting!
By now you may know that I cycle a lot. On Friday I had been invited to a festive lunch. I decided to take the bike along to do a bit of cycling over the weekend. The next morning I set out for Harlingen, along De Slachte, a medieval sea defence. A few years ago the missing stretches of the Slachte were restored, and an entire route connected, from the City of Sneek to the City of Harlingen.
Where I'm cycling now you might call "deepest Friesland". It's a fiercely independent nation, with a minority language that is the official second language of the Netherlands. And I'm cycling past the village where the Mennonite movement was born: Witmarsum, Arum, another village that was important in Menno Simons' preaching, is nearby. From these minute villages and sea of pastures to the Amish of today: this is where it all came from. To this day, in certain regions in Friesland, every village will have its "Vermaning", its baptist house of worship.
The wind pushes me and I speed through Kimswerd, birthplace of that Frisian rebel: Greate Pier. Then right, and I hurtle towards Harlingen. I cycle along Franekereind and with 15 minutes to spare till the next sailing, I'm at the ferry port, where the ferries to the islands are. I decide to risk it (Easter fills the islands with guests) and I buy a ticket across.
We have ties here, my brother studied here at its Merchant Navy Academy and he's now a pilot in Vlissingen. He still has a house here, and the key is under the mat. He and his family are in Spain, escaping the Easter cold. With the freshening wind I sweep into Midsland. I buy some food in the 10 minutes that the supermarket is still open, then I cycle north towards the sea. The key is, indeed, still under the mat. I cook dinner for myself and hunt through the house to find out where the essentials are: sheets, a duvet, towels.
The islands are "almost Scandinavia". That sense of the nordic pervades Friesland already, here it is stronger. The Landrover is the vehicle of choice here. Salvaging cargo if it washed up ashore is practiced passionately, by everyone on the island.
The forecast for tomorrow is bad, that for Easter Monday worse still. I decide to make a run for it tomorrow, and cycle from Harlingen to Leeuwarden to take the train home from there. I cycle from Midsland to West against a formidable breeze. Then I cross with the noon boat, and cycle the 20 km to Leeuwarden in about 40 minutes. Not my doing: by now it's BF6.
The ride on the train home is uneventful and easy. It feels as if I've packed 3 weeks of activity in two days. Exciting!
Mar 27th, 2016, 11:47 AM
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My son is on Terschelling right now, with guests onboard. He sailed there on Friday. I think they are getting an extra day onboard, since he can't sail in the forecast wind tomorrow. Either that or they will have to take a ferry and leave him there.
My favourite area of course. We have twice considered moving to Kimswerd, and twice decided against it.
I've enjoyed your mini vacations nearly as much as you clearly did.
My favourite area of course. We have twice considered moving to Kimswerd, and twice decided against it.
I've enjoyed your mini vacations nearly as much as you clearly did
.
Mar 27th, 2016, 01:43 PM
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My husband's first ride will be the Classico Boretti on May 14th in Utrecht (160 km).
He really liked the Elfmerentocht in Friesland, that he rode a few years ago with nice weather but a lot of wind!
We do know Vlissingen very well, too. Our son studied/lived there for four years and we often go for a walk or to spend a day at the beach. My husband usually goes on his bike. It's only 80 kms from our home in Belgium.
He really liked the Elfmerentocht in Friesland, that he rode a few years ago with nice weather but a lot of wind!
We do know Vlissingen very well, too. Our son studied/lived there for four years and we often go for a walk or to spend a day at the beach. My husband usually goes on his bike. It's only 80 kms from our home in Belgium.
Mar 28th, 2016, 12:46 AM
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I love those local connections. @hetismij, I thought of your son, cycling past Dellewal on saturday. And yesterday morning, already many captains had made the decision to return early. That was doable yesterday, but today, it's not civilized way of getting into Harlingen I think. I waited out the ferry's departure at De Walvis, and saw 4 ships making a try for it a little bit on the wrong side of the tide even.
Although I love the landscape between Sneek and the Wadden coast passionately, I wouldn't want to live there. A shrinking and greying population means that you have to rely on a car and on the next big town's services to get by. That becomes an issue after a certain age, so settling in one of those villages is not a long term thing, sadly. I would have considered Arum, since there's still a supermarket there and a viable bus stop, but Kimswerd is nicer.
@MyriamC: yes to the Elfmerentocht, but equally, yes, the wind will be against you! And there's no let up. Although yesterday I considered myself to be very clever, outwitting the transition to a Southwesterly near - storm!
I also sped through Franeker (my mother's family is from there): I stopped at the garden of the Martenahuis, for the special flowers they have there, but it was still too cold for them to be in bloom.
Although I love the landscape between Sneek and the Wadden coast passionately, I wouldn't want to live there. A shrinking and greying population means that you have to rely on a car and on the next big town's services to get by. That becomes an issue after a certain age, so settling in one of those villages is not a long term thing, sadly. I would have considered Arum, since there's still a supermarket there and a viable bus stop, but Kimswerd is nicer.
@MyriamC: yes to the Elfmerentocht, but equally, yes, the wind will be against you! And there's no let up. Although yesterday I considered myself to be very clever, outwitting the transition to a Southwesterly near - storm!
I also sped through Franeker (my mother's family is from there): I stopped at the garden of the Martenahuis, for the special flowers they have there, but it was still too cold for them to be in bloom.
Mar 28th, 2016, 12:48 AM
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Also, by now, many local B&B's will be on booking.com. Even with the Easter holidays, I would have had no trouble in finding a spot on the fly. In fact, that was my first plan, until I remembered I could give my brother a call.
Mar 28th, 2016, 03:17 AM
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Those were exactly the reasons not to move to Kimswerd. There is a bus service, but that is about it.
We have friends in Arum, but I couldn't live there either, I concluded.
I guess I am spoiled with my train station, buses, shops and restaurants all within waling distance. Going to make it hard when we sell up and move on.
My son is still on Terschelling, according to Marine Traffic. I whatsapped him this morning but no response so far, so I don't know if the guests are riding it out with him or took the ferry home.
MyriamC I see the route of the Classico Borretti goes mostly through Gelderland, which is quite a way from me so I probably won't be out cheering him on from the side of the road.
We have friends in Arum, but I couldn't live there either, I concluded.
I guess I am spoiled with my train station, buses, shops and restaurants all within waling distance. Going to make it hard when we sell up and move on.
My son is still on Terschelling, according to Marine Traffic. I whatsapped him this morning but no response so far, so I don't know if the guests are riding it out with him or took the ferry home.
MyriamC I see the route of the Classico Borretti goes mostly through Gelderland, which is quite a way from me so I probably won't be out cheering him on from the side of the road.
Mar 28th, 2016, 04:34 AM
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Just had a whatsapp. The guests, and the mate went home by ferry. Son has to sit it out now until Thursday when it should be calm enough for him to motor back alone.
His normal mate doesn't start again until mid April.
His normal mate doesn't start again until mid April.
Mar 30th, 2016, 11:10 PM
#17
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And 4, a bonus: having dinner at Des Indes in The Hague
This is not even a mini-vacation, but a micro sized one. All because on my wife's birthday, she had to assist her mother in hospital suddenly and there was no time for celebrations. We had postponed a festive dinner, but now there was a window of opportunity, and we made use of it.
Both of us used to live in The Hague and came under the spell of its perverse otherworldliness. If there is a decadent city in The Netherlands, it is The Hague, not Amsterdam. Not because of all kind of decadent stuff going on in the open, but rather because of the reverse. The Hague hides its perversity behind a mask of calm, understated, respectability. You need to know where to look and where to go to access The Hague's hidden soul.
You may encounter this soul on Voorhout, a tree-lined central boulevard that is, by the city's own boast, "the most beautiful square in the world". Unter den Linden in Berlin was modelled after it. The façades that line it used to hide the incredible opulence of courtiers to the royal court. This was a closed society, so well brought to life in Louis Couperus' "The Hague Novels". To this day, D and I can point out where the protagonists from "The Books of Minor Souls" actually lived. And the most interesting character from the blighted family depicted in it actually lived across from Des Indes.
Des Indes sits as a pastel coloured colossus at one end of Voorhout, and was, in its day, a major upset in polite "hagois" society, as all kinds of people could freely mingle there, paying no attention to class barrier. It is there that the civilized might have drinks with famous actors and ballet dancers. Its main claim to fame is that Anna Pavlova died in the hotel. It's no coincidence that in "Minor Souls", Constance, the returning prodigal daughter, sets up in Des Indes at first, because she not admitted to anyone's house when she returns from "abroad".
And this is where we choose to have dinner. But first we go for a drink in Des Indes' gorgeous lobby. This lobby is somewhat of an Edwardian affair, the interior painstakingly preserved, because The Hague polite society can't abide by major changes. Waiting staff glides by, attentive and anticipating our needs, which is uncanny and welcoming at the same time.
The level of cooking here is competent, but not spectacular, we're early and we sit in a nearly deserted restaurant. To our left, a young man in a sharp suit and even sharper brogues is pitching to a skeptical audience of three. "He's talking too much," D whispers to me: "they're losing interest". And indeed, it's easy to be entirely seduced by the dining room's ambience, the immaculate table linnen, the chairs that invite long hours at the table. Behind us, two people in their seventies are on a first date, they kiss passionately.
You don't come here for the food, but for an experience that harks back to a by-gone age. I point across Kazernestraat: "Look," I say: "That window, there, those are the rooms where Ernst went completely mad in Minor Souls."
This is not even a mini-vacation, but a micro sized one. All because on my wife's birthday, she had to assist her mother in hospital suddenly and there was no time for celebrations. We had postponed a festive dinner, but now there was a window of opportunity, and we made use of it.
Both of us used to live in The Hague and came under the spell of its perverse otherworldliness. If there is a decadent city in The Netherlands, it is The Hague, not Amsterdam. Not because of all kind of decadent stuff going on in the open, but rather because of the reverse. The Hague hides its perversity behind a mask of calm, understated, respectability. You need to know where to look and where to go to access The Hague's hidden soul.
You may encounter this soul on Voorhout, a tree-lined central boulevard that is, by the city's own boast, "the most beautiful square in the world". Unter den Linden in Berlin was modelled after it. The façades that line it used to hide the incredible opulence of courtiers to the royal court. This was a closed society, so well brought to life in Louis Couperus' "The Hague Novels". To this day, D and I can point out where the protagonists from "The Books of Minor Souls" actually lived. And the most interesting character from the blighted family depicted in it actually lived across from Des Indes.
Des Indes sits as a pastel coloured colossus at one end of Voorhout, and was, in its day, a major upset in polite "hagois" society, as all kinds of people could freely mingle there, paying no attention to class barrier. It is there that the civilized might have drinks with famous actors and ballet dancers. Its main claim to fame is that Anna Pavlova died in the hotel. It's no coincidence that in "Minor Souls", Constance, the returning prodigal daughter, sets up in Des Indes at first, because she not admitted to anyone's house when she returns from "abroad".
And this is where we choose to have dinner. But first we go for a drink in Des Indes' gorgeous lobby. This lobby is somewhat of an Edwardian affair, the interior painstakingly preserved, because The Hague polite society can't abide by major changes. Waiting staff glides by, attentive and anticipating our needs, which is uncanny and welcoming at the same time.
The level of cooking here is competent, but not spectacular, we're early and we sit in a nearly deserted restaurant. To our left, a young man in a sharp suit and even sharper brogues is pitching to a skeptical audience of three. "He's talking too much," D whispers to me: "they're losing interest". And indeed, it's easy to be entirely seduced by the dining room's ambience, the immaculate table linnen, the chairs that invite long hours at the table. Behind us, two people in their seventies are on a first date, they kiss passionately.
You don't come here for the food, but for an experience that harks back to a by-gone age. I point across Kazernestraat: "Look," I say: "That window, there, those are the rooms where Ernst went completely mad in Minor Souls."
Mar 30th, 2016, 11:19 PM
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""Marie," said Auntie. "Do you know what I think so funny of you? You're
mad on your children, mad on them. But, when you see your daughter after
all these years, you let her sleep at the Hôtel des Indes! Why is that?
Tell me."
"I saw Constance once or twice in Brussels," Mrs. van Lowe protested.
Constance laughed:
"But, Auntie, Mamma's like that, she has her own ways! And Adriaan,
Addie, would be too much for her ... though he's a very quiet boy."
Mamma said nothing, smiled peacefully. Yes, she was like that, she had
her own ways.
"I was saying to Uncle to-day," Auntie continued, "if it didn't look too
funny, I'd ask Constance myself to stay with us. 'There's that Marie,' I
said. 'She's got a big house and leaves her child at the Hôtel des
Indes!' It's beyond me, Marie.... Constance, you must come and eat rice
with me and bring your husband and your boy. Do you like _nassi_?"[6]
"Yes, Auntie. We shall be delighted."
Constance and Auntie stood up; Constance walked towards the
conservatory. The young nephews and nieces were sitting at their round
game, but had stopped playing. And Constance shrank from going farther
and talking to them, for they hurriedly took up their cards again and
went on playing.
And she turned away and thought:
"They were talking about me...." "
mad on your children, mad on them. But, when you see your daughter after
all these years, you let her sleep at the Hôtel des Indes! Why is that?
Tell me."
"I saw Constance once or twice in Brussels," Mrs. van Lowe protested.
Constance laughed:
"But, Auntie, Mamma's like that, she has her own ways! And Adriaan,
Addie, would be too much for her ... though he's a very quiet boy."
Mamma said nothing, smiled peacefully. Yes, she was like that, she had
her own ways.
"I was saying to Uncle to-day," Auntie continued, "if it didn't look too
funny, I'd ask Constance myself to stay with us. 'There's that Marie,' I
said. 'She's got a big house and leaves her child at the Hôtel des
Indes!' It's beyond me, Marie.... Constance, you must come and eat rice
with me and bring your husband and your boy. Do you like _nassi_?"[6]
"Yes, Auntie. We shall be delighted."
Constance and Auntie stood up; Constance walked towards the
conservatory. The young nephews and nieces were sitting at their round
game, but had stopped playing. And Constance shrank from going farther
and talking to them, for they hurriedly took up their cards again and
went on playing.
And she turned away and thought:
"They were talking about me...." "
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