A short trip to the Netherlands
Apr 30th, 2023, 10:22 AM
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A short trip to the Netherlands
We live near Manchester, UK and this was our first trip overseas since 2019. We enjoy history, gardens, town walks and people watching, preferably from the outside terrace of a cafe! We spent 5 days in The Netherlands and 5 days in Belgium. This report is just about The Netherlands part of our trip.
Overview
We flew Manchester to Amsterdam with EasyJet and used public transport throughout our stay. We stayed in Leiden at Boutique Hotel D’oude Morsch on a bed and breakfast basis. The only trip I had prebooked was to Keukenhof.
Day 1
Our flight left on time and took less than an hour. We breezed through Schiphol, having our passports stamped, thanks to Brexit and found the train station easily. We bought tickets from the machine, which only took cards and were on our way to Leiden. The journey took about 30 minutes and we saw our first glimpse of the bulb fields. We were far too early to check in, so left our bags and set off to explore beautiful Leiden. The weather was perfect, blue skies and warm enough not to need a coat just a sweater.
We walked about 5 miles through the town following a route from a guide book which took in all the main sites. We grabbed a quick take out lunch from a bakery with a queue of students outside, Leiden is a University town, which was a good choice. We ate it sat on a bench by a canal. We found our way back to our hotel which has a windmill outside which made a good point of reference for finding our way back.
That night we ate at Waag, Aalmarkt 21. This is in the old customs/weighing house. The building was interesting, the service was good, the food was OK - nothing wrong with it just not memorable.
The windmill that guided us home each day
Canal side in Leiden
Overview
We flew Manchester to Amsterdam with EasyJet and used public transport throughout our stay. We stayed in Leiden at Boutique Hotel D’oude Morsch on a bed and breakfast basis. The only trip I had prebooked was to Keukenhof.
Day 1
Our flight left on time and took less than an hour. We breezed through Schiphol, having our passports stamped, thanks to Brexit and found the train station easily. We bought tickets from the machine, which only took cards and were on our way to Leiden. The journey took about 30 minutes and we saw our first glimpse of the bulb fields. We were far too early to check in, so left our bags and set off to explore beautiful Leiden. The weather was perfect, blue skies and warm enough not to need a coat just a sweater.
We walked about 5 miles through the town following a route from a guide book which took in all the main sites. We grabbed a quick take out lunch from a bakery with a queue of students outside, Leiden is a University town, which was a good choice. We ate it sat on a bench by a canal. We found our way back to our hotel which has a windmill outside which made a good point of reference for finding our way back.
That night we ate at Waag, Aalmarkt 21. This is in the old customs/weighing house. The building was interesting, the service was good, the food was OK - nothing wrong with it just not memorable.
The windmill that guided us home each day
Canal side in Leiden
Apr 30th, 2023, 10:49 AM
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Day 2
The weather turned today and showers were forecast, increasing as the day went on. We had seen the Hortus Botanicus on our walk the previous day and noticed there were large glasshouses so we decided to visit and figured we could shelter in the glasshouses if the rain was too much.
The gardens are not large but there was enough to interest us for a couple of hours. We were there at the same time as some school trips, these were young children, perhaps 4/5 years old. In a previous life I was an Early Years teacher and have undertaken many trips. Even though I didn’t understand anything their teachers were saying I knew what they were saying by the tone of their voice, their facial expressions and general body language, small children the same the world over!!
We had lunch the the excellent cafe at the gardens, highly recommended, you don’t have to go into the gardens to access the cafe.
We spent the rest of the afternoon window shopping and mooching round shops we had seen the previous day. When the rain got too much we headed back, stopping on the way to make reservations for dinner at Restaurant Proeflokaal 1574, Apothekersdijk 38.
After drying off and resting we ventured back out into the now pouring rain for dinner. Fortunately it was a 10 minute walk from our hotel. This was the best meal of our trip. The menu is made for sharing and you can choose to have 3, 5 or 7 plates. We chose 5, each with a wine pairing. The young waiter was helpful and knowledgeable about the wine. I can’t remember each course (we had 5 glasses of wine!) but we definitely had a light tuna dish, a duck in cherry sauce dish, a steak dish and I think there was chicken and some salad - as I said after 3 glasses it all became a bit blurry. We made our way back in the now dry weather and slept very well that night.
One of the large glasshouses at the Hortus Botanicus.
Where we had the best meal (and wine) of our trip.
The weather turned today and showers were forecast, increasing as the day went on. We had seen the Hortus Botanicus on our walk the previous day and noticed there were large glasshouses so we decided to visit and figured we could shelter in the glasshouses if the rain was too much.
The gardens are not large but there was enough to interest us for a couple of hours. We were there at the same time as some school trips, these were young children, perhaps 4/5 years old. In a previous life I was an Early Years teacher and have undertaken many trips. Even though I didn’t understand anything their teachers were saying I knew what they were saying by the tone of their voice, their facial expressions and general body language, small children the same the world over!!
We had lunch the the excellent cafe at the gardens, highly recommended, you don’t have to go into the gardens to access the cafe.
We spent the rest of the afternoon window shopping and mooching round shops we had seen the previous day. When the rain got too much we headed back, stopping on the way to make reservations for dinner at Restaurant Proeflokaal 1574, Apothekersdijk 38.
After drying off and resting we ventured back out into the now pouring rain for dinner. Fortunately it was a 10 minute walk from our hotel. This was the best meal of our trip. The menu is made for sharing and you can choose to have 3, 5 or 7 plates. We chose 5, each with a wine pairing. The young waiter was helpful and knowledgeable about the wine. I can’t remember each course (we had 5 glasses of wine!) but we definitely had a light tuna dish, a duck in cherry sauce dish, a steak dish and I think there was chicken and some salad - as I said after 3 glasses it all became a bit blurry. We made our way back in the now dry weather and slept very well that night.
One of the large glasshouses at the Hortus Botanicus.
Where we had the best meal (and wine) of our trip.
Apr 30th, 2023, 11:36 PM
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Day 3
Today we had tickets for Keukenhof. I bought the combi bus ticket on line several weeks before, which includes the entrance fee and bus transport to and from the site. The bus went from the Leiden bus station which is next to the train station. Our bus was at 8.30am and was not busy, the journey took about 30 minutes and when we arrived at Keukenhof the crowds were already building. I picked up a map and off we went.
The weather was dry which was an improvement on the day before, but there was heavy cloud cover and it was cold. We wandered through the tulips, daffodils and hyacinths and they were stunning even on a dull, dark day I can only imagine how beautiful it must be in the sunshine. I wasn’t expecting all the displays in the Pavillions, they were also stunning and it was good to get inside out of the cold. We were a little disappointed by the boat tour, I felt it didn’t add much to our visit and we found the food offerings a little underwhelming and expensive for what we got. As the day progressed the gardens got busier and busier and I’m glad we went early.
We left at about 3.30 and there was a return bus waiting. This was very busy and we had to stand all the way back to Leiden.
We returned to our hotel to warm up and that night we ate at El Gaucho, Steenstraat 59. This was a 2 minute walk from our hotel and we did not have a reservation. However, as we were walking past we saw a couple just paying their bill at the table so we took advantage and went in and sure enough that table was now open. This was predominantly a steak place, which is more my husband’s taste than mine. We both ordered the steak and veg skewer which was served with either fries or baked potato and broccoli. It was delicious, the steak cooked just to my liking, tender and flavourful, no wine tonight!
Today we had tickets for Keukenhof. I bought the combi bus ticket on line several weeks before, which includes the entrance fee and bus transport to and from the site. The bus went from the Leiden bus station which is next to the train station. Our bus was at 8.30am and was not busy, the journey took about 30 minutes and when we arrived at Keukenhof the crowds were already building. I picked up a map and off we went.
The weather was dry which was an improvement on the day before, but there was heavy cloud cover and it was cold. We wandered through the tulips, daffodils and hyacinths and they were stunning even on a dull, dark day I can only imagine how beautiful it must be in the sunshine. I wasn’t expecting all the displays in the Pavillions, they were also stunning and it was good to get inside out of the cold. We were a little disappointed by the boat tour, I felt it didn’t add much to our visit and we found the food offerings a little underwhelming and expensive for what we got. As the day progressed the gardens got busier and busier and I’m glad we went early.
We left at about 3.30 and there was a return bus waiting. This was very busy and we had to stand all the way back to Leiden.
We returned to our hotel to warm up and that night we ate at El Gaucho, Steenstraat 59. This was a 2 minute walk from our hotel and we did not have a reservation. However, as we were walking past we saw a couple just paying their bill at the table so we took advantage and went in and sure enough that table was now open. This was predominantly a steak place, which is more my husband’s taste than mine. We both ordered the steak and veg skewer which was served with either fries or baked potato and broccoli. It was delicious, the steak cooked just to my liking, tender and flavourful, no wine tonight!
May 1st, 2023, 12:14 AM
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Day 4
A beautiful warm, sunny day. I had chosen Leiden as a base as it is on the main train line between Amsterdam and Den Haag and I had wanted to visit both these cities and Delft. Unfortunately, there had been a train derailment the day we arrived and the train line south of Leiden was closed and a bus replacement service was in operation.
Not to be deterred we went to the station and asked how we could get to Delft, a helpful employee looked up the best route for us on his phone and off we went. We paid on the bus with cash but it was easy to tap in and out with a credit/debit card.
Our route to Delft.
We followed the above route and arrived in beautiful Delft. I had visited Delft on a brief half day visit as part of a school trip when I was 17 and had always wanted to revisit. We wandered around the streets and canals enjoying the architecture and warm sunshine.
Delft Town Hall built in 1620
Canal view
Typical architecture
New church tower and spire
We made several refreshment stops and found ourselves in the main square in front of the new church by mid afternoon. We decided to have one last drink before going on to Den Haag for the evening. As we were sitting enjoying the sun, many emergency vehicles descended on the square and gathered outside the church. The police then began to cordon off the square and announced through a loudspeaker that the square had to be cleared and anyone sat outside had to go indoors. The staff at the cafe where we were hurried out and began to move tables, chairs and planters. It transpired someone climbing the church tower had suffered a medical incident and the air ambulance helicopter was going to land in the square. The helicopter landed and in the meantime the fire brigade had put up an enormous crane with a cradle attached and sent several fire officers up the outside of the tower.
Despite the best efforts of all the emergency services, the person who was climbing the tower died.
Due to all this, we had stayed much later than planned and decided not to go to Den Haag and began our return to Leiden.
I have to finish here now but I’ll finish Day 4 later on.
A beautiful warm, sunny day. I had chosen Leiden as a base as it is on the main train line between Amsterdam and Den Haag and I had wanted to visit both these cities and Delft. Unfortunately, there had been a train derailment the day we arrived and the train line south of Leiden was closed and a bus replacement service was in operation.
Not to be deterred we went to the station and asked how we could get to Delft, a helpful employee looked up the best route for us on his phone and off we went. We paid on the bus with cash but it was easy to tap in and out with a credit/debit card.
Our route to Delft.
We followed the above route and arrived in beautiful Delft. I had visited Delft on a brief half day visit as part of a school trip when I was 17 and had always wanted to revisit. We wandered around the streets and canals enjoying the architecture and warm sunshine.
Delft Town Hall built in 1620
Canal view
Typical architecture
New church tower and spire
We made several refreshment stops and found ourselves in the main square in front of the new church by mid afternoon. We decided to have one last drink before going on to Den Haag for the evening. As we were sitting enjoying the sun, many emergency vehicles descended on the square and gathered outside the church. The police then began to cordon off the square and announced through a loudspeaker that the square had to be cleared and anyone sat outside had to go indoors. The staff at the cafe where we were hurried out and began to move tables, chairs and planters. It transpired someone climbing the church tower had suffered a medical incident and the air ambulance helicopter was going to land in the square. The helicopter landed and in the meantime the fire brigade had put up an enormous crane with a cradle attached and sent several fire officers up the outside of the tower.
Despite the best efforts of all the emergency services, the person who was climbing the tower died.
Due to all this, we had stayed much later than planned and decided not to go to Den Haag and began our return to Leiden.
I have to finish here now but I’ll finish Day 4 later on.
May 1st, 2023, 03:05 AM
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Day 4 continued
We left the square and made our way back to the tram stop, we decided that the outward journey was so efficient we would return the same way. We got the tram and got off at the stop we had got on at in the morning and found the bus stop for the bus back to Leiden - so far so good - the bus stop had an electronic reading which counted down the minutes to the arrival of the next bus - about 20 minutes. OK not ideal but we waited, when the timer countdown got down to 8 minutes wait, it sort of stopped and then went back up to 12 minutes wait. Eventually after a slow countdown we were down to 1 minute, we were the only people at the stop, it was getting cooler by now as it was about 7.30pm. We could see the bus in the distance, we held our hands out …. And the bus sailed past us!! It was VERY full.
By now we were cold … the next bus was due in another 20 minutes … more people arrived …. the countdown continued … we saw the bus approaching … one of the other passengers was a heavily pregnant young lady and so we suggested she stood prominently at the front …. in the hope the driver would take pity on us … it worked, the driver stopped and even though there was standing room only he made sure we all got on. It was VERY full but the driver was great and gave us a commentary all the way back.
We arrived back in Leiden at about 9pm and just went back to our hotel.
We left the square and made our way back to the tram stop, we decided that the outward journey was so efficient we would return the same way. We got the tram and got off at the stop we had got on at in the morning and found the bus stop for the bus back to Leiden - so far so good - the bus stop had an electronic reading which counted down the minutes to the arrival of the next bus - about 20 minutes. OK not ideal but we waited, when the timer countdown got down to 8 minutes wait, it sort of stopped and then went back up to 12 minutes wait. Eventually after a slow countdown we were down to 1 minute, we were the only people at the stop, it was getting cooler by now as it was about 7.30pm. We could see the bus in the distance, we held our hands out …. And the bus sailed past us!! It was VERY full.
By now we were cold … the next bus was due in another 20 minutes … more people arrived …. the countdown continued … we saw the bus approaching … one of the other passengers was a heavily pregnant young lady and so we suggested she stood prominently at the front …. in the hope the driver would take pity on us … it worked, the driver stopped and even though there was standing room only he made sure we all got on. It was VERY full but the driver was great and gave us a commentary all the way back.
We arrived back in Leiden at about 9pm and just went back to our hotel.
May 1st, 2023, 03:55 AM
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Day 5
Our last full day before we moved on to Ghent in Belgium. So today we went to Amsterdam, we got tickets from the machine at Leiden station and caught the train. It stopped a lot and took about 45 minutes, there are quicker trains which don’t stop as much but it was fine. The train was clean and quiet but did fill up at Schiphol.
I hadn’t prebooked any museums or galleries as we didn’t want to be tied down and as it turned out this was the right decision.
We had a guide book with a detailed walk from Amsterdam Centraal, through Dam Square, to Anne Franks house and then the Jordaan area. The weather was dry and sunny but not as warm as the day before. After we had been walking about an hour, my husband began to develop a migraine, so we stopped for a drink and to take some medication. Fortunately he took the medication in time and his symptoms didn’t get any worse but being outside was much better for him rather than being in a museum.
Due to the migraine situation we took more frequent stops to rehydrate and rest and actually really enjoyed the slower pace. We still saw everything we wanted to.
Amsterdam was so busy and obviously has a big city feel with all the shops and fast food restaurants that
Passage way just off Damrak
Typical canal scene
Begijnhof just off Kalverstraat
Typical canal side buildings
you can find in any city. However we did find quieter, backwater canals, squares and streets. We did consider staying in Amsterdam and having visited I’m pleased we stayed in Leiden. We are an early dinner before going back to Leiden where we returned to pack for our move the next day.
Boutique Hotel D’oude Morsch
I realise I haven’t said anything about where we stayed. It is a small hotel in a converted army building. It is not a full service hotel, there is a small bar/eating/reception area where breakfast is served. Our room was on the first floor, spotlessly clean shower room and separate wc, there was a fridge, safe, coffee and tea making things. The bed was comfy and the shower hot.
View from our room
One of the city gates at our hotel
We had breakfast each morning. It was very good but there was no choice, a large platter was prepared which included 2 different juices, a hard boiled egg, fruit and yogurt, omelette, hams, cheeses, pastries, jams and as much tea or coffee as you wished. This was all served by the pleasant, young, staff. This was the only interaction we had with the staff as we had no problems and we were out most of the time.
The hotel is about a 10 minute walk from the station and less than that to the main restaurants and shopping area. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again.
This was a brief trip and a good way to get back into overseas travel post Covid.
Thank you for reading, I love reading trip reports and I hope mine was useful (and not too long)
Our last full day before we moved on to Ghent in Belgium. So today we went to Amsterdam, we got tickets from the machine at Leiden station and caught the train. It stopped a lot and took about 45 minutes, there are quicker trains which don’t stop as much but it was fine. The train was clean and quiet but did fill up at Schiphol.
I hadn’t prebooked any museums or galleries as we didn’t want to be tied down and as it turned out this was the right decision.
We had a guide book with a detailed walk from Amsterdam Centraal, through Dam Square, to Anne Franks house and then the Jordaan area. The weather was dry and sunny but not as warm as the day before. After we had been walking about an hour, my husband began to develop a migraine, so we stopped for a drink and to take some medication. Fortunately he took the medication in time and his symptoms didn’t get any worse but being outside was much better for him rather than being in a museum.
Due to the migraine situation we took more frequent stops to rehydrate and rest and actually really enjoyed the slower pace. We still saw everything we wanted to.
Amsterdam was so busy and obviously has a big city feel with all the shops and fast food restaurants that
Passage way just off Damrak
Typical canal scene
Begijnhof just off Kalverstraat
Typical canal side buildings
you can find in any city. However we did find quieter, backwater canals, squares and streets. We did consider staying in Amsterdam and having visited I’m pleased we stayed in Leiden. We are an early dinner before going back to Leiden where we returned to pack for our move the next day.
Boutique Hotel D’oude Morsch
I realise I haven’t said anything about where we stayed. It is a small hotel in a converted army building. It is not a full service hotel, there is a small bar/eating/reception area where breakfast is served. Our room was on the first floor, spotlessly clean shower room and separate wc, there was a fridge, safe, coffee and tea making things. The bed was comfy and the shower hot.
View from our room
One of the city gates at our hotel
We had breakfast each morning. It was very good but there was no choice, a large platter was prepared which included 2 different juices, a hard boiled egg, fruit and yogurt, omelette, hams, cheeses, pastries, jams and as much tea or coffee as you wished. This was all served by the pleasant, young, staff. This was the only interaction we had with the staff as we had no problems and we were out most of the time.
The hotel is about a 10 minute walk from the station and less than that to the main restaurants and shopping area. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again.
This was a brief trip and a good way to get back into overseas travel post Covid.
Thank you for reading, I love reading trip reports and I hope mine was useful (and not too long)
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