Kinderdijk, NL

19 AUG 2007


I found Rebus Varende Boat Tours and at 10:45 we pulled away from the dock and made our way up the river to Kinderdijk. It was a nice atmosphere with a mix of people of all ages, from all over the world. We sat at small tables and sipped coffee and hot chocolate in the cool breeze.






After about an hour we docked at Kinderdijk. It wasn't much to see from the dock, but as I made my way up and over the hill I found myself staring out upon the countryside and 19 windmills. "Now I feel like I'm in Holland," I thought to myself.


We had about an hour to walk around and see the windmills. One windmill has been converted into a museum, but I didn't actually visit the museum because I ran out of time while exploring all of the others. There were also a number of signs posted along the path describing the history and uses of the windmills. All of the windmills at Kinderdijk are "retired." They no longer function to control the water, as they have been replaced by modern pumping stations.




On my way back to Rotterdam from Kinderdijk, we were delayed as the police had closed part of the river. It turned out that three sky divers dove from an airplane onto a platform in the middle of the river. It was a pretty neat experience. I've never seen sky divers so up-close-and-personal.




On my way home, I got on the right train... but I got on the wrong part of the train. When I translated the words Voor and Achte, I understood that they meant before and after, respectively. Fine, I thought, as Maastricht was supposed to come before Heerlen according to the train route. I hopped on the second to last car of the train because the ones in the front looked full. Unfortunately, the words voor and achte mean something different when applied to a train. (Tip #2: Voor = front of train. Achte = back of the train.) No harm done. I was able to hop off and hop back on in the first car at the next stop. The rest of the ride home was smooth and uneventful.

I was very happy to arrive back in Maastricht.

Rotterdam, NL

19 AUG 2007

I arrived in Rotterdam around 7:30 Saturday. Unfortunately, 7:30 was too late!!! I found that when I arrived, the VVV (tourist information center) was closed. This was very troublesome because I did not have a map of the city and I had yet to make my way to the StayOkay Hostel. (Tip number 1: Always arrive in a city before 6:00PM if you need to visit the VVV.) Fortunately, I had borrowed a book on the Netherlands from a colleague and it contained a small map of the city. I slowly made my way to the Hostel, stopping several times to ask for directions.

Sunday morning, I grabbed a quick bite of breakfast at the hostel before heading out to explore the city and find the Kinderdijk cruise location on the river. Breakfast was fine (meat, cheese and bread), but the more I travel the more I find myself wishing I was back in Paris again picking up breakfast at the local patisserie.

After Den Haag, Rotterdam was a bit of a disappointment. It's a lively, beautiful city but it doesn't feel that different from walking around in St. Paul or Minneapolis. I stayed in a newer part of town, but as I made my way toward the river I was pleasantly surprised by the view. Across the river, the old facade of the buildings had been saved was was filled with little shops and cafes.

I explored the canals and walked the Walk of Fame.



The bridges were also very beautiful, but as I walked past them on my way to the boat I found myself thinking about the bridges back home. What a contrast looking at these strong new bridges and thinking about the one that had just fallen in Minneapolis.

Den Haag, NL

I had the opportunity to visit Den Haag (The Hague) on Saturday (Aug 18). I hopped on the train in the morning and arrived in Den Haag (via Utrecht) around mid-morning. The train wove its way through the country on its way out to the western coast. Surprisingly the countryside looks very much like Minnesota... corn fields and cows. Interestingly, the Dutch farmers keep their cows and sheep separated from one another and from the crops, not by fences as we do in Minnesota, but by ditched filled with water. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture because the train was traveling too fast. I'll see if I can snap one if I ever have the opportunity.

I was lucky enough to meet a colleague, Dana, in Den Haag so I had company while I was seeing the sights. After a week alone, I welcomed the company. I had forgotten how quite it is for a person living alone. (As an aside... I have succumbed to turning on the television to keep me company in the evenings when I return home from work.)

Den Haag was an interesting place. I had the opportunity to visit the Escher Museum in the morning. Escher is the graphic designer who is well known for this lithograph of the two hands drawing one another, among other works of fantasy and impossibility. The art was fascinating... The man had quite the imagination.

After the museum, we made our way to the peace palace (the location of the international court). Unfortunately, we arrived a little bit too late, as it had closed for the day. It would have been neat to have a tour. Maybe I'll find myself back there someday when the palace is open.



Next stop was Scheveningen... The Beach! Scheveningen is a resort town on the coast. Dana and I walked along the sandy beach, put our hands in the North Sea and had a cool seaside beverage. I love the sound of the water. I could have sat there all day, watching the waves roll in and sailboats glide across the horizon. But, we had too many other things on our list.




We left the beach and headed to Madurodam. The best way that I can describe Madurodam is an outdoor museum with doll house size representations of buildings from around The Netherlands. While my description doesn't do it justice, this place is neat for all ages. The landmarks and buildings are built on a 1:25 scale and include all of the well known tourist sights and historic buildings around The Netherlands. At dusk, they have a light and laser show telling the folktale of a young man who notices a leak in a dike and plugs it with his finger, saving the nearby village. Unfortunately, we missed it because we both had to make our way to the train station. I was heading for Rotterdam and Dana headed home.

Bruges, Belgium

My mom and I had one last weekend to see more of Europe before she left for home... After we thought long and hard and did our research, we decided to visit Bruges, Belgium.

The City of Canals


Bruges is a wonderfully preserved town. It was spared from destruction during both WWI and WWII. Because of this, we were able to walk though the streets and imagine we were back in the 15th century. The Market Square is lined with old buildings turned into Cafes. The Belfort sits at one end of the square. From the top, you can view the whole city.


We took a canal boat cruise when we first arrived in the city. It was nice because it helped to orient us and we were able to sit back and take in the amazing scenery.


Later that evening, we found our way though the streets again and to the outskirts of the city to see the windmills.


On Sunday, we climbed the Belfort. It was really neat to see the inner workings. The Belfort is really just a gigantic music box. Sitting in the mechanical room while the bells are ringing gives you a whole new perspective. In the mechanical room, you couldn't even hear the bells ringing over clinking and clunking.



We also visited the Diamond Museum. It provided an interesting history of the diamond business in Bruges.

And mmmmmmm the chocolate...