Keukenhof, Volendam and Amsterdam

In the Netherlands, we stayed at Hotel NH in Eindhoven. It is a large hotel, with spacy rooms and many restaurants. There is a lot of open land around the hotel, really good for walking about, as long as you have a coat on as protection against the wind. Darkness sets in at about 10 pm and lasts till 4.30 am.

Traditional costume

I decided to take a walk in the morning, while the tables were being set for breakfast. It was very cold as the hotel is surrounded by wide empty fields, and you would see just a few houses and cars. The country has a lot of farmlands, very beautiful to look upon. It also has many canals as it is situated well below sea level, and built on land reclaimed from the North Sea. Cycling is common in Netherlands, and you see people of all ages riding on the red cycle tracks next to footpaths.

Netherlands also has several levels of flyovers, making it possible to drive fast without having to stop at signals. We had a new Czech driver called Arnost, a really friendly guy who greeted everyone while boarding the coach. It was 8 degrees there, but felt much colder due to the unceasing wind in the open areas. In the morning, we visited the Keukenhof gardens in Lisse, which was quite close to our hotel. The garden is huge and full of tulips of many colors and pretty flowers. Tulips require very cold weather for blossoming and May is close to the end of the season for them.

Keukenhof Gardens

Williem Alexander Pavilion

The gardens are open for 2 months from mid-March to mid-May (you should check the calendar before visiting). There are glasshouses growing rare plants and houses that sell seeds (bulbs) and souvenirs. A stream runs through the garden and ends in a large pond, with fountains and swans. People are allowed to feed the swans and ducks. There are stones placed on the water so you can walk over them. Once we got tired of walking, we sat down to coffee and cakes at Wilhelmina Pavilion. Sitting in the open cafe and enjoying the sun while watching the ripples in the water and the friendly swans was a wonderful experience.

Lunch was at Jacob's Hoeve cheese farm in Volendam. We watched a demo of the cheese making process and tasted different types of cheese, which were on display in the shop. I particularly liked the smoked and herbed cheese versions. It is quite cheap if you want to buy. The Katwoude dike runs on one side of the road. There are steps leading to the top, and we walked on the dike for a while. Volendam is a beautiful place, with several farmhouses and cows, sheep and horses grazing in the fields. In the summer, the fields are full of flowers. It is said that Europe never looks the same at any time of the year; the winter snow gives way to light rains in summer and flower blossoms in spring.

Volendam

Jacobs Hoeve Cheese Farm

Netherlands still has many old windmills (it is a very windy country). The mills are made of wood or stone and have four blades/sails attached to the roof of the house. They were mostly used to drain water from the fields and also for grinding of corn. We visited a wooden shoe making factory, owned by the same family as the cheese farm. They explained about the machines used to make wooden shoes, which are used by the Dutch in the fields to keep their feet dry. We bought a beautiful souvenir, a windmill and house made of wood.

Wooden shoe factory

Afterwards, we drove to Amsterdam and got off near the Heineken Experience. A cruise through the canals of Amsterdam was next. We had some free time before the start of the cruise, so we went to a nearby street for cheap shopping (mostly Chinese stuff). The cruise boat was covered with glass windows and a glass roof and had seats for about 80 people. It was pleasant in the cold weather, though I imagine it would be more of a glasshouse in summer.

For over an hour, the boat coursed through the old areas of the city. We saw boathouses with their occupants sitting on chairs on the deck of the boat and enjoying the afternoon sun. There were old buildings with their basements bordering the canals. Low detachable bridges, which open up for large launches are common. The country has so many canals that many residents have their private boats and use them to travel from one place to another. This is so common that some canals even had traffic lights!

Amsterdam canal cruise

Bridges made of bricks span over the canals and are used by people for walking and cycling. A few cafes were built on the bridges, and we saw people relaxing in them, or sitting by the banks of the canals. We passed scenic parts of the city with beautiful hotels, churches, buildings and cafes. Anne Frank House and Museum, Van Gogh Museum were some highlights of the journey. The red light district had buildings with their windows displaying hookers, mostly African girls dressed up in costumes.

The cruise went on to the new part of the city, which is starkly different in its architecture. Glass buildings and bold, modern structures are common there. There were many streamers parked in the waters.The motto of the city "I Amsterdam" was displayed in block letters at one place, which represented the spirit and pride of Amsterdam and its people.