So had two nights in Amsterdam, completing the pre booked section of the tour, concluding with seeing the excellent Canadian band Broken Social Scene. Also visited an art gallery dedicated entirely to cats. Who wants to queue up for hours to see a van Gogh anyway!
Hostel contained yet more snorers, and many irritating Americans, so is a relief to escape back into the countryside... Although last night I was camped next to a field of bleating sheep and tonight it's ducks and a bloody cuckoo! Ahh nature. Can't be so bad as that night in the Scottish highlands during the stag rut though!
Since then, two long days crossing the big massive long sea dykes into Friesland, unfortunately into a headwind.
The refreshingly cool wind also hides how sunburnt you are getting, so now my hands in particular are radiating enough heat to negate the Paris climate agreement.
Stopped off to see Anthony Gormley (angel of the north guy)'s sculpture "Exposure", a massive wireframe of a man... squatting like he's been caught short....
Met an Irish guy named James today, doing the Zuiderzee loop, nice to have some company to distract from the mirage inducing heat haze, I haven't bumped into many other tourers yet.
Its staggering to think of the scale of these engineering projects, and well the amount of labour and time that has gone into landscaping the entire country. What an undertaking.
The quaint old windmills have been replaced with large quantities of towering wind turbines, impressive but Not in My Backyard!
Have broken a spoke on the front wheel, so the sooner I get this new one the better. I've trued it up enough for the moment though.
The replacement will have a double walled rim so hopefully more robust. Now supposed to be waiting for me in a post office when I get to Bremen. I'll believe it when I see it...
Oops was supposed to post that yesterday, but not much to tell today, short day passing through Groningen to stay in a lovely old hostel, and swim in the lake. Tomorrow will move on into Germany!
Day 7 cont.. Den Haag
Arriving in mid afternoon I decide to check out the Tong tong fair advertised on posters, its a indo Pacific / Netherlands heritage event, essentially loads of stalls selling handicrafts and food (nice), with cultural performances. I guess I missed the good ones. However did sit in for some musical theatre about netherlands relationship with Indonesia, through the empirical and trading years and how impacted by ww2, which was very good althiugh couldn't understand the words, could get the gist.
Terrible nights sleep due to multiple snorers in the hostel dorm. That's the lottery.
Day 8, day off.
Today was a proper tourism day.
Lots of nice architecture but the blinding sun always seems to be coming from the wrong direction for photos!
First the Panorama Mesdag. Absolutely amazing piece of art from 1890 showing a 360 view from a high point on the sand dunes. The thing is over 100m in circumference and the perspective is cleverly designed so actual sand in the for ground blends into the painting.
Better than being there for real!
Next the Escher museum/ gallery, which was equally mindbending and interesting to see some earlier landscape works
Then a long tram ride out to see the Celestial Vault, a combination of bowl shaped earthwork and an almost altar like stone on which you lie to look at the sky, seeing it as an orb due to the curve of the horizon.
The sky looks like the earth from space. Clouds swirling over the Pacific... Its super medititive, until a noisy youth club turns up anyway.
Finally in the evening, the Caravan gig. (Canterbury scene prog rock) These guys are celebrating their 50th anniversary of touring next year but they still rock a groove like it's 1972. Brilliant musicians including a solo on spoons and washboard!
Earplugs on standby for snoring round 2.
Arriving in mid afternoon I decide to check out the Tong tong fair advertised on posters, its a indo Pacific / Netherlands heritage event, essentially loads of stalls selling handicrafts and food (nice), with cultural performances. I guess I missed the good ones. However did sit in for some musical theatre about netherlands relationship with Indonesia, through the empirical and trading years and how impacted by ww2, which was very good althiugh couldn't understand the words, could get the gist.
Terrible nights sleep due to multiple snorers in the hostel dorm. That's the lottery.
Day 8, day off.
Today was a proper tourism day.
Lots of nice architecture but the blinding sun always seems to be coming from the wrong direction for photos!
First the Panorama Mesdag. Absolutely amazing piece of art from 1890 showing a 360 view from a high point on the sand dunes. The thing is over 100m in circumference and the perspective is cleverly designed so actual sand in the for ground blends into the painting.
Better than being there for real!
Next the Escher museum/ gallery, which was equally mindbending and interesting to see some earlier landscape works
Then a long tram ride out to see the Celestial Vault, a combination of bowl shaped earthwork and an almost altar like stone on which you lie to look at the sky, seeing it as an orb due to the curve of the horizon.
The sky looks like the earth from space. Clouds swirling over the Pacific... Its super medititive, until a noisy youth club turns up anyway.
Finally in the evening, the Caravan gig. (Canterbury scene prog rock) These guys are celebrating their 50th anniversary of touring next year but they still rock a groove like it's 1972. Brilliant musicians including a solo on spoons and washboard!
Earplugs on standby for snoring round 2.
Little beautiful south reference there, couldn't resist.
Targeted a free "pole camping" site for tonight.
Turns out to be a horrible little patch of mud with someone already pitched and dubious tissue paper in a fire pit, so I sell out and go to a commercial campsite, by which I mean families in campervans. But they have ice cream and showers so I'm embracing it
Earlier passed through Gouda, of cheese fame, but where today was ceramics fair, with stalls of sculptures from around Europe including Penrith. Competitions to see who can make the widest plate and tallest vase in 5 minutes. All very nice
It was a public holiday for ascension day, and the whole population was outside cycling, playing petanque, baseball, (side note, definite sub culture of Americana, have passed a number of classic muscle cars and restored pick up trucks) swimming, hanging out at brasseries etc
Great windmill in canal reflection.
Quite a lot of windmills by now, novelty wearing off a bit...
Day 7
Windmills.... Windmills SPINNING! that is a first
Lunch at Rotterdam central park, swans taking off and doing ponderous circuits like Vulcan bombers.
Central Rotterdam turns into a typical city, trams cars buses bikes people everywhere, and after a stop at the docks for the maritime museum (interesting selection of cranes) I escape to the more tranquil touristy haven of Delft. Which is very nice, but after Utrecht and Gouda its feeling a bit like deja vu.... Ice cream and onwards to den Haag...
Targeted a free "pole camping" site for tonight.
Turns out to be a horrible little patch of mud with someone already pitched and dubious tissue paper in a fire pit, so I sell out and go to a commercial campsite, by which I mean families in campervans. But they have ice cream and showers so I'm embracing it
Earlier passed through Gouda, of cheese fame, but where today was ceramics fair, with stalls of sculptures from around Europe including Penrith. Competitions to see who can make the widest plate and tallest vase in 5 minutes. All very nice
It was a public holiday for ascension day, and the whole population was outside cycling, playing petanque, baseball, (side note, definite sub culture of Americana, have passed a number of classic muscle cars and restored pick up trucks) swimming, hanging out at brasseries etc
Great windmill in canal reflection.
Quite a lot of windmills by now, novelty wearing off a bit...
Day 7
Windmills.... Windmills SPINNING! that is a first
Lunch at Rotterdam central park, swans taking off and doing ponderous circuits like Vulcan bombers.
Central Rotterdam turns into a typical city, trams cars buses bikes people everywhere, and after a stop at the docks for the maritime museum (interesting selection of cranes) I escape to the more tranquil touristy haven of Delft. Which is very nice, but after Utrecht and Gouda its feeling a bit like deja vu.... Ice cream and onwards to den Haag...
Across the Florida-esque swamplands, along the river. Glasses definitely required to keep out the flying things and sun.
Much rich farmland, protest signs " no wind turbines in our polders!"
Many more windmills.
Many little ferries involved, part of everyday life as no bridges, and is quicker and doubtless more economical to pay as couple of euros ferry toll than find a bridge
Another nature camping campsite, this time solely populated by Dutch cyclists. Just to be clear, this is an organisation of camping in nature, not for naturists!
Have now mastered "I am English" "do you speak English", I don't speak dutch,
Good morning and goodbye.
Much rich farmland, protest signs " no wind turbines in our polders!"
Many more windmills.
Many little ferries involved, part of everyday life as no bridges, and is quicker and doubtless more economical to pay as couple of euros ferry toll than find a bridge
Another nature camping campsite, this time solely populated by Dutch cyclists. Just to be clear, this is an organisation of camping in nature, not for naturists!
Have now mastered "I am English" "do you speak English", I don't speak dutch,
Good morning and goodbye.
Day 2
Across the delta barrage
Sandy dunes, many motorhomes, motorbikes
Helleveloutishus, use to house dutch fleet, flattened completely by Germans.
A lot of country is new builds, many very subtle, many lovely modern designs, but cases like this notable new where you expect old
Reluctantly passing fish and chips by the docks AGAIN. smells amazing.
Dutch couple at campsite give me dinner. Pasta and chicken.
Across the delta barrage
Sandy dunes, many motorhomes, motorbikes
Helleveloutishus, use to house dutch fleet, flattened completely by Germans.
A lot of country is new builds, many very subtle, many lovely modern designs, but cases like this notable new where you expect old
Reluctantly passing fish and chips by the docks AGAIN. smells amazing.
Dutch couple at campsite give me dinner. Pasta and chicken.