Holland2025.blogspot.com

 We loaded our car and headed to Belgium.  Our GPS said we would be in Brugge at 12:30 PM.  We were already planning our lunch when we arrived there.  That plan was changed as we were approaching Antwerp.  When you have time to spare go through Antwerp.  The traffic was horrendous.  Stop and go, with the emphasis more on stop than go.  It took us 1 1/2 hours to get from one side of Anywerp to the other, We got into Brugge at 2:00.  We met our new landlord and he showed us the home we rented... a very nice house about a ten minute walk to the old town.  We went into town, had a nice lunch, and returned to our new quarters and settled in for the week. Our rental car Linda, Amanda, Jerry, more tulips                                                             ...

 Today was our last full day in Amsterdam.  Tomorrow we will travel to Brugge, Belgium. Our plans today were to visit the Resistance Museum and end the day with a wine and cheese canal tour of the historic part of Amsterdam. The Dutch Resistance Museum is considered to be the best historical museum in the Netherlands.  It tells the story of the Dutch people while they were under German occupation May 14, 1940 to May 5, 1945. The museum uses old posters, videos, relics, and personal interviews to recreate the atmosphere of the streets in that time.  The sights and sounds provide the museum visitors with a window view of history.  The museum was structured in chronological order providing a time line from beginning to end. The building that houses the museum was built in 1876.  It served as a Jewish synagogue and cultural center for many decades.  The building bears the Star of David.  There were a lot of mixed emotions among the populace as to whic...

Amanda and Harry at Giethorn  Giethoorn village was our destination today.  We had heard a lot about it and wanted to see it for ourselves.  We were not disapointed.  The tiny little village is located 5 km southwest of Steenwijk.  It is easy to find if you have a GPS. It is located in a quiet and tranquil farming community.  The only way to get to the city center is by using the waterways or bike path.  There are no roads or cars. It is pedestrian only.  The tranquility of Giethoorn vanished when a famous comedy, "Fanfare",  was filmed there in 1958. Thanks to Rick Steves and social media, Giethoorn is over run with a continuous stream of tourists' boats.  The boats are lined up, big and small, each boat with anywhere from 3 to 20 tourists waiting to take the canal ride through the city.  We were part of the group.  I suspect that many of the original residents have long since departed for a more tranquil life. About one milli...

 Our travels today took us to Delft and Gouda. Our first stop was the Royal Delft Pottery Shop.  They have been creating iconic Delft Blue pottery since 1653.  We toured the museum and viewed all of the displays and videos that showed the development of Delft Blue products from 1653 to the present.  The staff was very pleasant and answered any questions we had.  We were able to view the workers as they molded the items and then painted them.  All the artwork is handpainted.  For a painter at Royal Delft, it takes ten years to receive the designation of Master Painter.  After the tour we entered the showroom.  Linda had gotten in before me and when she saw me, she said," Do not touch anything."  If you break it, you bought it. She said we would have to sell our house.  Needless to say Royal Delft pottery is expensive.  We then went into the historical area and had lunch.  The restaurant dining area was a barge in the canal....

 Today was like a holiday.  We slept in and started our day around 9:00 AM.  While Linda, Amanda, and Harry had a second cup of coffee, I had to go in search of sustenance for the group.  I walked to a nearby farm and bought fresh milk, cheese, and sausage.  By this time we pushed our departure time back to 9:30.  Our destination today was Haarlem.  This a medieval city located on a thin strip of land known as the strandwal.  It is about 20 km west of Amsterdam.  They struggled against the waters of the North Sea, but they became very wealthy through collecting tarifs (taxes) from boats and travelers passing the city on the Spaarne River.  It is a pretty city, many of the medieval buildings still exist.  The New York burrough, Harlem is named after Haarlem. One of the reasons we went to Haarlem was to tour the Corrie Ten Boom home.  The Ten Booms attained world wide recognition and fame for the families efforts in WWII.  T...

 Everyone comes to Keukenhof Gardens to see the tulips.  We saw tulips in the gardens, tulips in the fields.  One thing we learned about the tulips grown in the field was that the interest of the grower is in the tulip bulbs, not the flowers.  I did not take any bulb pictures but we took a lot of flower pictures.  Enjoy them.