Category Archives: Travelling in Europe

To Amsterdam

Adventures, The Netherlands, trains and train stations, Travelling in Europe

Drama in the Netherlands is a train running 15 minutes late. Phones are pulled out and hasty calls made. Harried people search for a seat where they can send urgent emails. Everyone from the elderly to school children stomps around angrily. 15 minutes later, everyone is on the train and settled into the trip and the delay is forgotten. The train glides past green, green fields. I zone out and wait to arrive.

At Amsterdam Station, I pass a group of teenage boys. Dutch teenagers sound just like Afrikaans teenagers. I’m smiling by the time I reach the exit.

Amsterdam Central Station

I follow the crowds to the main road… and get lost. I have the name of the street I’m supposed to be on and I have a map, but I can’t seem to find the place. The streets are a maze of crowds, neon lights, tourist attractions, noisy trams and stoned people. Everything smells like marijuana and lentil curries. I’m still carrying my backpack and people keep bumping into me. The street signs don’t seem to help. Eventually, I go back to the station and start again.

This time I’m more successful. I’m quite relieved by the time I reach my backpackers. Durty Nellie’s Irish Pub and Hostel. I’ve stayed in such different hostels in the Netherlands. ROOM Rotterdam, efficient, clean and convenient, Flying Pig in Noordwijk much more of a party hostel, now Durty Nellie’s. I think this one is my favourite. Downstairs is a traditional Irish Pub – or at least what a traditional Irish Pub looks in non-Irish cities (one day I hope to be able to compare it to the real thing). Upstairs, with really solid security, are several en-suite dorm rooms. Durty Nellie’s isn’t a coffee shop (no smoking, no drugs), so it’s a welcome break from the chaos outside.

I had planned to spend the afternoon quietly, perhaps quietly in the corner of the pub with a pint, but after looking through some of the brochures I’d been given and the Amsterdam city guidebook I’d picked up at the last minute in Johannesburg, I felt the urge to explore.

Armed with a map, I set off for Dam Square. It turned out to be quite easy to find. I guess my earlier wanderings had given me a fair idea of the layout of central Amsterdam. In the square is a fun-fair. I’m tempted by the Ferris wheel (but definitely not at all by some of the other crazy rides) but decide to leave it for the moment.

Beyond Madame Tussauds, I spot the Royal Palace. It is impressive looking and I take a moment to take it in before walking past to the Nieuwe Kerk. The church isn’t used anymore and inside is a massive Ming Dynasty exhibition. With limited time in Amsterdam, and not much interest in Chinese history, I wander out again. I am intrigued by the fascinating clock on the Nieuwe Kerk clock tower – a clock with the numbers in a closed U-shape around hands fixed to a point at the top, instead of around the hands attached the centre of the circle.

Niewe Kerk 2 (451x800)

I stop for a moment. I’ve been moving around so much in the last few days and rushing so much before that, that it’s almost easy to forget to stop and take in the fact that I am here, that I am standing in the centre of a major capital city in Europe. I head off down the road to see what I can see.

A Day at the Beach

Adventures, The Netherlands, Travelling in Europe,

Noordwijk beach

From Den Haag, I headed to Leiden. I had visited Leiden during the previous week to have dinner with colleagues. It had been a brief visit, but the town seemed pretty and I was interest. I’d looked it up on the internet later. Leiden is a university town since 1575 with canals and parks and rivers and is a transport hub. I arrive around lunch time – Leiden is only 20 km from The Hague. Leiden Central Station is also one of the nicest stations I visited in The Netherlands. It’s small enough to be comfortable and it’s well laid-out.

I wandered out and headed along the road. I passed the restaurant where I had dinner with colleagues and stopped on a bridge over a canal to enjoy the view. I was starting to get hungry but the places I passed were still closed. I reached a square with a canal, beyond it and beautiful buildings all around. There are canal tour boats tethered and I consider a tour but I was ready sit down to a leisurely lunch. I turned back and noticed that the staff of the restaurant on the corner of the square were setting up their outside area, righting chairs and wiping down tables. Perfect.

After good pizza, I headed back to the station. Lunch had been enlivened – in a pleasant way – by the arrival of a biker gang who rode up on the motorbikes and settled down to lunch. Being a biker in a country of cyclists must really make you feel like a rebel. At the station, I waited for bus 20 to Noordwijk aan Zee.

This was designed to be the quiet part of my trip. I had been out this way before – the conference that brought me to the Netherlands was in this direction – and the idea of a little time out at the beach appealed a lot. Closer and closer we got – the bus ride was 45 minutes. In retrospect, I probably could have gotten a bus directly from The Hague but then I’d have missed lunch. Also, I really do like trains.

Suddenly, with almost no change, no distinction, we were driving through a beach resort. The bus dropped me near the lighthouse. I went to the backpackers to drop off my bags and then headed straight for the sea. In South Africa I live outside the coastal city of Durban but the beach still is a good hour’s drive away. I don’t think I’ve spent any time at the beach since I moved there. This beach, on the coast of The Netherlands, right on the North Sea was exactly what I needed.

The beach was still crowded with weekend visitors when I arrived. Kite-surfers skipped across the water, children cried out, families sipped beer and hot chocolate in beach-front restaurants. I was surprised at how brown the sea was but the signs said it was a blue flag beach. The sea air felt good.

I walked along the promenade, past expensive hotels and luxury beach-front apartments. At the end, where the dunes met the road, a wagon was selling sea-food. It smelt good. I turned the corner and headed back to the main street where the backpackers was. Restaurants were buzzing and shops were all still open. I stepped into a pedestrian mall off the main street. Hundreds of people wove their way along between the shops – souvenir shops, clothes shops, designer boutiques, coffee shops, take away places, stationers and ice-cream parlours. Some were families. Parents pushed prams. Cyclists twisted between pedestrians and parked their bikes to join friends or go into shops. There were people everywhere. A child stood leaning, with her dog, waiting. High above, bells chimed from a tower dated Anno 1647.

That evening back at the hostel was sociable and fun. The communal area was a crowded with young people from all over the world, all talking and laughing.

Before I left the next morning, I went back to the beach. This time it was nearly deserted. A few people walked their dogs. The restaurants that had been so busy the night before were silent now. A long, peaceful stretch of golden sands, rolling seas and the lonely cry of gulls. I walked for ages. It was good to be alone with the sea.

Visiting The Hague

Adventures, The Netherlands, Travelling in Europe,

Sunday morning, Rotterdam. I woke up early and went down to breakfast. The breakfast room/bar/communal area was mostly quiet. I grabbed some breakfast and charged my electronics. I kept thinking about an article a friend wrote about how to deal with power on the road. The weather outside was better than it had been the night before. Before too long, I was on my way.

I walked past the Erusmas Bridge on my way to the subway station. There were two travellers ahead of me at the subway ticket machine. I watched as they realised they didn’t have change, shrugged and went to take the tram instead. If that failed, they’d take the bus. I am amazed by (and jealous of) the remarkable oversupply of public transport systems in the Netherlands.

Before I left town, I went to see the Cube Houses. The Netherlands is a strange place. Or perhaps it just feels strange to me. For example, the country seems to spend a lot of time creating strange statues and building odd houses. In Rotterdam probably the most famous, and certainly the strangest, is the Cube Houses.

Oudehaven 2 (800x529)

In the 1980s, architect Piet Blom was commissioned to build an unusual bridge over a busy road in Rotterdam. What he created became an icon of the city. The yellow cubes are actual houses where people live. One has even been converted into a backpackers hostel. Another has been turned into a museum. The architect apparently saw his design as representing trees and, together, a wood. I’m not sure I see that. I’m not sure it needs the symbolism – these strange houses are pretty spectacular all on their own.

From Rotterdam, I travelled to The Hague. I  could have taken the Metro all the way but I really am very fond of trains. So I hopped a train from Rotterdam Centraal to Den Haag Centraal instead and settled back to enjoy the short trip filled with beautiful views.

The Hague. It sounds so grand and so distant. The train drew up and people rushed off. The train station was under renovations. Outside, I tried to get my bearings (which is harder than it sounds when you’re working without a map). I headed along the road to the left. In no time I was entranced with the beautiful buildings. It really is a stately city, decorated, like a beautiful cake, with angels and cherubs and delicate balconies, looking out on soaring trees. Beautiful old buildings and memorials to hundreds and hundreds of years of history.

Along an alley (well, pedestrian walkway with trendy cafes, but still), around a corner and there stood a large statue and a curio wagon,, a clear indication that this was somewhere important, and wandered through the arch. It was. This is Binnenhof, the home of the Dutch parliament since 1446. Inside was a large courtyard, lined with neat buildings. In the centre, stands Ridderzaal (Hall of Knights), which, according to the internet, is used for the state opening of Parliament on Prinsjesdag, when the Dutch monarch drives to Parliament in the Golden Carriage and delivers the speech from the throne. As I stood in the courtyard, the bells began to ring.

Cathedral, Den Haag HDR

Church, HDR (428x800)

I walked past a lake full of seagulls (an artificial lake called Hofvijver, it turns out) with the most beautiful views of the Binnenhof. I wandered in the direction of Grote Kerk, one of the town’s main churches and the place where, according to the brief research I’d done, many of the Dutch royals have been married. It is a beautiful church, expanding out through various programmes and associations to neighbouring buildings. There was a sign on the stairs leading down to the basement that read “Hoop”.

It was strange to see the church so completely surrounded by commerce. Although, on a Sunday just after noon, most shops and restaurants were only just beginning to open. By the time I headed back towards the station, couples and friends and businessmen (or perhaps diplomats) were sipping fancy coffees and ordering expensive breakfasts at sidewalk cafes.

Peaceful Sunday Morning, Den Haag (800x451)

I had hoped to see the International Palace of Justice while I was there, but figuring out the bus or tram system with no guidebook, on a Sunday, was too much for me that day. I’m so glad I went to the Den Haag though, even if it was only for a few hours. It’s beautiful and warm and full of such wonderful history. If any of my friends ever move there, fair warning that I’ll definitely be coming to stay.

Back at the station, there was still time before the next train. I sat on a bench beside a pond and watched someone feeding the ducks and geese and seagulls and relaxed for the first time in a long while.