Month: May 2022

We have headed to Bremen in Germainy for the weekend. Being from Australia, where we are so internationally isolated, it is bizarre hearing peope say things like “I am going to France/England/Spain/Somewhere for the weekend”, much less doing it. It only takes four hours on a couple of trains with one anxity causing transfer, and we are there. Some things do help get there quickly.

We are here to visit Christa, a lifelong friend of the Tall One, and her partner Helmut. They met during holidays when they were kids, became pen pals (when people use to do such things) and have a shared love of art. Here she is in front of one of her works in a bookshop window in Bremen.

To say we are being treated well by our hosts is an understatement. We have bikes, we are shown around, we eat. Even breakfast is an experience; plenty of yummy dark bread, loads of cheeses and some home made strawberry jam. I am not fond of jam, it is usually too sweet, so when I say that this is just fantastic, you can be sure it is.

The only thing Christa and Helmut haven’t organised well is the weather. The wind is cold and strong and it is showery. But so far we have managed to time our bike rides to fit between the rain.

We headed into central Bremen which like most cities in Europe, dates back to the 16th century and earlier. Apart from Rotterdam (and others no doubt), which has no old buildings and has mostly been rebuilt, Europeans were lucky that the older parts of most cities seemed to escape bomb damage during WWII.

I just realised I skipped ahead a couple of days, so let’s rewind to Thursday, “Father’s Day”, but not like the Father’s Day we know, where the idea is to spend time with dad and be thankful.

In Bremen at least, Father’s Day is celebrated by going cycling with other fathers, taking along lots of beer and loud music. They were having fun and were friendly, so didn’t spoil our 25km ride along a dedicated bike track through what I think is a conservation area. I even managed to score a beer from one group, I wish I had taken a photo.

As we rode, I was stopping regularly. I am still captivated by the thatched roofs…they are just beautiful. So are the women 🥰

This is a little bit of what it was like.

Did I mention food yet? When we got home it was time to make a Dutch favourite, apple cake. The pictures might do the talking…

Back to our city ride, unless I realise I have missed something else. It is about a 30 minute ride into the centre of Bremen, easy cycling because a) it is flat with plenty of bike lanes and b) cyclists have right of way.

The centre is dominated by a big square surrounded by old buildings including a Protestant church that recently had its floor removed for an archeological dig. They found graves of bishops dating back hundreds of years and many of the artifacts are now on display in a fabulous museum. For the pendants, yes, they put the floor back…

This was the church Christa had attended, so while not getting special celestial access, she did have some local knowledge, including that you could climb to the top of the spire via a spiral staircase, so tight that passing people was a real squeeze and photos just didn’t work. But we were high above Bremen, including above the bell.

The old buildings are beautiful, if only we could remove the tourists (irony noted).

In case you were wondering, yes that is a Ukrainian flag, they are pretty much everywhere in Europe…except maybe Russia.

There is a fairy tale about some animals that stood on each other’s back and pretended to be a monster to scare something away: I think I missed this one as a kid. But it is pretty popular here including being made into a statue.

Touching the legs brings you good luck…really…I did my research.

But not everything is old

Of course, McDonalds makes their own unique contribution to the beautification of this historic part of Bremen.

As if that wasn’t enough for a day, we came home, made an excellent ratatouille and had dinner with more guests, then went for a drive (normally a bike ride, but it was raining on and off) to the rhododendron garden. Who knew there are so many different varieries.

First, a panorama that won’t do the scene justice

Choose your favourite, I don’t think there are any duplicates.

If the showers stop I will try to fix the front step and then we will no doubt tear some hair out trying to finish building this. Best to think of it as a 3D puzzle.

I was about to publish, when a friend of Helmut’s arrived for a visit. Not being German and not being a soccer fan, I didn’t recognise Marco Bode – https://en.m.wikipedia.rg/wiki/Marco_Bode. I don’t think he was offended

I just learned some German – when goingze to der hardwaren, try notten to locken der keysen der caren.

Another day, another canal trip. But this time it is in Martin and Angela’s own small boat. It is a glorious Sunday so we are loaded up with supplies and off to Leiden, site of the first side-trip, when the sole mission was beer.

Unlike in Australia, they don’t see the sun often enough to have a sunscreen culture. By the end of the day, pale European skin wasn’t any more. It was mostly a nice pink colour and likely to be a bit tender the next morning.

Hats off to Martin. Again he demonstrates mad navigational skillz as we head along of series of criss crossing waterways, joining other boats as we all head to Leiden…or somewhere.

The tourist blurb says:

The historic city centre is home to no fewer than 28 kilometres of canals. To cross all these canals, you need bridges, and the city centre alone has no fewer than 88 bridges! The historic city centre is surrounded by water. These surrounding moats, known as singels, enclose many green spaces, which is why this area is called Singelpark. Leiden is fantastic when experienced from the water!

We were chugging along, dropping in at a couple of friends who lived along the water. I said “this has grown to more like a river than a canal” to which I was told “this is the Rhine”. Firstly, I had only ever associated The Rhine with Germany, secondly, I pictured a huge river. This wasn’t.

Seeing a place from the water is almost always more interesting than from the land. For a start you get to see different things. I think this is going to be the roof of a silo

the obligatory birdlife photos

At last, plenty of windmills.

Incredibly, they started appearing in the 13th century and at one point there were over 9,000 mills. Some still operate for tourists, the one above was open to visitors. But we were on a mission.

Originally they were used to grind grain, saw timber, etc. But most importantly, they pumped water out of the low areas – much of the Netherlands is effectively a drained swamp. Nowadays they are historical monuments that look very cool in the landscape.

It was a bit disappointing to discover we were 2 days late for National Mill Day (2nd weekend in May) when the mills open to the public. That is the equivalent of arriving in Australia 2 days after the celebrations because we changed government.

i think this is my favourite shot.

Here we are coming into the main old part of town where we could cruise along, sitting in the boat looking very smug, as people in cafes and the streets looked on enviously – otherwise what’s the point?

The building on the left is dated 1652 or so, about the time the Dutch were visiting what is now Western Australia. Imagine how different our lives and architecture would have been if the land was colonised by the Dutch. I imagine we would still be trying to become a republic, though in fairness, the Dutch did give up their colonies a fair while ago.

As if being uber-cool cruising the canals isn’t uber-cool enough, we tied up beside an open square and then nonchalantly wandered over one of the 88 bridges for coffee, Dutch apple cake, and beer.

A beautiful sunny day, if you look through to the other side of the canal, just in front of the waiter with the red apron, you can see our blue boat.

As you can imagine, it was a pretty awesome day out, especially right after Amsterdam. It is great having family or friends in places you visit. It’s often fun for them too, playing tourist for a while.

Finally, just how low were the bridges? This video is of just one of many similar that we passed under. When I have to duck, you know it is low.

Off to Amsterdam with Martin and Angela. It is only a 30 minute or so drive from Wassener and then another 30 minute drive through the city finding somewhere to park 😛 The old city was seemingly built for bicycles. At one point, crossing the road I had to wait about 30 seconds for a break in the stream of cyclists. But I get ahead of myself.

Being 7 hours behind in the Netherlands, some things, like news and running 123Host.au are a little wonky. We started hearing the election result at lunchtime and were we not vegetarian, would have hunted down a celebratory election sausage sizzle.

Well done Australia, I wasn’t convinced that enough people had seen through the bullshit and would switch to other, less brown, bullshitters. And some lovely sprinkles on top…Pauline Hanson may lose her senate seat? Greensland, I didn’t think you had it in you. Potato Head as leader of the Liberals…hilarious! I stopped voting Labor years ago…let’s see if they can restore a little of my faith (spoiler, I doubt it).

Let’s start with a poingnant reminder that would be easy to not notice as you wander the streets of Amsterdam. The plaques about are about 75mm square and are dotted around the city in front of houses along the canals. They give details about someone, likely Jewish, who was removed by the Nazis during WWII. To be honest, had they not been pointed out. I likely would not have noticed them, but once you do, they can’t be ignored.

To give you some context, let’s get our bearings, something I should have done before we got there.

Don’t quote me on facts, some may be post-truth. In the 17th century as Amsterdam was expanding as a port, the semicircular canals were dug progressively as the city grew. Merchants and shipping companies built along the canals and were mostly keen to outdo each other and flaunt their wealth.

Add into the mix the fact that taxes were paid based on the length of a building’s frontage and savvy business people were soon building narrow, deep and tall, leading to the distinctive streetscapes of Amsterdam.

I admit that I had no idea at all. I knew people flocked here, but I thought it was for the coffeeshops, amongst other things. Well it is the coffeeshops, but now I realise that there is a lot more. Clarification ppoint There is a difference between a coffeeshop and a coffee shop, especially in the items on the menu.

Cannabis is not legal, but is decriminalised, so coffeeshops kind of look like cafes or bars with people hanging out enjoying their intoxicant of choice, openly and naturally.

Did I say canal trip? I had no idea what the plan was for the afternoon, mine was the coffeeshop experience at a minimum. Behind my back, a tourist experience was being discussed and pretty soon, there we were, doing something I never would by myself, jumping on a canal tour boat.

I never thought I would say this, but if you get to Amsterdam, do this tour. Only 13 Euros ($20) and a fantastic way to see many of the canals and have the history described (in any of 19 languages).

So many photos to choose from, I may let them do most of the talking.

Before we actually got on the boat, there were obligatory stops in the “we only sell one (overpriced) thing” stores. I have already mentioned the weed shops and the beer shops, there were also cheese shops galore, as you might expect. But who knew there was a rubber ducky shop

or a sock shop

But lets get aboard that boat.

A series of bridges up a canal. Aha, this is why the boats are so low.

Almost all of these places were warehouses along the canals, so they had a point to hang a block and tackle to haul goods upstairs. Modern houses still include this to move furniture in and out as they are so narrow, negotiating stairways is impossible.

The ultimate tiny house? At least taxes were low.

Once we had finished the tour, there was more fun to be had in the beershops…

my drink of choice was a 3 beer sampler…my order is always “surprise me”.

These are bitterballen. Deep fried goodiness with a filling traditionally made from meat, but that is so last century. The vego ones we had were scrumptious.

What a fabulous and surprising day out. Of course, photos never do the views justice.

I particularly noticed that there are hardly any run down buildings. They are all in excellent condition, even those not facing the tourist route.

If you live in one of those tiny houses, you might want to drive a tiny (electric) car.

I am starting to remember to turn on my GPS tracker. No, we didn’t walk in circles, the big one is the tour boat. I was half convinced that we would never find our car again, but Martin was on the case.

Right at the end of the day there was a Dr Kerfuffle moment

Souvenirs are an essential part of travel. They are brought home then remind of that holiday as they collect dust for years. Then you move on and they are replaced by other souvenirs that begin the cycle anew.

The Tall One’s father has a house full of, rather than souvenirs, curios that might one day pass on to her. As if to tease us about our (still outstanding) trip to India, there is a mini Taj Mahal that I suspect is made from marble and came from India.

Although it might be a little tricky to transport, bringing it into Australia wouldn’t be a problem. On the other hand, since I am always honest on biosecurity questions, I would have to declare this item.

Yes, that thing on the left is ivory, appatently a gift from Africa many years ago. It wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) be allowed to be imported. But it does make me wonder about what might happen to such things that are historic yet no longer cool.

We are cycling all over, every day. It is really enjoyable thanks to how integrated bicycles are into the culture. Yesterday we visited the grave of Tall One’s mother. It was a bit creepy seeing Tall One’s exact name on the headstone.

I was relieved to discover that she isn’t a zombie, but was named after her grandmother. Then into the church where I was reprimanded for not being quiet/respectful/guilty/pious enough. Truth be known, I wasn’t being any of those things, but let’s not get into a conversation about my opinion of religion. Having said that, it is a big beautiful church, I can only wonder how they built such huge arches in the early 1900s.

No, she didn’t genuflect or cross herself.

2AM might seem a bit late to start eating and drinking, but Gold Coast 2AM is 6PM in the Netherlands. The Tall One’s sister Angela and her husband Martin (Angela’s, not Tall One’s) plus a friend (theirs, not hers) drove us to Leiden, a university town not far from Wassener.

It is old and beautiful.

Bikes outnumber cars hundreds to one, it is a treat walking around here. Our destination was the StadtBrouwHuis bar, it was for more than dinner, it was a Dutch brewery experience.

Translated, StadtBrouwHuis is State Brew House, and apart from brewing their own beer, they have a pretty big variety to choose from.

I wasnt too interested in big glasses of one or two beers, so negotiated for a series of sampler glasses. Let’s just say I am glad I wasn’t driving, or riding.

Rain was forecast for this afternoon so we went riding in the morning. There are several forests around here, all with a network of fietspad (bike paths). One led us to a lovely old building that used to be the local government offices, it is now a reception centre. Except not entirely.

We went inside and while I was looking around, Tall One started chatting to a man who I assumed was the building manager or something like that. I wander over and am introduced to the Mayor of Wassener! After bowing deeply and licking his shoes clean, I half jokingly ask if his office is in the building.

He immediately ushers us through a couple of doors into what can only be described as a sumptuous room that is his office. He told us the story, but there was too much info about the history of the building to remember. Suffice to say it once belonged to the king and the desk and some other furniture is original, dating back to the 17th century.

Then on to a local modern art gallery.

It is starting to rain, so we will hunker down for the afternoon. Oh, I have seen some windmills, but will wait until I get the money shot.

I do know I have no right to complain about anything, but if you play Wordle, you will understand

https://wordle.davis.net.au 335 X/6

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Day 1 was a looong days (deliberate plural). Door to door it took 34 hours to get from the Gold Coast in Australia to Wassener in the Netherlands. When we eventually went to bed, it was about 7AM body time, 45 hours after leaving home. That trope about falling asleep the moment my head hit the pillow became a reality.

The Tall One had big plans for day 2 despite my suggestion it be a rest day. It is worth noting that due to what turned out to be her misinformation campaign, my expectations about Dutch weather had me anticipating something worse than Melbourne. But it is magnificent! Sunny and warm.

Weirdly, it doesn’t get dark until about 10:30pm and it happens so slowly, there is no dusk, as such. I can only imagine what time it gets dark in late June.

We’ve all heard about the bicycle culture in the Netherlands, I can report it is absolutely true and I am wondering if it is at all possible to make real in Straya.

Bikes are everywhere, every road has a bike path, there are bicycle specific traffic lights. It is fantastic! The photo above is pretty typical, bike racks are outside every shop, in the streets, all over the place. Notice the bike path, well away from the road, leading into the roundabout.

Even in the roundabouts , bikes are kept separate from cars and cyclists are treated with care by car drivers, unlike in Australia where there is a certain level of contempt.

Another common sight…

As the woman said, “this is very Dutch”. There are all sorts of variations on this for carrying kids, goods, whatever.

But it gets better. There has been a shift in the culture here where what were once manicured lawns are now allowed to go wild, encouraging insects and therefore, birds. There are definitely a lot more insects here than at home, though as Tall Girl pointed out, they are much bigger in Straya and like everything else, liable to kill you.

Just before we left home, I had floated the idea of letting the front lawn go, maybe I will soon have less to mow, at least I now have some ammo to justify my idea.

We have a couple of bikes and today set off to a beautiful protected area along the coast known as the dunes, because…there are dunes. There is a constant stream of cyclists going in both directions, I can’t quite figure out if they are commuting or just going for a ride. I suspect it is a mixture of both. It is only about 10km to The Hague, the capital of the Netherlands, which is at the end of the substantial and well signed bike path along the coast.

For those who don’t know me well, I hand-built an earth walled house about 30 years ago. So seeing these beautiful thatched roofs was so wonderful. If only I could see one being replaced or repaired. Though my Dutch isn’t close to good enough to be able to have a conversation…yet…if ever.

Banks are extinct here in Wassener for some reason. There literally isn’t one left, which makes getting some cash hard. Apparently the rest of the Netherlands isn’t the same, so not sure what is going on here. But oddly, despite no banks, ATMs are critically endangered, the closest is a 10 minute ride and there is only 1 in each of the local shopping areas.

Finally, I would like to thank big finance for making the exchange rate 1 Euro = 1.5 $AUD which makes calculations easy.

Hooray, borders are open and May 16th has finally arrived. After our non trip to India at the start of 2020 it was good to be travelling again.

Holidays are boring if they get off on the right foot and we had a great start when we thought our ride was taking us to Brisbane airport, but he thought he was taking us to the train to Brisbane airport. Forensic inspection of emails revealed that somewhere I did mention train, but that is no excuse for Dave not knowing I meant airport.

Fortunately, the fear of covid paperwork and airport chaos meant we had left way too early for my liking, but perfect timing for relationship harmony.

As it happened, Brisbane airport is a very big place for there to be only one flight leaving, so checking in was pretty stress free.

But it likely wasn’t so stress free for an amphibian attempting to stow away. The bag owner had no idea where they had picked up a frog on top of their suitcases. With all the rain last week it was likely looking for higher safe ground. Much hilarity as I chased it around the line of passengers. I hope it survives where I released it in the little garden at the front of the airport.

It had been so long I had forgotten the joy of long haul flights. Seven hours to Singapore, 3 hours transit spent trying to spot a single butterfly in the butterfly garden in the airport – haven’t they genetically modify butterflies to be nocturnal yet? – then 13 hours to Amsterdam.

Photos never do justice to sunrises, this is titled Full Moon Rising Over Wing Above Turkey. The flight wasn’t too bad, the entertainment technology is pretty cool these days. Apart from a huge range of movies and TV shows, there is an excellent Where Are We maps thingy with loads of options to help passengers help the pilot not get lost.

And here we are, in Wassener, Netherlands. It has a reputation as an upmarket area, I have told Dutch people this is where I am going and the response is always “oooh, Wassener” and little sounds indicating that Wassenarians (I just made that up) are snobs.

We only arrived at 10 this morning and I already have my favourite cheese shops and bakeries. They are constantly changing as I discover even more amazing cheese shops.

I have been cycling a lot recently and starting to lose weight, this could be my undoing.

I’ll be updating here as often as possible. You can look forward to our trip to Germany and a visit to the notorious Amsterdam cafes. OK, there may be more than one trip to the cafes.

It has been over 3 years since I have been able to exercise my position as a privileged western white male and leave for somewhere else.

Today Erna and I head to The Netherlands for 3 weeks. Mostly to visit her aging dad, but also sharing a big adventure.

That’s about all I really know for now, except this should be gezellig.

Hint: in Dutch a “g” is pronounced like you are clearing some phlegm from the back of your throat.