This was market day! First off, the Dappermarkt. Other than for a few food stalls that served foods not usually found in these markets, it didn’t hold our interest, so on we dinghied. The Noordermarkt, now that was worth the effort! A wide variety of healthy fresh bio foods, numerous cheese stalls – one of […]
The plan today? A visit to the Molen Van Sloten en Kuiperijmuseum. Where the hours went, we shall never know! Morning departure was the earliest, yet. We paused on occasion, as I attempted to procure that perfect shot of the timid blue heron. What are you looking at, says he! A stop here and there […]
In a combination of cycle and train journey, Bob and I travelled to the modern township of Lelystad. An unexpected tour through the exquisite Zuigerplas, with its creeks, lake and multitude of wood and heath areas. This was a large parkland and pond area that was created from the sand extracted when the dyke that now […]
Day two of the Bucket List to in The Nemo Science Centre. Adults, let out your inner child. One has need to experience the electrical buzz in the atmosphere, as words can’t describe this place! Fun packed floors of activities (work labs and lectures), covering all areas of science, there is something to find there […]
After a short morning motor , we arrived at our base for the coming weeks.
A few short hours of motoring took us from the smaller canals to the main waterway and western edge of Amsterdam. The chart plotter was a mass of black triangles – each one represented a watercraft that carried AIS. After travelling through the western canal, we discovered it was impossible to reach the marina that […]
The Huis Van Hilde Museum was so worth the time. This wasn’t a place that dealt with showing the artefacts. The Dutch really do fantastic work in this realm. One of the things that set this museum apart was the way many real life figures that had been reconstructed from their skeletal remains. It really brought […]
We visited the most beautiful country town of De Rijp this morning. Just a glimpse for you below. Situated in the middle of farming country, for anyone looking for that perfect peaceful place for relaxing, this would have to be one of the best. Small cafes, restaurants, a few B&B, waterways, history, some interesting museums, small boat […]
What a fantastic informative, interactive museum was this! The people were brought to life from the stories their remains told. There were even a few bones of extinct mammals: this was that of a mammoth. We also learned more about the formation of the landscape over the millennia. Once I have a moment to catch up, […]
First thing this morning, Little G2 was lowered, and to the gorgeous village of De Rijp headed we. De Rijp, we discovered, is a township in which many building are constructed of wood and where the lone canal runs through the centre of town. There were several museums, quite a surprise in a township so […]
A lovely rainy day in which we motored toward the tiny town of De Rijp. The final bridge was, sadly, too low and not a lifter, so Bob motored Gratis into a free berth in front of the closed B&B. There, we spent the afternoon relaxing, whilst the rain continued falling.
Settled inside the marina, away from the barge traffic, Bob and I settled into to explore Alkmaar. In one word, ‘delightful’ describes the township of Alkmaar perfectly. We loved the few canals that surrounded the old centre as we wended our way through them in Little G2. The old Protestant – ex Catholic – church […]
A morning of pleasant motoring and waiting for bridges, heading southward we arrived in the larger town of Alkmaar around lunch time. Situated in the land of Leeghwater, the town of Almaar is surrounded by peat bogs and reclaimed landscape. During the afternoon, Bob and I motored the dinghy into the centre and wandered the […]
The first part of the morning was spent wandering through the Medemblik castle museum. During the late thirteenth century, Count Floris V of Holland gained control of West Friesland. The local populations balked at his rulership and continual attempts were undertaken to wrest their land from his hands. Deciding enough was enough, the count had […]
Map showing our path over the past couple of days. Medemblik: Exquisite!!!!
Sunlight skies, the sun emitting a rarely felt warmth, it was perfect for a motor across the Ijsselmeer, thereby leaving Friesland behind us. Once the Zuiderzee (to we English speakers, the South Sea), this man – made lake was created upon the completion of the 32km long Afsluitdijk that protects the region from the forces […]
Another pleasant day, motoring through waterways filled to the brim with boats. As with all towns since Grou, mooring spaces are few and far between. Here, too, is a beautiful lakeside holiday town that is also the base for a small fishing fleet and the larger Dutch tourist barges and this one was a […]
Today BOb and I motored from Lemmer to Heeg. A short stop in the old walled village of Sloten provided us with the image above. Heading to Stavoren, which is on the coast of the Ijsselmeer.
