The Netherlands - Part I

Thursday, May 23, 2013     THE FLIGHT

This is exciting. Our first international flight! The plane was a Boeing 787, configured with a very nice and comfortable first class section followed by an equally nice but smaller business class. Our section was an upgrade of the economy section and had rows of three seats in the middle with an aisle on each side and two more rows of seats on the aisles and windows. There was plenty of leg room even for me. we were as comfortable as we had even been on a plane. 

M/V IJsvogel

It was windy and rainy as we took off, but in a matter of minutes, we were above the weather and enjoyed a smooth, albeit long ride across the pond. It was like being on a magic carpet. Below us, the cloud cover stretch from Newark to Amsterdam. The only breaks came as we flew over England. Unfortunately we were too excited and stayd awake during the entire flight.

Friday, May 24, 2013 Arrival in Amsterdam

Our landing at Schipol Airport was easily as smooth as the flight. After a quick breakfast snack and coffee in the terminal, we were on our way to the boat. Transportation involved a train and taxi. As we pulled up in the cab, we could see  the IJsvogel (Ice Bird aka Kingfisher) waiting patiently for us at the dock. In short order, we met Joep and Jolanda and Captain Ben, had a briefing on the boat’s systems and operation and were ready to pull away from the dock. 

Joep and Captain Ben Swets

So far the itinerary has been spot on and I’m not surprised. During the entire trip, I was constantly amazed at the planning and preparation work that had been done for this trip.  Although amazed, I wasn’t surprised. I’ver always found Regan to be planned and over prepared. Apparently Joep is too. They did an outstanding job and the evidence was obvious as we departed the Nickelson’s car right on the time on the day we headed home. 

Less than 24 hours after departing Neward International Airport, we were tied up to a dock at Wetterwille Jachthaven in Loosdrechtsepalssen. The trip through the canals   was nothing short of amazing. We started in a small canal and in

First bridge opening

short order, we had to negotiate a small draw bridge. we had to open so many bridges, I quickly lost conut. M/V IJsvogel was not equipped with a compass, GPS or VHF radio. To get the bridges to open, one had to use the signal horn. The bridge tenders always waited for foot, bicycle and automobile traffic to clear before closing the gates to prepare to open the bridge. Waiting for cars to clear is one thing, waiting for bicycles is quite another. There is an almost constant stream of bicycles traveling the roads and bike paths. They generally move at speeds close enough that as a bike clears the bridge, another starts across. It usually took five to ten minutes for the bridge to open.

Lock doors opening

We also transited a number of locks. they were very typical, except that the water was always pumped in or out. We found out that controlling water in the Netherlands is a major occupation. It’s not surprising since most of the country is below sea level!

We ended the day with a short walk through the picturesque town. Along the way, Joep and Regan planned dinner at a cute little pub. We were seated at a table in the front window where we enjoyed the view, the food, our friends, old and new and the camaraderie of folks who would share many special moments during week to come.

One of the joys of this trip was getting to know Joep and Jolanda. The captain and our other mates knew them both. We were the only ones who had never met them. They live in Flevoland, a relatively new province in The Netherlands..The Zuiderzee Works turned the dangerous Zuiderzee, a shallow inlet of the North Sea, into the tame IJsselmeer, and created 1650 km² of land. As I understand it, some of that land became the province on Flevoland. You really have to research this topic to understand how the Dutch were able to reclaim land for agriculture and business centers. Joep regaled us with stories of polders and water pumps and gardens and Dutch pride. After a week, we were just getting to know about life in the Netherlands and how Joep and Jolanda lived, raised their family and went about daily life. We wished we had more time to get to know them.

Joep and Jolanda enjoying a quiet moment

Jolanda kept things in order on the boat. She made sure there was plenty of food! We mostly ate breakfasts on board. The table would be full with crackers, breads, cheeses, several flavors of yogurt, granola, milk, and ham slices, not to mention coffee and tea. We certainly ate well.

Joep and Jolanda also stocked the onboard bar. Wine was consumed at lunch or during afternoon snack time and sometimes after dinner. It seemed to be the beverage of choice. Most of the liquor went unopened.

During our first restaurant meal in Holland, we learned that drinking water was not normally served. If you wanted water, you had to ask for it. It usually arrived at the table in a very small glass with only two small ice cubes. We quickly learned to ask for a large bottle of water or two for the table. All the beverages were served in small glasses or cups. A coffee cup seemed to be expresso sized. Soda bottles appeared to be about seven ounces, perhaps less. Gouda cheese was on every menu and it even was listed as a dessert.

Ossenwurst Sandwich

Our research suggested that the Netherlands had no distinct culinary specialities. We expected it to be relatively barren of good restaurants. That was not true at all. Every meal we had was enjoyable. We were never served anything that was terrible. Perhaps some would argue that the Ossenwurst was not edible. It was what appeared to be an uncooked sausage. While it didn’t delight the eye, it was tasty, if you could get over the fact that you were eating raw meat! According to Wikipedia, “Its name refers to oxen, from which this smoked Amsterdam sausage was originally made back in the 17th century, likely in the Jewish kosher tradition. Nowadays it’s typically beef and spices—salt, pepper, cloves, nutmeg, mace—in beef casing, very lightly smoked so that it’s nearly raw when consumed.” I don’t think any of us will be trying that delicacy again!