The Netherlands Part XII - Thoughts and Impressions!

Thoughts and Impressions!

Small canal in Oudewater

We are very thankful to Regan and Thomi for inviting us to join them on their fifteenth anniversary trip. We are also thankful to them, Joep and Jolanda for the planning and effort they have put into this trip. We are thankful to the Nickelsons, Youngs and Kramers for accepting us as crew. They all were terrific  shipmates. 

The Netherlands is a spectacular country and Dutch pride is very evident. It proved to be a great destination for our first visit to Europe. The scenery was magnificent; the people ere friendly, and most spoke some English, which helped us tremendously. 

So what's so special? We have great museums in Philadelphia and New York. We can boat on canals in New York, among other places. We have enjoyed many great trips in our country. We even saw a spectacular collection of paintings by the Dutch Masters at the Vero Beach Museum of Art last winter. It rivaled the collection in the Riksmuseum. Admittedly we do not have 1100 old windmills, but we do have a few. 

So, what was so special? Our friends! It was special to celebrate Thomi’s and Regan’s fifteenth anniversary in a unique (to us) setting. Getting to know the Sue and Bill and Joep and Jolanda was a special treat as well. Even more special was the fact that we got to interact with them in a country and a culture with which we were not familiar. Meeting Joep’s mother was certainly special. Meeting Ron and Haneke, touring their dance studio and getting a dance lesson was a hoot!  

It is incredible to think that we saw a castle that was built in the 13th century. Seeing narrow streets, small cars and quaint, old villages gave us insights into a country whose history goes back a long way. Having lunch in a picturesque square in Breukelen while contemplating the fact that a borough in New York bears its name, was special. Our twenty mile bike ride that had us pass through small towns, fancy and not so fancy houseboats, windmills and even a castle was special. It was special to get a first hand look at the way the Dutch people have engineered their land and how they handle water.

So, would we go back? In a heartbeat! We doubt however, that we could recreate such a unique trip. Thanks again to Captain Ben and the crew of the IJsvogel!

IJsvogel

Joep's Video:

The Netherlands Part XI - Adventure Conclusion!

Pannenkoeken

I didn't mention that after yesterday's sail, the group decided to fire Captain Ben, leaving the IJsvogel with two Bills and Regan to share the helm duties today. Well, we didn't actually fire Captain Ben. He was the perfect Captain for us. I suppose  we didn't require his services today because we wanted to experience the canals on our own. 

There were a few tense moments as we got into a tight situation with three canal cargo ships, three sailboats, and two additional motor vessels converging on a bridge that had a dredging operation directly in our path. We were delayed for almost an hour. The cargo ships were secured a face wall as were the sail boats. We didn’t have anyplace to tie up, but the bow thrusters kept us stationary and in good position. later I discovered that the IJsvogel had screw anchors that we could have deployed.

The gastronomic highlight of the day was Jolanda’s Pannenkoeken! Delicious!!

We were delayed again for an hour at the little bridge at Oudewater because it doesn't open between the hours of 1630 and 1800. We tied up to the wall and strolled the picturesque town that was destroyed by a war in the 15th century. Along the way, Yolanda picked up some take out at a little cafe. At 1800 we motored through and were received on the other side by the bridge tender dangling a wooden shoe from a fishing pole. I placed the bruggeld (€4.5) in the shoe and we were on our way. 

We returned to our starting point just a bit behind schedule at 1945, thus concluding a most outstanding trip through the Dutch canals.

Bruggeld 4.50 Euros

The Netherlands Part X - A Hair-raising Tail and One, Two, Cha, Cha, Cha!

The Dutch Countryside

The day was filled with more amazing sights of Amsterdam and the countryside as seen from the IJsvogel on the canals we traveled. Sailing through Amsterdam was a delight. We navigated through more canals, through bridges and another lock. After Amsterdam, we traveled through rural areas and a few more medieval villages. It was all very picturesque. One minute we’d be traveling through a bustling town and a short while later we be traveling in rural areas with fields on either side of the canal. It was a most tranquil excursion. 

Later in the afternoon, we traversed a lake and found the marina where we would be spending the evening. As we were preparing to dock, the stern thruster fell apart. Captain Ben was able to guide into a soft landing. We needed to fix the thruster or tomorrow’s travels would be a bear! But we have no tools! Luckily, Captain Ben had a multitool and he was able to use it ti take off the plexiglass panel that held all of our instruments. As we carefully lifted the panel we found there wasn’t much play in the wiring. In fact, a wire from the stereo separated from its contact point and will need to be re-soldered. That’s way beyond our pay grades. We were able to find all the parts for the stern thruster and, after an hour or so, had everything back together. 

Another Village along the canal

We were blissfully ignorant of the fact that the stern thruster control would fall apart two more times tomorrow.  This experience would prove helpful though. Each subsequent repair was done in a matter of minutes.

Joep’s and Jolanda’s friends Ron and Hanneke have an apartment overlooking the marina and they invited us to be their dinner guests. How nice! At the appropriate time, we donned our foulies as rain decided to pay us a visit. We enjoyed a lovely meal and visit with our hosts Ron and Hanneke. We learned that they are professional dancers and that they own the largest dance studio in the Netherlands. After dinner, they offered to give us a tour of their facility, the CanDance Studio (http://www.candancestudios.nl Aalsmeer, Netherlands). It is the largest dance studio in the Netherlands and may be the largest in the world! It is like nothing I’ve ever seen (admittedly, I don’t get to see many dance studios). We saw several different dance halls. In one rather large room, we were treated to show that consisted of more than one-half dozen couples performing the five dances that make up the traditional finale of a dance competition. It was fascinating. I could only hope to be half as graceful as those folks.

Village and tortured trees

We were then introduced to Robert, a dance champion in Holland.  Following the introductions,we were led into another studio where the fun really began. In no time, Robert, who became our dance instructor, had us doing the Cha Cha. What fun we had!  we didn’t stop grinning for the rest of the evening. After a quick stop for a nightcap on the ride home, our carriages turned back into pumpkins as we pulled into the marina.  

The Netherlands Part IX - Amsterdam via Boat!

Amsterdam via Boat!

Fort Pampus

Another full day is near an end. Lines were slipped at 0930 and we were underway to Fort Pampus. The fort sits on an island in the IJselmeer and is midway between Muiderzand Jachthaven and the locks leading to the channel to Amsterdam.. 

The "Talking Head"

Registered on the world list of historic places, the fort was one link in the circle of forts that were built to defend Amsterdam. The displays were incredibly well done and some very hi tech, but all the presentations were in Dutch, leaving much to our imaginations. We were very impressed with the "talking head," a sculpture of a head with the face of the daughter of the fort commander projected onto it. She talked about her life on the island. 

Joep picked a picturesque village for lunch. We tied up to a wall on the restaurant premises and disembarked. It was pretty clear that we were blocking the doors of a lock of a small canal. I guessed that the lock was no longer in use. If it was, only very small boats (think row boats) could use it.

Narrow Street

Narrow Street

The village was delightful. We dined adjacent to a very narrow street that accomodated walkers, bicyclists and motor cars. It was unbelievable that cars could travel in either direction. There was clearly no place to pull over let alone pass an oncoming vehicle.

Joep's Mother

Joep and Mom

Joep’s Mother lives in a nearby village and wasable to join us for lunch. What a delight! She brought each of the female crew members a ceramic plate that she crafted herself. What a delightful and thoughtful gift. Anna Marie will treasure her plate as a symbol of our trip to the Netherlands and as a remembrance of Mom and our new friends, Joep and Jolanda. 

Ossenwurst

This is where we had the Ossenwurst on the recommendation of Joep. It turned out to be  lightly smoked, mostly raw sausage, tasty, but not very appealing.

Gift from Joep's Mother

Mom had time to go for a little cruise into the harbor with us. Sue and Bill stayed on land to walk the village while Mom was aboard. As we returned to drop off Mom and pick up Bill and Sue, a boat was ready to exit the small lock mentioned earlier.

VOC – Far East Company sailing ship replica

Het Scheepvaartmuseum (Maritime Museum)

 Once in Amsterdam, we toured the harbor passing under one low bridge that required us to remove the dodger/bimini so we could clear the low hanging structure.   

We eventually made our way to Six Haven, the marina where we tied the "Ice Bird" up for the night. we were just across the main shipping channel from Amsterdam. Dinner was at “De Pont,” the Dutch equivalent of a Tapas restaurant. It was a great experience with great food adjacent to the ferry terminal that took commuters to and from Amsterdam. 

Nemo

The Netherlands Part VIII - Amsterdam!

Monday, May 27, 2013 - Amsterdam!

The boat remains docked at the Muiderzand Jachthaven in Muiden and we enjoy a lay day, but we didn’t hang out on the boat or in the marina.  No loafing for us. We headed to the train station for a quick ride to Centraal Station in Amsterdam. After a quick spin on the trolley, we found ourselves at the newly reopened Rijksmuseum. It is a very special museum and very popular too. We didn’t have a lot of time to explore the entire museum, but we did get to see paintings by some of the Dutch Masters, including several by Rembrandt (Night Watch. and Jewish Bride), Vermeer (Little Street, Milkmaid), Jan Wyck (William of Orange) and many others. We had enough time to see a special display of ship models and several paintings by Van Gough. 

The Rijksmuseum

Waiting for the train

The Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum

Amsterdam symbol

Courtyard roof in the Rijksmuseum

Inside the courtyard in the Rijksmuseum

IAMsterdam

After an al fresco lunch in the park, we boarded a small excursion boat for an intimate tour of the Amsterdam canals. What a great trip that was. Some of the photos are posted below:

 After our boat ride, we walked through the Red Light district, went to Rembrandt Square where we saw bronze sculptures of the figures in the Night Watch. A large statue of Rembrandt holds court over the square. 

Night Watch Sculpture

The National Monument

Our walk took us to the National Monument and the Royal Palace as well.    

The Royal Palace

After a busy, exhausting day in Amsterdam, we headed back to Centrall Station where we took the train back to the boat.

For our final treat of the day, Jolanda, who was home doing the laundry, for the crew of the IJsvogel, brought Indonesian take out back for dinner. The food was diverse, plentiful, and delicious. 

Jolanda is a very special crew member for sure. Thanks for everything Jolanda!

The Netherlands Part VII - Bridges and Locks!

Bridges and locks are abundant in the canals of the Netherlands. This photo essay not only provides a glimpse into canal travel but the sights along the walls of the canals. The gardens, garden houses, villages, and scenery are exquisite. Most houses have big picture windows that provide an unimpeded view through the house. The Dutch are proud to show off their homes to passersby. Many folks waved at us from the comfort of their home as we passed by on the canal. Enjoy!

The first of many bridges we encountered.

This is the first lift bridge we encountered.

The first lock we encountered on our journey.

The gates are opening.

Entering the "Banana" lock

This bridge tender was a bit impatient with our cautious approach.

Locking thru...

We had to lower the Bimini to get under this span.

Another Lift Bridge

This is the only bridge we encountered that closed for rush hour!

This bridge tender collected the toll in a wooded shoe.
Only this bridge and one previous lock required a toll. 

You have to push that button to get the bridge to open.