Our adventure started out when we bravely drove to Schiphol, the very busy international airport just outside Amsterdam. Freda guided us there without a hiccup. We picked up our friends and made our way home. Freda was kind enough to take us on a different route home. It was as if she wanted to contribute to some sightseeing, taking us up the west side of the country and over the famous 30 kilometre Ijsselmeer dike to Leeuwarden.
We spent our first full day in the shopping and lunching in the Leeuwarden centrum, then took the car for some sightseeing and refreshments in the charming little village of Hindeloopen.
Leeuwarden's leaning tower:
On the second day, we introduced our friends to the Netherland's passion for boating/sailing and its network of water canals. What better way to do this, than to take them to the final Friesland Skutsjesilen race. We drove to Grou in the morning and boarded a tour boat for a trip down the canal to Sneekermeer. We arrived early to ensure that we had the perfect spot to watch the race which was to start at 2:00 p.m. We filled our waiting time with people and boat watching. The weather was just right us. Hundreds of boats, large and small, soon gather around the sailing course each jockeying for the best position. But something was wrong... the light wind soon turned to no wind. Shortly after 3:00 p.m. the race was cancelled. So what do we do? We celebrated anyway. The Skutsjesilen champion is determined based on the best overall results from the series of races held over a two week period. This year's champion was Joure. Our favourite, Grou, finished third. To get right into the action, our ship's captain skillfully manoeuvred our big boat into the frenzied, flotilla-like procession honoring the 14 Skutsjesilen team boats. We ended our day by having supper at one of the outdoor restaurants in Grou's centrum. So much fun!
Amsterdam... here we come!
On Saturday, we woke up early to take the two-hour train ride into Amsterdam for a day of sightseeing. When we arrived at the Amsterdam train station, we noticed a number a people were colorfully dressed and looked like they were up for partying, but not really that unusual for any Saturday in Amsterdam. As we exited the station we were swept along with the hundreds of sightseers into the centre of the scenic old city. As we moved along, we saw more men and women dressed in vibrant pinks and purples, from feathers to sequins. It had became apparent that we were joining Amsterdam's famous Gay Pride celebration.
We soon came upon a spot where we could take a tour boat ride down the canals. To our surprise and delight, our boat ride drew us right into the middle of the days festivities, taking us on to the one of the canals where the Gay Pride canal parade was soon to be take place. Our pictures best tell the story.
We spent the remainder of the day, chilling out at an outdoor restaurant in Leidse Plein square, making our way to the Anne Frank house, dining in a restaurant along a narrow side street, then checking out the old red light district before catching the train back to Leeuwarden in the late evening. This was Mick and Margaret's favourite day, and ours too.
We spent a much quieter day on Sunday, taking a drive to Bourtagne, a starred-shaped fortressed village built in 1580.
For our last full day of touring, we planned to visit Apeldoorn's Het Loo Palace and the nearby Kroller-Muller art museum which features some of Van Gogh's finest works among other famous artists. We got an early start, driving a bit more than an hour to Apeldoorn. When we arrived at Het Loo, we discovered that the palace and gardens were closed for the day. A bit disappointed, we drove to the Kroller-Muller museum which is located within the borders of the De Hoge Veluwe national park. The fortunes for the day continued to go south. The park was open, but the museum was not. At this point, the Delmer and Eileen sightseeing tour service went from a Trip Advisor rating of 4.5 for the week to 1.0 for the day. The only bright spot for the day was that Margaret took her first bicycle ride in over 50 years. I must say, after a bit of a wobbly start, that she ended up gliding smoothly along by the end of the five kilometre route. Mental note... always check the hours of operation of any sights you plan to visit.
We had such a nice time over the last week, sharing some of our favourite spots in the Netherlands. And, Margaret says she has some reason's to return. Number one is to eat Friesland's popular apple cake and to visit Apeldoorn. And, it will give us a chance to move up in the Trip Advisor tour guide rankings.
p. s. Be sure to pack your bright pink shirt :)
