I headed to Europe with my trusty tour guide – my daughter Michelle – in tow. Our first stop was Amsterdam in Holland, the birthplace of my parents.
It wasn’t my first time abroad, but that was more than 30 years ago to New Zealand, so that hardly counts. The reason for my journey was to visit the country my parents left after WWII. I wanted to meet some of my extended family and see the tiny country (that punches well above its weight) that Mum and Dad left to travel half a world away. As the saying goes, seeing is believing.
Our flight was a long one and tiring, but with a welcome stop to stretch our legs in Singapore. For the flight, we made sure we had pillows and wore warm, comfortable clothing and sensible socks.
Michelle had a book to read and I had a few puzzle books to keep me occupied between meals and naps. I had my medication that I need close at hand and took it a couple of hours into the flight to help adjust bit by bit to the different time zones.
My excitement peaked as we flew over the European mountain ranges and gradually became closer and closer to the Dutch countryside. I craned my neck to see the fields of flowers and crops that create a spectacular patchwork pattern on the land.
I watched the city sights roll by with immense curiosity as we were on the bus to our hotel where we stayed while in Amsterdam. Once settled, Michelle had me walking and wandering around this lovely city until it was time for dinner and bed. This helped greatly with jet lag. It wasn’t so easy on my return to Australia, so I was glad to have a few days off before returning to work.
Canals, some wide, some narrow crossed under our paths. Most of the buildings were a few stories high but so narrow. If I remember correctly, that had to do with taxes for the width of windows allowed on the street front. The streets are wide needing room for cars, buses, trams, bikes and pedestrians. But, narrow streets crisscrossed them, making walking the best way to explore if you can’t ride a bike.
On the canals were many house boats, most of which were occupied. Memories flooded back of stories Dad told of his family living on houseboats long ago.
There are so many bikes. At the train station, rows upon rows of bikes were parked side-by-side. I learned not to stand on the bike path. The Dutch are polite, but not if you stand on the bikeway, which even had their own set of lights. I hadn’t ridden a bike for many, many years, but was determined to ride one in Holland. After falling over on the cobblestone paths, we found a small park with smooth paths that I managed to ride around three times. Sadly, this meant Michelle had to walk too. If they had three-wheelers it would be a different story!
Our first tourist stop was the Rijksmuseum, a wonderful building with unique treasures inside. No photos allowed but it was well worth the visit.
A ride in a glass-topped boat took us under many of the cute little bridges. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable way to see the sights of Amsterdam. There are quite a few unique churches scattered around the city including a beautiful one in the main town square called the ‘Dam’. The Koninklijk Paleis (King’s Palace) can also be found there and tourists can visit it at specific times.
Our stay in Amsterdam was enriched by a family member taking us past tulip fields that were a glorious parade of colours as far as the eye could see. In the countryside were wonderful old and new windmills, farmhouses, canals and fields of land reclaimed from the sea, that sea kept at bay by the huge dike and causeway, the Afsluitdijk. This brought back memories of my mum relating how she rode from one end to the other to visit relatives on holidays. It’s an impressive sign of Dutch ingenuity to be able to reclaim that land, and then prevent the sea from entering and flooding those lands and along rivers that reach to the interior of Holland.
Back to wandering the streets of Amsterdam and we explore the small flower market, listen to an organ grinder’s music and line up to visit Anne Frank’s house. To visit Anne Frank’s house, you will have to prepare to be in a long line, be reasonably agile and not afraid of confined spaces. Our small hotel was clean, comfortable, within easy walking distance of the sights, and had a wonderful breakfast spread.
About a block away was a small restaurant with absolutely delicious food (I have no stomach for pickled herrings), so this became our dinner place.
As we wandered the cobbled streets I still couldn’t tell the difference between a good cafe and a naughty one. We did visit the red-light district, but in daylight hours.
All-in-all, I found May a wonderful time to visit Amsterdam. It wasn’t too cold or too busy. The most amazing thing I saw in Amsterdam was Anne Frank’s House. Apart from relatives, the most amazing person I met was a lady, Ida Sjouwerman, who as a young girl was hidden from the Germans by Dad’s family.