Category Archives: Holland

“It’s The Ijlst We Can Do.”

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The sun came in and out today so we decided a short road trip was in order. It’s a little windy and cold, 29 – 30F, but very beautiful.

My God the folks are hearty around here. In all the little towns we passed through, everyone, 9 to 90, goes everywhere on bicycles. Bright red hands and faces peddling against a 15 mph headwind. Tough. Way tougher then us.

The Center of Ijlst

The Center of Ijlst

Our first stop was Ijlst. I’ve heard it pronounced 10 times and still can’t get it right. A lovely little bedroom community now, at times it is a stop on the famous Elfstedentocht, the legendary ice skating marathon on the Friesland canal system. The race is 124 miles long and encompasses eleven cities. Our route was similar but somewhat shorter and warmer and involved frequent stops for coffee.

Ijlst

Ijlst

Bakery - Ijlst

Bakery – Ijlst

Lumber Mill Windmill 2 - Ijlst

Lumber Mill Windmill 2 – Ijlst

Lumber Mill Windmill - Ijlst

Lumber Mill Windmill – Ijlst

Hindaloopen

Lockkeepers House - Hindeloopen

Lockkeepers House – Hindeloopen

Makken

Canal Locks at Makken

Canal Locks at Makken

Workum

Art Gallery - Workum

Art Gallery – Workum

The View From Staveron

Ijsselmeer

Ijsselmeer

Even The Off Ramps Look  Nice

N354

N354

A Rainy Day In Leeuwarden

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Leeuwarden St. Bernard

Leeuwarden St. Bernard

It’s not really drizzle. But then it’s not really rain. It’s rizzle. And with rizzle you have to persevere. In this case persevering constituted a short drive to Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland. Leeuwarden’s most celebrated daughter was probably Mata Hari, a Dutch exotic dancer, courtesan, and accused spy who was executed by firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I.

Mata Hari

Mata Hari

This is a lovely little city despite the wind and cold and rizzle. Nice lunch, small shops, culture and beer.

Leeuwarden

Nieuwestad – Downtown Leeuwarden

Leeuwarden Cheese Shop

They got cheese.

Wendi_Leeuwarden

Coffee at the Fire Cafe

Keramiekmuseum Princessehof is an amazing structure and has a huge collection of Asian and European ceramics and tiles which, quite frankly, can make me a little nervous. When I was a kid we weren’t allowed anywhere near the “Good Dishes”. This is an entire palace full of the “Good Dishes”.

Keramiekmuseum - Leeuwarden

Keramiekmuseum – Leeuwarden

But then you get to the attic and they have life size contemporary pieces.

Yellow Dog -Keramiekmuseum

Yellow Dog -Keramiekmuseum

Boy -Keramiekmuseum

Boy -Keramiekmuseum

Just a little wacky.

Off To Holland

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Our long awaited Home Exchange has at last begun in earnest. This trip is special as we were fortunate to be able to enjoy some time with our Dutch exchangers Jan & Anneke. A great couple that we exchanged homes with 5 years ago. Adventurous, smart, fun, generous, let’s face it the Dutch are cool.

Anneke

Anneke

Jan

Some gadget time with Jan

Over the years quite a few folks have expressed an interest in Home Exchanging but admit to a slight apprehension. All I can tell you is that there seems to be a little Zen in it. The nicer everyone is to each other, the better it works.

For those of you who have never ventured into Home Exchange before, exploring is the key. As lovely as Jan & Anneke’s home is, we didn’t come all this way to sit around the living room. Holland is a fascinating country with Amsterdam, de Hague, Harrlem and hundreds of picturesque towns. Copenhagen, Berlin, Hamburg, Bruges, are all in relatively easy striking distance by car or train. And with fairly inexpensive short European flights, the net gets even wider.

That been said, we are going to spend the first bit exploring Friesland when the sun is still low in the sky and spring is just now waking up slowly.

Canal side homes in Sneek, NL

Canal side homes in Sneek, NL