Bicycles, bicycles and more bicycles

You may think I am obsessed with bicycles, and you may be correct, but I think it is more a fascination than an obsession.     In the Netherlands bicycles come in all shapes, sizes, colours and arrangements.  And when I have a camera in my hand, I am very happy, clicking away at the variety of bicycles around me.   

The beautiful blue Oma fiets, with white basket at the front.    So cool.

Some damage here, a bent back wheel and a missing front wheel.   Vandalism?  Drunks? The motorised road sweeper?  

The green line up.   Bicycles for hire.   The line up is far too perfect for anyone to hire one and destroy the symmetry.

The tandem.    The front part is for children with physical difficulties.   There is a special band to secure the child safely to the bike behind.   The Dutch think of everything.

The fallen.  

The hand crafted wooden bike.   I have the owner's business card, just in case I would like to purchase one of these bicycles.   I did not like to ask the price.  He assured me it was comfortable to ride.

The hand crafted super bicycle.   It has a sling for a sea,, and the bike is ergonomically suited for comfortable riding.   Price also unknown.

The old and reliable.

The conservative and safe.

 Riding on water?  No, these bikes have been salvaged from canals, painted and erected on stands in the water.    A remarkable display.

High and dry.   This bicycle appeared to be made of concrete.

The line up of two wheel and three wheeled Bakfiets.   Very useful.

A seat at the front and one at the back.   Mummy or Daddy's taxi.

The 'greenies' bicycle..    Someone went mad with green and blue spray paints.  Even the plastic ferns match.

Hey, what is this amongst the bicycles.    The scooters are a pest on the bicycle paths, but trying to fit one into a bicycle rack is just too much.

The small and petit.   The fold up bike, so beloved of commuters on trains.

Now where did I leave my bike?    The railway parking station.   No available spaces on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, apparently.

And I have heard that some cities in the Netherlands are going to heat the bicycle paths so that they do not freeze over in winter.   Such care and consideration!   I love it!

's-Hertogenbosch

We are always on the look out for new places to visit in the Netherlands.    And 's-Hertogenbosch, or Den Bosch for short, came highly recommended, as a city with plenty of character and atmosphere.   

's-Hertogenbosch (Duke's wood) is the capital of Brabant, which is a south eastern province of the Netherlands.   It was settled in 1150, in an area with high sand bars in a swampy and wooded delta between the rivers Dommel and Aa.  Part of the city wall is still visible, although the city has grown somewhat.  

One of the significant features of 's-Hertogenbosh are the waterways, which form part of the river, Binnendieze.   These waterways (canals) flow in, around and under the houses.  In past times the waterways were used to transfer goods from the harbour in Vughterstroom.   But the water was also used in the leather, metal and brewing industries, as well as for drinking water, cooking water and sewage.  The mind boggles!   

After 1874, when the water was not needed for other purposes, the waterways were still used as an open sewer.   In fact it was not until 1964 that an enclosed sewerage system was installed, so up up until then, it must have been a very smelly city!   Since the 1970's there has been an extensive restoration programme of a small proportion of the waterways (3.5 kms).    Originally there were 12 kms of waterways with 20 crossings and more than 100 bridges.   I presume these waterways are still there, somewhere, under the streets and buildings.  Residents must need to be careful, when digging holes in their gardens.   

We set off, reasonably early in the morning, in order to catch the train, which took a very pleasant half an hour to reach 's-Hertogenbosch.    The railway station is very ornate. 

We walked through many narrow streets, with beautiful buildings and small gardens.    's-Hertogenbosch appears to be a very affluent city, from the appearance of the houses and well dressed people.

The very well maintained paved streets.  

Mia and Abi peering through the windows of an outdoor cafe.  The greenery covering the wall is artificial!   But very effective.

All ready for a trip on the Binnendieze, that is, a trip through the old sewers! A very narrow boat, for extremely narrow waterways.   No hands outside the boat, and we had to duck on many occasions due to the low 'ceilings' of the canals..  

The cruise was described as experiencing the Binnendieze as an oasis of stillness in the middle of a bustling city.   And this was so true, due to the thickness of the walls, and arches, and the buildings above. It was  silent, except for Raphy telling us in a very loud voice, that it was scary.  And I agree with him.   The waterways were full of cobwebs, bat houses, old sewage outlets and long stretches of complete darkness.

We sailed under an original Gothic Convent Church built in 1533, and under the Town Hall where there are steps, which wedding parties use when they arrive for a wedding ceremony in the Town Hall.   An interesting way to arrive at the Registry Office, in all your wedding finery.   Not in a limousine, or by horse and carriage, but in a canal boat through the old sewers. There is also an enormous glass tile, which you can look up into, and see the inside of the Town Hall.  

Altogether a fascinating canal trip.

The main Cathedral, Sint-Janskathdral (a Basilica really), is very impressive with its high dome and stained glass windows.   It is still a Catholic Church, which is not unusual in Brabant, being a very Catholic area of the Netherlands.   I think it started as a Gothic church, as it is very ornate on the outside, but the inside is definitely Norman, with all its huge windows.  It was too difficult to get a decent photograph of the church, as it was too large.

But I did photograph the church below.    And when I went to have a look inside, I found it was, in fact, an art gallery!    Too pricey to visit, sadly.   Lovely art deco building.

Mia posing in front of the water fountain, very arty.   The fountain that is, but then Mia, fits in very well with her blond hair, and red and pink clothes.

Talking about art.   This spectacle shop certainly wins tops marks for its sculptures.

A very narrow house!

There many, many restaurants and cafes in 's-Hertogenbosch, with the heaters already on outside, all for the customers comfort.    We called into a cafe,  for some coffee and cake.    Not very gezillig (cosy, pleasant, sociable) when you have three children and a buggy.    But we managed, as we were all very tired.

Now what is this?   An ornate walkway over the canal?  A narrow market?  None of these.    It was once the public toilets, the contents of which, dropped straight into the waterway below.  A loo with a view!  No longer toilets, of course, and much restored.   A very interesting piece of information gained from the canal ride.

A return visit to this very charming city is a must.  And on the last note, if you are a female living in this city, than the required piece of clothing is a very tight, and expensive, jacket.   A generalisation, of course, but I saw more tight fitting jackets, seemingly about one size too small for the wearer, than I have seen anywhere else in the Netherlands.

Archeon, Alphen aan de Rijn

This is definitely a child friendly museum.  So was crowded with children, all enjoying themselves and learning much about the early history of the Netherlands.   Most of the museum is outside, with workshops and displays, and very activity based.    Perfect for children, and adults too.

Of course the historical objects are not original but rather reconstructed from archaeological finds (Prehistory and Roman history), or modelled on buildings still in existence (Middle Ages).   But the range of history is extensive - from 9,000 BC to 1500 AD.

First we went to the huts that were based on life for people from 9,000 BC to when the Romans occupied the Netherlands.   And these huts were suitably dark with many cobwebs on the ceiling.   Luckily Raphy did not see the cobwebs because he does not like spiders.   The man, he was real, was taking apart a piece of deer meat, in readiness to cook it over the fire.    My Dutch was not good enough to understand his full explanation.

Some of the huts are similar to the prototype Neolithic huts which will be part of the revamped display at Stonehenge, which is interesting.   So people travelled around, but then the sea between the UK and the Netherlands was once a valley.

Unfortunately I caught this poor man's backside as he went through the doorway.   You certainly have to bend over to get into the houses.   This house is a reconstruction of houses from 8800 to 5300 BC (Mesolithicum)

The children enjoyed rowing the canoes, although trying to row together in the same direction was quite a task.   But they did not fall out, thank goodness.   We held our breath!

I am not sure where I am in past history, with the following houses, but they are definitely reconstructions of very old houses (somewhere between 5300 to 12 BC).   The houses are certainly becoming larger, and more comfortable, with benches and sheepskins everywhere.  

Where am I?   Get me out of here.   This very long house, with quarters for animals, was very dark.

Cooking damper over the fire.  

At last we are getting somewhere.  This part has houses that are recognisable.    Beginning of the late middle ages (about 1000 AD).  We did not visit the houses of the early middle ages (406 to 1000 AD) due to being overloaded with information, and the need to get home.    Still very dark inside the building.

And into the late middle ages, from 1000 to 1500 AD.   And copies of buildings that are still standing in the Netherlands.   There are windows, chimneys and recognisable furniture inside.   We spent a lot of time around these buildings as there were so many activities for the children, making bread and woollen bracelets as well as watching the blacksmith and shoemaker.   It was fascinating watching activities that once were part of the daily lives of the people of that era.

The vegetable garden plots surrounding by herbs.

The outside loo!    Nothing new here!

Stoking the fire up in readiness for bread making.    A great pizza oven!

Sword demonstration.

Learning to dance.    The monastery is in the background.    There was a wedding (real and modern) on the day we visited the museum.

We stepped into the Roman era, 12 BC to 406 AD and into a highly sophisticated and cultured life, with all its creature comforts, for the well off anyway.   The contrast in building methods, from local reed houses to Roman brick and plaster, was especially remarkable.  The building below houses the Roman baths.

Such luxury, and plenty of light too.

One of the smaller baths, cleanliness was important.    The baths are used during the summer months.   For real.  

The Gladiators, a pretend fight thank goodness.    The Romans were very cultured in some ways, but barbaric in others, especially in their enjoyment of activities in the arena.     Feeding people to the lions, and fights that ended in one person being killed, was not exactly being cultured.  Apparently the Romans nearly depleted Africa of all its lions in their quest to keep up the supply of lions in the arena!   Or so I have been told. 

The girls dressed up as Roman soldiers!

A Roman house.

A marital moment!   The wife wanted to join her husband  in the dry and cosy room, but he chased her out and headbutted her.   Nasty man.

All together it was a great day, at a fascinating museum.   Open all year, but warm clothes and coats a requirement for the visit.  

Amsterdams Historisch Museum

Kylie needed to go to Amerstam to visit a speciality chocolate shop in order to purchase some different types of chocolate - all 100% chocolate - for a school chocolate tasting event.   It was half term term, so a combined visit to the chocolate shop for Kylie and a visit to the museum for all of us seemed a perfect way to spend a day during the October school holidays.    Or so we thought, but the centre of Amsterdam is not child friendly, given that it is always full of tourists, and often full of dodgy tourists who are there for drunken events.    

The train trip from Utrecht, was quick and uneventful.   As we now have an OV Chipcard (similar to an Oyster Card) it is a matter of scanning our cards, rather than worrying about having enough coins to purchase tickets, from the machine in Houten.   

A note of warning for tourists. The ticket machines in Holland only accept credit or debit cards from the Netherlands, and small stations do not have ticket offices, so it is impossible to purchase tickets over the counter.   The ticket machines will not accept notes either.  So it is important to have two Euro and one Euro coins, many of them, ready to put into the machines.  The trams in Amsterdam will only accept OV Chipcards, which need to be purchased from railway stations, although I have been told that hotels in Amsterdam hold OV Chipcards, and will lend them to their guests, at a cost of course.

We arrived at Amsterdam Central Railway Station, which is a much cleaner station than it was twenty years ago.   No longer is it full of drug dealers, homeless, and general shifty types, although I still keep my handbag close to me.    It is a most magnificent building though.  

And we walked down narrow streets, with a large buggy and two children, trying to avoid cyclists and pedestrians.     This beautiful building is now a shopping centre, with a hotel on the right hand side.

Finally we arrived at the Amsterdams Historisch Museum, which was once an orphanage, and housed children who were either orphaned or from families that could no longer care for them.    The central passage, where once sat the patrons of the orphanage, and who interviewed and gathered together children who needed to enter the orphanage.   It is now covered with a glass roof and has an amazing carpet which is made up of different designs.   

On one of the walls is a painting, which depicts the people and history of Amsterdam.    Anna Frank is in the bottom left hand corner.

The museum is not child friendly, or at least not if they are in a buggy.   There were three steps at the front door with a complicated lift for wheelchairs, which we were not allowed to use.   A ramp would have been more user friendly for everyone, and there was enough space for it.    Although there were lifts, there were many steps in the building, so not good for buggies or wheelchairs.    There were no children in the museum either, even though it was school holidays.

The first floor held Amsterdam DNA, which brought history to life, through image, sound, movement and specially chosen objects.   We spent a long time on this floor, and it was fascinating as it showed how Amsterdam began, and various important historical events.   It was very impressive and very informative. Raphy loved all the moving images.    When you pedalled the old bikes, the screen came to life

and showed the traffic moving around on the roads, early last century.

We went down to 'The Little Orphanage', which was the former residence of the headmaster of the orphanage.   Various steps and a narrow hall way meant an impossible situation with a buggy.   The door only opened if you used a special device that only the children were given, so it felt claustrophobic.    Raphy screamed in terror, and luckily there was an attendant who let us out another door.    There were no other children in there which added to the feeling of isolation.  Mia and Abi would not go back in either.

So back to the corridor between the two parts of the museum.    Goliath standing tall, and looking very fearsome.

A view through the doorway into the corridor.   Very impressive.

We walked back via Kalver Straat, the main shopping street, full of tourists but very few children.   Then a slight detour into the Bagijnhof, which were once cottages for single Catholic women of good character, and who did not wish to take full vows and join the convent.   The main church is now a Dutch Reformed Church but there is still a small Catholic Chapel.     It is a very peaceful area, away from the shops and tourists in Kalver Straat.

I obviously took this photo of Kalver Straat in a picturesque part.    The street is always full of shoppers.

And thankfully home again.    I must remember not to visit the centre of Amsterdam again!   Kylie was really happy with her selection of 100% chocolate, so success there.