Houten - a short visit

A short trip to Houten.    Mainly to have a girly few days together with Kylie, but with the added bonus of being able to see Aaron, Mia, Abi and Raphy too.    And the weather was glorious.   What a difference sunshine makes, to a country.    On my last visit the weather was bitterly cold and wet.

We flew from Southend on an Easy Jet plane which I am sure was only held together with rubber bands and string.    A noisy take off and landing with rattles and shudders thrown in.    I had forgotten how strict  cheap airlines are over luggage, and how pedantic the small airports are with security.   The process involved taking belongings in and out of my suitcase, measuring it, taking off jewellery and watch, losing my passport, setting the buzzers off, taking my shoes off, being searched (body and bags), and then having all my belongings sent through the scanners again, all in different trays and at different times.    After all that I finally retrieved my belongings, checked that I had everything, gave a sigh of relief, and then someone asked me if I now felt safe to fly, knowing that there were such rigid security checks in place.   It is good to see that some people do not lose their sense of humour. 

We arrived safely in Schiphol, and after a cup of coffee, recuperative of course, we caught the train to Utrecht, then Houten, without any further problems.

  The Rond, Houten set up as a beach, minus the sea.  This is a relief as the sea, which once lapped the edge of Utrecht, is now some distance away, and hopefully that will always be so.   The area is currently being used for beach volley ball games, football, and general relaxation, with seating and a bar.   A very creative idea.

We managed to obtain bikes for us all, by using Kylie's old English bike, a bike from their friends, and I hired one from the office at the railway station.  The hiring of the bike was not without a bit of hassle as I had to use my limited Dutch, use cash, and in the end received the oldest and most dilapidated bike there.

A few notes on travel in the Netherlands.  It is a great cycling country, but not set up for bicycle hire from railway stations unless you are a resident with an OV Travel Card.   It is the same when purchasing a ticket from machines in railway stations that do not have a ticket office.  Tickets can only be purchased using coins, as the machines will not accept notes or credit cards.  And while I am on the subject of difficulties for tourists, you must have an OV Card to use the trams in Amsterdam.   Obviously not very tourist friendly.

But I had a bicycle, and it worked.   On Monday morning we set off for morning coffee at Vroeg, Bunnik, which is an upmarket cafe/restaurant about half an hour away from Houten.     As it was such a beautiful day we sat outside in the sunshine, and drank coffee and apple cake (for us) and cheese and vegetable sticks (for Kylie).

After coffee, and a look at the very strange hand basins in the toilets, which were red plastic buckets attached to the tap, we set off to tour the cherry orchards.    About ten minutes down the road, and a stop at the first cherry farm,  I remembered I had left my jacket behind so we had to go back.  Sorry girls.

Then we decided to ride into the park in Bunnik, instead of looking at cherry farms, and were delighted with the park, which was absolutely beautiful.    What a setting for a picnic, on a sunny day of course.

A photo opportunity here, on a bridge.   A good excuse to rest the bottoms for a minute too.   

On Tuesday we set out for Utrecht, about forty five minutes away.   This time Raphy came with us, in the Bakfiets, as he did not have nursery.

First stop, coffee, at a specialist coffee shop called Brandmeester.   The aroma in there, coffee of course, not the other substance, was unbelievably divine.   We also purchased coffee beans, and leaf tea, before setting off to explore Utrecht, or at least the shops.

Everywhere we went there were tables and chairs outside, cafes and restaurants taking advantage of the warm sunny weather.

Only one bicycle photograph this time, a hand painted green and yellow one, looking very smart.

Another photo opportunity, Emma and Donna looking happy and relaxed.

Lunch in a small park.   A healthy lunch too, bought from the Greek takeaway.   Salad, cheese, spinach pie.   Healthy.   No chips with lashings of mayonnaise for us.

After lunch, it was off to the sales, for a spot of retail therapy.   

A coffee shop!  Perhaps not!  For those people who have not visited the Netherlands, cafes are for coffee and coffee shops are for something that has a bit more substance.   It is possible to become happy just standing around the entrance, sniffing the smoke that hangs around the shop.  And for anyone that is keen to partake in such delights in one of the coffee shops, the law now states that you must prove you are a citizen of the Netherlands.   Nothing for the tourist anymore.   Sorry folks.

And off home again.    Now which bike is mine? The three of us managed to find our way back to Houten, without any difficulties, thanks to a co-operative effort.  It is best not to mention who took the wrong turning and who took us on an extra long loop into Houten.  All part of the trip home. But we did get caught up in peak hour bicycle traffic, which was very scary for us novice cyclists.

Card evening.    We very kindly invited Aaron to join us, and then when he realised he was in the lead, he played an underhand trick and caught us all with high numbers in our hands, and we all went out the back door, so as to speak.  The photograph was taken when before we lost, badly!   So of course we still look happy.

The last day, and I handed back my bike so it was time for doubling, that is, Emma doubling Donna.  No one trusted me.   A very bumpy ride, according to Donna, in between the laughter.      

And then we said a reluctant goodbye and caught the train back to Schiphol, where we boarded the plane without any fuss.    No hassles with security or baggage, thank goodness. This time the plane appeared to be sturdier, or maybe I was feeling more relaxed.    I must say Southend looked very good from the air, as did the surrounding areas.   Back home to England.   In the sunshine.