Belgium to Germany

The chocolate croissants delivered fresh each day to the camp satisfied our breakfast cravings but we'd had enough of jumping muddy trenches so we set our sights on the Netherlands. Having visited Amsterdam last year, we opted for Delft. 

Click here for photos, "I" for information

Delft, Netherlands 

DelftseHout Campground was a mere 20 minute walk from the city and had absolutely wonderful facilities. We arrived in the afternoon, set up the van, ate a light lunch and headed in. The walkway was lined with canals, the ever-present bike lanes and tall trees. Thoughtfully made signs that blended into the leafy environment told of various points of interest along the way such as nesting boxes and how many minutes walk were left to the center of town. The big draws for Delft are, of course, the white pottery with blue designs and being the hometown of Ver Meer, the painter of "Girl with the Pearl Earring." 

We visited the Delft factory - listening in as best we could on the talk given in German and noting the wide variety of items they made. Again we enjoyed the more relaxed atmosphere of the area due to the lack of crowds. The most stressful thing was trying to stay out of the way of the many bicyclists as they speedily bumped over the cobblestones and wove expertly around obstacles (including us.) 

The Netherlands is the most densely populated European country but you couldn't tell that from Delft which seemed very livable. The people very often speak English and are friendly. Dermot remarked that most of the businesses seemed to be family-owned rather than chains. I loved watching the female rowing teams and people rowing boats home with their grocery bags in the bow. 

We took pictures of the houses lining canals; the stately, ornate city hall and several huge churches but we'd arrived a bit too late to tour the museums. 

We balanced out our diet with a healthy Hawaiian Poke bowl dinner but also visited a chocolate shop. They wrapped up our modest purchase of four chocolates like jewelry complete with a fancy bow.

Our next destination was Hamburg but we split the drive with a one night stay in Osnabrück, Germany where the campground owner gave Dermot the heebie jeebies. 

Hamburg, Germany

We arrived in Hamburg on Friday afternoon and headed into the heart of the lively city. RS's guide suggested a DIY tour via subway - parts traveled above ground and we were able to both get oriented to the subway, with help from very friendly locals, and spot many landmarks including the harbor and their spectacular concert hall on the water “Elbphilharmonie.” 

A local delicacy!?

We had dinner at a Rick Steves recommended restaurant - Frau Möller. I chose Labskaus because it was described as “a local delicacy of corned beef, potatoes and red beets, all mashed up and topped with two fried eggs, pickles on the side.” Rather than mashed, it looked like it had gone through a blender. The true story behind why this became a local delicacy is not known for sure but one source said that it originated in the 16th century because these were ingredients that would keep on ships and served to extend the available meat. Fish was also served with it. Dermot’s pan fried pork was less traditional but more to our liking. 

Saturday promised dry weather and we decided to shop so we tackled the Ikea maze and then headed for groceries. According to multiple sources, few Americans visit Hamburg and that may explain why people seem so friendly and helpful to us. We had several strike up conversations when they heard us speaking English.

Irish Pubs are everywhere!

That night we headed for the “Shoulderblade” neighborhood for great people-watching and what turned out to be a mediocre dinner. Then we headed to the harbor for sunset and explored the red right district of Reeperbahn. This area is famous for launching The Beatles' career. Pictures don’t capture the raucous party that is “Grosse Freiheit.” Fans of the St. Pauli soccer team were heading home around midnight along with us jamming the subways and buses. 

Sunday was spent quietly as we made preparations for heading to Denmark. We knew we'd be back to Hamburg on our way back at the end of the trip so we weren't concerned with all Wed missed.

Netherlands

Amsterdam 

Our reservation at Camping Zeeburg was for only three nights in case it was a dump but after a brief look around we booked three more nights. Our site was near the water and the amenities included a restaurant/bar, grocery store and decent showers. The surrounding area was a bit of waterfront wilderness close to public transportation. Most nights we heard water birds as we drifted off to sleep. Under the heading “it’s a small world” we recognized the campervan next to us as the same one we had parked behind on the overnight ferry to Greece in 2018! The painting on the side was very unique. When the owners returned we learned they had recently bought the camper from the couple we had met. So same camper, different people but still quite a coincidence. That afternoon was spent researching our options. 

We decided to purchase a five day “IAmsterdam” pass that included public transportation, canal rides, tours, museums and more. Unfortunately, the pass did not include Anne Frank’s house and there were no tickets available for weeks. That’s one disadvantage of being flexible, you may not be able to get into the most popular sights. Dermot watched some soccer games and we relaxed before having a dinner at the camp restaurant which even had a band playing. 

Click here for our photos, click "i" for information

Monday morning we enjoyed breakfast at the camp and tackled the Amsterdam tram system. On arriving at central station, we began the Rick Steves Amsterdam walk which we really enjoyed! Favorite facts: 

1. There’s a multi story garage only for bicycles beside the central train station that’s free because the government wants to encourage this clean form of transportation. 

2. Though marijuana is legal here they use about half that used per capita in the US. 

3. The population density in the Netherlands is 15 times greater than the US. 

4. The canals are among the cleanest in the world. 

The city is a great blend of historical treasures, dreamy canals, striking architecture, and modern conveniences. Though we don’t normally do much shopping, Dermot bought a pair of Ecco shoes (at a bargain price compared to U.S.) and scanned the cannabis offerings. Meanwhile I ogled the wide variety of flower bulbs, pondered the psychedelic mushrooms and bought more chocolate. Lunch was shawarma and fries. They bring us catsup and mayonnaise though the locals prefer mayo or an exotic blend of mayo, cheese and other spices and sauces on their fries. We headed for the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art and made rookie mistakes using Google Maps that extending our tour of the town. Great for discovering new sights but tough on our feet. The museum had quite a few thought-provoking pieces and any day I get to experience a Matisse in person is a very good day. 

We’d touristed hard so a beer at the Cafe Hans and Grietje was a welcome break for sore feet and backs. The breeze was cold at the outdoor cafe table but we we got to witness rush hour Amsterdam style - mostly bicycles. People-on-bike watching was enthralling. The many different types of bikes, bike riders and their clothing along with children, bags and packages piled aboard was interesting in and of itself. The flow of traffic at the five way intersection added drama and awe. How they managed to avoid running over each other is a marvel! On the way back to the campsite we shopped in a small neighborhood store and tried to figure out what we could eat for breakfast. I choose granola and Dermot decided to continue getting pastries at the camp store. A Turkish dinner was found in the same neighborhood. With more than 24,000 steps, we earned our sleep that night. 

Having arrived before our timed entry to the Rijks Museum Tuesday morning, we toured the gardens and enjoyed an array of tulips. The museum was very interesting and had a great guide app. We followed several of their guided tours and spent so much time there we had to break for lunch in the museum cafe. Only recently opened, the library mostly contains books on artists and how art is made (such as making pigments) as well as cookbooks. It was designed to be a reading room but has never been used as such. I nearly cried! Highly recommended anyway.

The 100 Points Canal Cruise was a wonderful way to enjoy the peaceful waterways and rest up. The automated audio was a bit bland but pointed our some interesting sites including the Hotel where Lady Gaga had stayed. Cruising past the locks to the main harbor, we saw the large river cruising ships. Back within the city’s canals we saw many houseboats from the pristine to the dilapidated. There was actually one with a swing set and slide attached to the stern deck! Lucky kids! 

After a beer and a charge up at the Aran Irish pub (left my power bank in the van), we decided to follow another guided walk - this time through the red light district. We gave up trying to find restaurants specializing in Dutch food and had Indian instead. The peaceful botanical garden was our first stop the next day. Tulip season had come and gone but it was nice strolling along seeing many plants new to us and many that were exotic to them but common in Florida. The butterfly garden greenhouse was extremely humid and contained many butterflies we also have. The butterfly with transparent wings was my favorite. 

We set out for the Van Gogh Museum and grabbed a sandwich along the way. The museum was wonderful. Art is so personal but I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance. This city is a museum-lovers paradise! With our "I Amsterdam" pass we could pop into any we happened on and could wander as far and wide as we wanted knowing we could always hop on public transportation to get where we wanted to go. We headed to do some shopping. You probably take shopping for granted since you know the names of stores that will carry what you want. None of the names here were familiar to us so we had to ask and then hope. We finally found acceptable pillows and ate dinner at the Five Bells outdoor cafe with our pillows propped up beside us. The locals always carry their shopping with them on the trams and as we were walking back to camp a lady mistook us for locals telling us about the swan on her nest below in Dutch. 

Rain was in the forecast Thursday so it became laundry day. Next we tackled finding campsites at our next destinations. Easier said than done! Turns out my German skills were not up to the task. I turned to writing more of the blog, eventually setting up in to the camp’s registration area where the Wi-Fi was good but distractions were considerable. Dermot ran an errand while I ran into difficulties updating maps on our Garmin. We ate dinner at the camp restaurant and finished out the evening trying to decode the low emission zones on our intended route. It looks like Vienna may not be in the cards this trip. 

Friday morning we had two goals - any last minute sight seeing and a search for edibles - some for Dermot and some for a friend. We followed Rick Steve’s Jordan district walk and enjoyed a delicious lunch in a French-style cafe. Shortly thereafter the rain started in earnest. Prepared with raincoats and waterproof shoes, we trudged from place to place but never found the type of edibles Dermot wanted. Along the way we happened on the Tulip Museum and enjoyed learning about these colorful icons of the Netherlands.