Holland: Land of water

The pace isn't slowing down as I move into my second week in Holland.

I have been to a cute historical pioneer village called Zuider Zee Museum. The fishing heritage of Holland is well represented with a complete recreation of a typical town. All the buildings have been brought from around the country to give authenticity to the park. You can see how the people lived and the various businesses in the village, including a school, sail maker's shop, cheese shop and the all important candy shop!

On Sunday, I met up with another cousin, Marja, in Rotterdam. She has lived there all her life, including the difficult years during World War II when most of the city was destroyed by bombings. As we strolled through the streets she was able to tell me delightful stories about various buildings and districts. We also took a boat cruise through the harbour. It was incredible to see the enormous machinery used for all the shipping business. What was particularly shocking was the vast numbers of empty containers sitting around the piers. You can really see how the world economy has brought this port to an almost standstill.

The following day I went to one of my favourite cities in Holland; Delft. It is an adorable city perched over countless canals. It is truly a picturesque town. Most people make their way through the cobble streets on bikes, so it also remains a very clean and quiet city. I was also able to have one of my favourite Dutch treats - poffertjes. We had our pancake snack in the main town square with the sun shining bright and a jazz brass band playing swing classics. It was fantastic.

We made a quick (and cheap) visit to the Delft Blue museum to see the famous Delft Blue pottery. If you arrive after 4:30 it is free to enter, since they close at 5:00. You have the place to yourself and 30 minutes is plenty of time to view the collection. Plus, you can rush pass the overpriced gift shop at the end since they want to close up on time. The artistry of Delft Blue is incredible. There are so many intricate patterns and designs all created with various intensities of the renowned blue tone. Some of the most interesting pieces were those commissioned by people or companies that wanted archways or fountains in their buildings. They have been donated back to the museum for display.

Today was spent in Leiden, which is another historic town nearby. Again, you can get easily lost in all the small streets and alleyways. Lucky for us we had Anne to keep us on the march. Anne works in Leiden and often strolls the streets during his lunch break. Rembrandt was born in Leiden and is very much a beloved character in the town. His birth home has been replaced by a modern apartment building, but across the street is a small park dedicated to him.

Tomorrow we are off up to Friesland in the north if the country for a couple of days on the boat; the adventure continues!!