July 28 2013 Amsterdam

This week we've moved from Alkmaar, first to Purmerend, then on to Amsterdam. Purmerend was just a convenient stop on the circuit through lower North Holland, but was quite a nice stop. Nothing much to do but rest and relax, oddly the thing we seem to have the most difficulty learning to do each year. It was our first free mooring, a 3x24 meaning we could stay for 3 days. No electricity or water provided, so we managed to last into the second day before we ran out of ice cubes, and we needed them to deal with the hot weather. Our mooring was just under the lock where we turned to head south again toward Amsterdam.

 It was actually quite enjoyable. If we'd wanted to stay longer or if electricity or water had become an issue, we could have pulled into the municipal moorings a bit further into town, but this was just fine. The weekly market was not in the center of town for a change, but rather spread through all the outlying streets and began just down the street from out mooring - extraordinarily convenient. There was a gaggle of geese that seemed to think they owned that section of the canal. Most mornings they'd head down one side of the canal and up the other honking loudly for handouts,

 though there was one goose who seemed disinterested in the bread scraps and far more interested in us, so much so that I finally had to close the wheelhouse door to keep him from coming in.

 We had a chance to try out our full regalia of shade devices.

It's been very very warm here the last few weeks.

On Wednesday, we moved on to Amsterdam. Our marina is just across the IJ from the train station. We have an 8-10 minute walk to the free ferry across the river, and then we're right in the center of town. One of the things that has proved surprising this year is that Bill, who usually enjoys the countryside far more, has been enjoying the cities. Again, the commercial marinas seem to be in the more industrial part of town, this time just (barely) off the main channel where the big cruise ships pick up their passengers.

Luckily, our other neighbors are the usual, and not so usual, waterfowl.

The transportation norms are a bit different here than in the States. You are seeing a lot of micro cars that probably wouldn't be deemed safe on the road at home. They're so small they fit on the pedestrian "only" ferries more easily than the scooters!

Yesterday we went to the Van Gogh Museum. You hear a lot about the long lines if you don't get advance tickets, but we didn't seem to have a problem with that. Must be because we're earlybirds. When we left, the "quick" entry line was about 3x longer than the line to buy tickets when we arrived. The line to buy tickets was snaked around the corner. The museum has obviously changed in the 20 years since I've been here. Now there's much more emphasis on the development of style and influences, some of it quite surprising,

and techniques, materials, and conservation research.

Found a lovely little quilt shop just a block or two from the royal palace, great location and wonderful choices of fabrics.

and a little way further 2 shops dedicated to vintage/antique food service.

It's been so hot here that we've been hoping for rain, if you can believe it! Finally arrived for a short while yesterday

and we found shelter, like everyone else, under the umbrellas of a street cafe to celebrate and have a slow lunch. Overnight we had our first real downpour, but the sun is starting to show itself now and there are tiny patches of blue in the sky, so I'll close this and we'll head into town. Beer shop/museum today, but no hurry about seeing everything. That's the joy of knowing you'll be back. Best to all, take care of yourselves tot ziens ---

19 July 2013 Alkmaar, Noord Holland

OK, this is one of those wonderful days that kept me grinning all last winter. Temperatures are around 75-80F. Sunny, but with just enough cloud to keep it from becoming too hot. We've got the shade up, and are using some of the supports to air the comforters and provide shade along the side of the boat. Books, drinks and nibbles to hand, all is really good.

Coming into Alkmaar in Monday was a bit hair-raising. We were told to go under a raised bridge, go into the (very narrow) canal through town, turn around and moor. Oops, there was barely enough width to turn around to begin with, and after the tjalk ahead of us turned and moored that little space disappeared. It was possible, but difficult, and it turned into one of those times when there were a dozen helpers and each of them thought they were in charge. Chaos, but we finally managed it.

We are on a little side canal heading into the old town center from the major canal through the region. The major town square is just a couple of "blocks" straight down the canal.  It's about 5pm right now, and they've just finished one of the two carillon concerts in the square scheduled for today. We didn't have to move an inch, we just sat in the shade on the back deck with drinks and munchies in hand and listened.

  There's another this evening. I guess we're planning to head down there sometime after it starts to try for dinner at the Indonesian restaurant in town, or else if we're not really hungry enough for a whole meal we'll come back to the boat for something light.

Today we did half of a rather long walking tour of the town. Either we're becoming overly sensitive to the commercial aspects of tourism, or we're just visiting areas this year where that is overly emphasized. Alkmaar is a really lovely town,

 very old, and it is filled with some terrific unique boutiques

(Couldn't resist tango-ing cows!)

 shoe-horned into tiny old buildings on narrow streets:

but that seems to be the emphasis, shopping. I guess that's just not my thing. Of course, there is the exception. In Paris I've dragged Bill to all the big name cooking emporiums. Well, here there's a lovely little cooking boutique just off the main street. I've purchased a few small things - yes, only a few and only small - but had some nice discussions with the folks there.

If I've got it right, it's owned by an expat from New York who has modeled it after Dehillerin in Paris. It's modern and sleek in stark contrast to Dehillerin's dark, crowded and dusty, but at it's core it covers all the same bases, has the same quality, and it's been a joy to explore. Sure wish I could bring a few things home . . . .

Alkmaar evidently has its own red light district, and it's only one very short street off the central market square. Bill insisted on having his photo taken there, though I think mostly at the time because it was such a non-place.

  Oops, that evening we walked by again on the way into town to buy ice cream cones and things had changed a bit. No closets with windows on the street like Amsterdam, so the ladies just strut up and down the one short block in very skimpy underwear. Next day during the day it was much the same thing.

Friday is the day they do the cheese market in the town center. We'd seen much the same thing several times in Gouda, so it was familiar. What they did have at the same time was a market with quite a few real quality craft stalls and demonstrations: a clog maker (managed to get a single wooden shoe for next to the door at home), a man who was doing really very nice pen and ink drawings, a fantastic basket maker, a man making and selling stained glass ornaments, and A LACEMAKER!!!

 We had a lovely talk, and I was able to purchase some patterns so I have something to work on.

The internet connection is refusing to upload photos again, so will try to add them later when/if we get a better connection.  Till then folks, . . . .
 

14 July Zaanse Schans

We have arrived at our first marina of the year with WiFi, and it is a joy to not have to fight with the T-Mobile service.  For some reason, it just has been fading in and out this year.  Bill suspects that the technology has improved and we need to replace the dongle with a newer one, we'll look into that.  On the bright side, I think this will let me down load photos much more efficiently, so here goes . . . .

We left Haarlem last Sunday, despite Bill not liking to travel on weekends, and it was truly a day of rest on the water for us.  Commercial barges were nearly non-existent, and the only real issue we had to deal with was the high speed ferry between Amsterdam and Ijmuiden. 

Arrived in Zaandam just north of Amsterdam and stayed for several days.  Not much there to see.  Mostly very new and somewhat "imaginative" modern architecture in the town. 

The town's claim to fame seems to be that Russian Czar Peter the Great came here incognito to study Dutch boat building techniques.  The last Czar sent funds to build a brick structure around the falling-apart tiny wooden house where Czar Peter lived while he was here.  We walked past it every day on the way to the market. 

Then later in the week we were on our way a short distance north to Zaanstad and the outdoor museum Zaanse Schans just the other side of the river Zaan.  This was the first "industrial" area in the country, and they celebrate it by this lovely little museum, much like Williamsburg in feel, that shows the original manufacturing processes for goods like chocolate, wooden shoes, bakeries (for marine stores like hardtack biscuits), mills that produce construction materials, paints, oils, linoleum, all sorts of things. 

 I'd been here about 20 years ago with my friend Jeannet, and it was a small but lovely little working museum village. 

 

 

 Well, it's sort of changed.  Every building seems to be mostly a store.  Great for generating revenue, but very tourist-y.  However, like Williamsburg, you can walk around without paying an entry fee, and any place where they're looking for your business you get to wander through free. 

After we'd wandered through pretty much all the streets and shops, we headed north along the river where the mills are set up, and they took a pedestrian ferry to the other side of the Zaan and walked the streets filled with old houses there. 

 It was pretty quiet being Sunday, but we had a light lunch at a sweet little eatery just before we crossed the draw bridge to return the the museum and our marina which is conveniently just across the street.  They had essentially a deli set up with foods made in house, mostly vegetarian, and all organic.  You chose between 3 plate sizes and they filled the plate up with your choice from what they had available that day.  The tables were set up in the garden where they seemed to be starting to grow some of the produce they used.  Crockery and cutlery were homey and mis-matched old fashioned china.  Very sweet and they had a reasonable cross-section of newer bistro style food with a few traditional Dutch recipes.

I seem to be noticing a pattern developing regarding the places where we dock.  We certainly enjoy the amenities of the newer, more modern marinas, but the really delightful places are a bit out of the way and not as sleek.  Where we are now is in an industrial side channel of the Zaan, factories and storage buildings more than anything else. 

 But if you look in the other direction there's a darling little Zaan style village, complete with church and counterweight bridge. 

 The folks here are extraordinarily friendly and helpful as well.  Sometimes the folks at the more modern places just don't have the time or energy for that.

Don't know where we're headed tomorrow yet.  Will probably head back and moor in the Amsterdam harbor near the Central Station at some point, but other than that no real plans.  We went into Amsterdam for the day by train earlier in the week just for a change of pace - only 10 minutes to the center of the city!  Took us longer to walk to the station.  Surprisingly, Bill really enjoyed it.  Usually he's the first one to want to head for the country rather than congestion.

Anyway, that should be it for today.  I'll try to get some photos attached before I post this.  Tot ziens, y-all, and take care.

July 5, and still in Haarlem

5 July 2013

Have finally been able to download photos (very laboriously), so over the next few internet days will try to edit current and previous postings to add photos.  Celebrated July 4 with a dinner of burgers, coleslaw, potato chips and beer.  Flew the flag prominently when it wasn't raining.  Today has been gorgeous, and finished painting the "salon." Antique water pump finally died after almost two years of complaining, and we were overjoyed to learn that we could replace it ourselves with not too much effort and with a new and much more efficient model.  The guy who runs the local ships supply store right on the Spaarn has always been helpful and was very encouraging through all of this.  I'm sure we could find parts and supplies less expensively elsewhere but we really enjoy him and he's so helpful that we're happy to subsidize the service.  The bridge just south of us froze this morning, and has only been opening occasionally for mostly commercial traffic

 

and MAYBE letting pleasure boats through if they have the time.  When it closes, it closes with a tremendously loud THUNK!!! The backup has been, in the words of one of the bridgetenders, CHAOS!  We're happy to just sit here, paint, and watch the zoo unfold.  It's been a lovely stay in Haarlem, despite the construction right outside our wheelhouse door and more than a few days of rain.  The waterfront will be really lovely when they get done, especially if they put in a few trees.  And even with night work hours, we've been somewhat protected from all the noise by the side of the canal.  And it's just such a quiet, peaceful sense of community on the water at night after everyone has finally settled in (which usually means about 3-4am for the Dutch!!!).  Complete with carillon serenade if you happen to be awake on the hour.

 

Anyway, it's been a bit of an ordeal getting these photos (yes, all four of them) loaded and getting the painting done today, so perhaps that's it for now.  More in a week from north of here, maybe sooner if we luck into a spot with WiFi.  Till then, best to all - - -

2 July 2013

May have finally figured out how to get photos up, so if they are posted with this entry you might want to go back to previous ones and see what we've managed to edit in. Today is overcast, but warm and lovely otherwise. Yes, weather does seem to play a large part in our lives here. Think we've decided to stay on a bit longer. Haarlem is a lovely city, we know where things are, we're comfortable here (except for the construction on the quai-side but we seem to be shielded from the worst of that), and it's relatively inexpensive. Mostly, I've got painting to do right now to finish my self-appointed chores for the summer. Went walkabout this morning to deal with a whole host of minor housekeeping issues, and, wonder of wonders, Bill didn't get a mental overload from the whole experience. Perhaps we're finally reaching the "settled in" stage. May head for the historical museum tomorrow or the next day. We've been here so often that we've seen pretty much all of what interests us here, but I'm always interested in the history, and especially the pre-history, of the area. Best guess is we'll stay here for internet-day on Thursday, the flea market on Sat, and probably (depending on the weather) leave on Sunday (even though Bill doesn't like to travel on weekends) for places north. Amsterdam or Zaandam, whatever the best opportunity presents.

1 July 2013

Yesterday was a joy, finally. Warm weather for most of the day, sunny, a bit windy but nice. Walked into town in the afternoon and discovered a huge used book market in the square. It used to be that Sundays and Monday mornings everything was closed up tight. Now, at least in the larger places, it seems most shops are open Sundays like they are in the States. More convenient, but less of a local feel to life. We put up shade on the back deck and spent the afternoon reading outside with appetizers and light drinks and then later with a dinner of "leftover soufflé"

while we watched the locals indulge in an orgy of boating up and down the Spaarn. That's their way of celebrating the sun. The river is as crowded as a mall at home the day after kids have finished school for the summer. This morning started nice, but has gone back to overcast and cool. Looks like in a few days we're headed up north to Zaandam, around part of Noord Holland and then back down to spend some time in Amsterdam. Yesterday back in the States Amy's sister Beth was married. Spent the day thinking about them and wishing them the best. Still trying to get photos up, more later . . . .