Well this was the first weekend of adventure and touring
around in the “Beast!”
So I decided to head to Northern Holland and check it out,
also trying to avoid the hoards of people (apparently Easter weekend is opening
weekend for the Germans to come to the ocean in the Netherlands) and hopefully
see some tulips.
With a little planning and some help from Kyra, a plan was
in place to take a gander at some of the lovely towns Northern Holland had to
offer and to get off the beater track.
So I first headed through Amserfoot and up a little north of
it before heading west and a quick detour around Amsterdam and under the tunnel
and I found myself at my first destination of Waterland.
A beautiful little area spread out next to the ocean with
canals running through it (as I am finding out like most places in the Netherlands)
and old brick farmhouses. I then headed to the little island with a town called Marken on it connected only by a berm on both
sides giving it access to the mainland and another smaller island off of it.
Full of history and a large section dedicated to a tourist attraction full of
historic buildings, museums, boat shipping and shops.
Then off up the coast off the beaten path and what would
appear to any Canadian a one car road only to pull over and let others pass by
and avoid the groups of bikers both pedal and motor.
I enjoyed the beautiful weather as I toured the countryside
and the small towns and cities, admiring their architecture and history. The
fields full of sheep, goats and other farm animals along the coast weren’t much
different than being more inland, minus the fields and fields of colored
tulips. Red, yellow, orange, purple, white and any color imaginable
catching the eye. I first laid my eyes on an almost florescent pink field in
the distance nestled between green. I had to double take to realize just what
it was.
Then I found it, after that all the colors came as I drove
more into the middle of North Holland and since the wheels gave me the access
to get off the main highways, I could actually pull over get out and walk into
the farmers fields to admire all the blossoming tulips.
But as the day progressed it was time to find a campground,
so helpful little James pulled up some suggestions for me and I headed for the one
nearest to I – not exactly what I would consider cozy and no sign of life, so
off to the next I went.
That one happened to be a better choice and it actually had
people staying in it, most of whom I was going to soon find out actually live
there year round.
As I pulled up the owner found a cozy little campsite for me
next to a party of people Barbequing. I unpacked and set up shop for the night
and both Mocha and I got out for a stroll around to see what was around. A
pretty small town called Winkel was where I landed for the night. Not much
open on the Easter weekend after 5pm, but the peace and quiet was okay with me.
As I was unwinding and having some cheese and crackers with
my beer and seeing what I could plan for the following day, my neighbors came
over to invite me to a BBQ. So of course I accepted and was introduced to 4
people from Hungary and 2 with their 2-year-old daughter from Romania (I knew
they weren’t Dutch as the way they were talking was not at throaty). They were
really lovely people and tried to keep feeding me more and more. Apparently in
some countries in Europe they celebrate what is called a “Name Day” this is not
your birthday but apparently each day of the year is a celebration of someone’s
name and happened to be Naomi’s. So I even got cake of two kinds and one was a
traditional Hungarian one, which was really good! I also was of course offered
Hungarian home brew, which I thought I would try and not be rude of course. I
think I sipped on two shot glasses for a few hours, while the men seemed to
down them quiet quickly. Apparently it was 48% proof that one of their fathers
had brought for them and not much better from the stuff in Canada I had tasted. The guys were also
drinking whiskey scotch with apple juice, which I don’t think I have ever seen
before. The rest of us drank beer and champagne. It was a good night of food
and drinks and meeting some people.
The next day I headed out and headed to the West side of
North Holland and toured around in the towns and cities and what not before
making our way back to Leusden.
Easter Monday was the Egg Hunt day. We tidied up t he bamboo
farm and got it all ready for the kids and families that were on their way.
Apparently they hid about 500 eggs throughout the farm – so far I haven’t found
any that didn’t get found.
There was probably a good 40 kids that showed up with there
families and they were pretty excited when it was time to grab there Easter
baskets and head out. So excited that not too many wanted to stop and get a
photo taken, but I managed to get a few good shots!
Once the egg hunt had finished it was time for the egg races
around the pond, this consisted of one very raw egg and a spoon. The kids were
off first making their way around and then it was the parent’s turn. But we
decided to turn it up a notch and have them put the spoon in their mouth with
the egg on top. A few eggs were lost in
the games, but surprisingly quiet a few made it through and we had lot’s to
cook with over the next week.
We ended the Easter Monday with a campfire diner with the a
few family and friends, complete with campfire bread on a stick, corn on the
cob and salmon on the fire. All and all is was a lovely weekend.
