We left Amsterdam much later than we initially planned, because we decided not to hurry on this holiday, and we had to still get our rental car washed as it was really quite dirty when we got it, so we had to follow the rental place's guy to a car wash, which was very fancy. It had a conveyor belt that we had to park on, and then we were pulled through the car wash through all sorts of different cleaning stations. It was quite an adventure in itself. Amsterdam traffic of course was quite slow at morning peak hour traffic, too. Then I decided I really wanted a coffee from screaming beans (which was so much worth the detour) so we didn't really hit the 'open road' until probably eleven.
So we decided to skip the museum stops we had planned for the way back and just drive straight to the Afsluitdijk and Harlingen where our ferry to Vlieland would depart. We had tunes, we had some nice food, the weather was sunny and the landscape was lovely, the car is very comfortable and fast. A pity it has a German licence plate though, as I don't like the fact people might think we're Germans. Oh well. It is a German brand and a good car. Fast. Did I mention fast? And we encountered a part of Dutch freeway that has the new 130 kms an hour speedlimit, so we had fun. We stopped on the middle of the Afsluitdijk where there is a cafe and a kind of visitor's centre for a look around, and to enjoy the view from the watch tower. It was windy up there:
We got to the ferry in good time, parked the car in Harlingen as Vlieland doesn't allow cars, and hopped on the boat. It was lovely weather, warm but windy, so it was pleasant on the upper deck in the sun with a jacket. Or two. Mr Phiroze tends to carry everything he might possibly need with him, plus one extra just in case and he was convinced I would be cold with just my awesome Lululemon zip hoody (I'm wearing it in all the pics) and told me I'd be asking him for his spare jacket before the trip was over. So far, there has been no need. My Lulemon jacket is very warm and quite wind proof. I loves it! The ferry ride was nice, we saw some seals in the distance.
The ferry ride was nice, we saw some seals in the distance. We got to the island an hour and a half later, and easily located our lovely modern but cozy hotel, Zeezicht. We had a brilliant room at the front with a view of the harbour and the dike. We lounged a little and then went to rent some bikes. When we got the bikes, we decided we might as well go for a ride. We just rode wherever we liked, not paying much attention to the map. It was fun to ride a bike on such quiet roads, not at all like Amsterdam. Phiroze doesn't often ride much, never really has, though India (where he grew up) has more bikes than all of the Netherlands!
We found a small body of water so we parked our bikes and went for a walk around it, then hopped back on our bikes and rode some more. When we had seen a lot of middle of the island, the wooded area, we decided it was time for some dinner. We had some lovely fush 'n chups (for some reason I can only say that with a kiwi accent) at a place just near our hotel. Well, the village is tiny and everything was close to our hotel. Then we headed back to our lovely room, with wifi, and enjoyed a bit of 'Look Around You' mockumentary fun, a show our mutual friend Simon had introduced me to ages ago, but Phiroze hadn't yet seen. We had some good laughs. "What are birds? We just don't know."
After watching nearly all the episodes of Look Around You, we played 20 questions for hours - which is a great game. There were windows over our beds so we gazed at the stars and talked about pretty much everything and more. It was about 3 am when our mouths no longer kept up with our brains who still had heaps to tell each other. It was an early wake-up call for me as there were two men on horses at 7 am blowing a trumpet and yelling out a declaration to do with the Queen's birthday today. Then at 8.50 am the marching band came past with a little more than just a trumpet. It was a short night for me, though Phiroze slept through all that. He sleeps anywhere at any time and I really wish I could too. I'm such a light sleeper!
Breakfast was generous and tasty, which we needed for our day's activity. We walked along the dike to the lighthouse, up the stairs there, then down and around into the town where we bought a kite. We
were going to ride to the most southern bit of the island, and fly that kite on the beach. It was a good idea, the kite, as it was windy as all hell. The bike ride was a good idea when we headed off, as we had this great push in our backs and we freewheeled, riding without hands for ages, enjoying the view and the company. Bikes are so much fun. When we got to the bottom end of the island we rode to the beach and flew our kite (we chose one with orange as it is the Queens birthday today.) It flew so well with that strong wind.
The bike ride back with that mighty wind, however, was seriously challenging. Not so much for me, with my Dutch legs and Zumba/Body Jam trained body, but for my poor pal it was a little bit exhausting. Just a touch. It was a really hard ride back. It took us about twice as long as the way there.
Once back into town Phiroze wasn't too sad to return our rental bikes. Then we went in search of a late lunch before heading back to the mainland. The ferry ride back was much more choppy, though much less busy than the boat in yesterday. The waves rocked the boat quite pleasantly and with a bit of Jamie Woon in our ears on my (shared) iPod Phiroze was soon able to catch up on some sleep, while I attempted to do the same but kept being perturbed by some children playing loudly and actively near us.
Back on the mainland and reunited with our trusty car we soon made it to Kimswerd, only ten minutes away from Harlingen, to our lovely inn. It's called de Graete Pier and is small and intimate. We were shown to our rooms by our host, and then welcomed to a wonderful home-cooked dinner. Fennel soup with home-baked bread, asparagus with a fish pie and as dessert there was stewed rhubarb and strawberry with sweet cream. Unfortunately, as most of you might not know, I am extremely allergic to strawberries and was sad to find out that I couldn't eat my most favourite part of a meal. Luckily they offered me an alternative: suikerbrood (sugar bread, a local delicacy I am very fond of) ice cream! It was simply superb. I had also happily noted that there was a very good looking coffee machine present in the dining room, and had paid close attention to how our hosts prepared his coffee for the other guests. The espresso I ordered after dinner promised good things for tomorrow's breakfast.
Now, after a delightful shower (with the eco but beautifully scented bath products here) we are Mac central. We are both in our beds with our Macs on our laps. Phiroze is watching a documentary while I'm writing this for you. I hope you've enjoyed reading about us enjoying ourselves. And it aint over yet!
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