Netherlands Day 2 + 3

20 - 21 May 2013

Day 2: Visiting Family
Breakfast was a traditional English fry up; baked beans, toast, sausages, black pudding and eggs. Justin took me for a drive to northern Netherlands to see some family and the first stop was in Emmen to see uncle Will and aunty Ria where we had tea and cake then ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch (a fairly standard Dutch thing I'm told). Will and Ria don't speak English but it really makes you realise how much people communicate using the tone of their voice and body language. The next stop was in Meeden to see uncle Robert where we had beer/coffee; he does speak English.

The Dijk
On the way back we drove back across the Afsluitdijk so now I can say I've been on a dijk (pronounced dyke). It just looks like a highway with a grassy hill on the side but knowing that the whole thing is man made and seeing how long it is makes the mind boggle at how much effort was involved in creating it. Time for dinner now so we stopped at a road side restaurant and had, wait for it, chips and krokets again; they're too nice to pass up.

Countryside
As in Haarlem, everything is very green. I also saw my first old style windmill as well as a lot of new style windmills or wind farms. We travelled about 230km in each direction, which sounds like a trip to the ends of the Earth for the Dutch (maybe most Europeans) but for an Aussie, pfft, that's nothing.

Day 3: Amsterdam
After a lazy morning I walked over to the train station and managed to end up on the right train to go to Amsterdam. The Dutch might all speak English but none of the signs are in English so there's been lots of guessing. The trains are double deckers and quite comfortable and quiet.

Sex Museum
Just outside the train station in Amsterdam is the Sex Museum. The place is full of historical bits and pieces relating to sex including a sailor who squirts jizz onto a window that you peak through, a ogre-ish looking hooker that jumps out and tries to grab you, giant dick shaped chairs and a bum that farts on you as you walk past it. A good place to go if you like 70s porn, 1870s that is!

Red Light District
I managed to find the red light district where there were some girls in the windows although apparently there's a lot more at night. This area is full of girls in windows, sex shops and "movie" theatres and they don't hide them either.

Space Cake
As soon as you tell someone that you're going to Amsterdam, they assume two things; hookers and weed. There's coffee shops (you don't actually get coffee from these, that's what cafes are for) everywhere so I figured I might as well try some space cake. I ate half a slice then kept wandering around, did the Heineken Experience, and after 2 hours nothing had happened so I ate the other half. It hit me while I was on the train on the way home and I'm sure the guys could tell even before I told them. Good times.

Heineken Experience
This is a bit of a museum type thing where you see the history of Heineken but you also do a beer tasting, have a 4D ride through the brewing process and get two free (well included in the ticket price) beers at the end. It was good fun, I'd recommend it.

Pictures:
-big ass brewing kettles in the Heineken Experience
-a canal in Amsterdam
-the Sex Museum
-an old style windmill
-a massive new style wind turbine
-the skinny country roads, not wide enough to let two cars pass without dropping wheels off the edge
-Robert and myself
-Will, Ria and myself
-Robert's country cottage