Holland – Day 5

§ April 16th, 2014 § Filed under Holland § No Comments

Leiden and Keukenhof – April 16

Today was my favorite day of my Holland adventures so far! The morning started off rough, though, as I woke up with a slight headache and was a bit groggy. Because our tram passes expired, we first had to walk from our hotel to the train station. The walk really isn’t that bad, and I shouldn’t complain, but I was tired and feeling off, so cut me some slack! When we got on the train heading towards Leiden, it turned out the particular rail we were on was faulty and wouldn’t take us to our destination. So, at the Haarlem stop, we had to turn around back to Amsterdam, just to get on another train that would finally take us to our desired city!

Leiden is GORGEOUS! I know that I wrote earlier that Amsterdam was probably one of the nicest places I’ve been to aesthetically, but I think I’ve changed my mind. Though Leiden lacks the squished-together buildings and the bustling commercial history of Amsterdam, it has many amazing attributes that Amsterdam does not. For one thing, the city was so very calm. I don’t think I saw one traffic light there, though there must have been. When we crossed the streets, cars just stopped for us! In general, I don’t think there are many car-friendly streets there. People mostly were riding their bikes or walking like us. Like Amsterdam, there are canals, but in addition to the waterways there are grassy banks on which to sit. I’m telling you, beautiful.

Our first stop in this quaint new city was the Stedelijk Molenmuseum De Valk, an 18th century tower mill. Holland is known for its windmills, and the famous symbol can be found on almost any souvenir you buy here. The reason the windmill is such a landmark is because the Netherlands didn’t have enough moving water to power watermills. Windmills can be used for various tasks. The De Valk mill that we visited was a flour mill, but a majority of the spinning wheels that dot(ted) the green landscape of the country were poldermills, which would drain the countryside to prevent flooding.

The museum was very informative with plaques and a video describing the history of windmills in the Netherlands. We also learned how a mill works. Did you know, many tower mills (a windmill with a sturdy wood or stone base and a rotating cap on which the sails or arms are located) housed the millers who worked there? The first part of the museum showed the visitors what the miller’s dwelling looked like. I think I might want to live in a windmill when I grow up! Our time spent in the museum was a blast, as we had to walk up seven floors to see the whole thing. We even got to step outside onto the deck (where the miller would be able to control the speed of the sails) to view the surrounding area and touch the sails! The most fun we had, though, was climbing up and down the steep steps – the stairs were practically a ladder.

We then made our way to the open air market. My family just loves markets, not that we really end up buying anything! I had my first taste of loempia, which is pretty much like the Indonesian version of a spring roll. My mom has been raving about this delicacy for the entire trip, as she hasn’t had it since she was in Holland back in the late ’70s. I also ate a syrup waffle, which consists of two extremely thin circular waffles and syrup, which is spread in between. Oh, and I ate a cheese sample as well! Tasty stuff at the market.

Did you know that the Pilgrims that came to Plymouth Rock in 1620 first made a stop in Leiden? They lived in the area surrounding Pieterskerk, a church that has its roots in the city dating back to the 12th century. Fun fact: Obama’s ancestors, the Blossoms, lived right in the area where I was standing! When we went into the church, it wasn’t really anything to write home about. There was no tour guide or information like there was at Oude Kerk, but what Amsterdam’s churches didn’t have was the Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Bach Holland Choir rehearsing for a nighttime performance of J.S. Bach’s Matthäus Passion. We rested our feet while listening to their rehearsal.

On our way back to the train/bus station, we walked past the De Put Windmill. Unlike the tower mill we were able to enter, this one is a post mill, which means the entire structure is able to spin in order to best make use of the wind. Right by this mill is also the area in which Rembrandt lived during the beginning of his life. His original house was demolished, but at least there’s plaque and a commemorative monument. For such a small city, we sure did spend quite a lot of time walking around and enjoying ourselves!

Time to go to Keukenhof! I know, the name sounds funny, right? I would describe this destination as a flower amusement park or perhaps a tulip Disney World. Before I take you inside the park, let me tell you a funny anecdote. The bus that took us to this tourist attraction and flower paradise had only one destination – the massive garden. Why was it that when the bus stopped, my mom remained seated? “We’re not there yet,” she said to me and my sister. I told her that we had arrived, but she didn’t believe me, so she asked the bus driver if we were on the bus to Keukenhof – he said “This is Keukenhof.” What an embarrassment my mom can be! And when we got out of the bus, look what sign greeted us:

Yeah, I don’t think there should have been any confusion as to where we were, mother!

Before we walked inside, I heard the faint sound of the Hava Nagillah (a Jewish traditional folksong). I thought I must be mistaken, so I brushed it off. But when we actually passed the gate and entered Flower Land, I found out that I was quite right! A street organ, built in 1978, was set up in the front plaza of the park, and was set to play joodse liederen, or in English, Jewish songs! There were stacks of other music that the automatic organ could play, including classical and popular tunes from today. I had a blast seeing the drums and bells beat and ring all by themselves.

Keukenhof has several pavilions that house various flower shows throughout the spring and summer, and though we visited almost all of them, we were most impressed by the immense collection of flowers in the gardens outside. I had a lot of fun reclining on the ground posing for pictures with the tulips, even though I was unable to convey to my mom how I wanted my photos taken! Overall, we had tons of fun. The flowers were big and bright, we laughed and jumped around, Malka and I had our second serving of poffertjes this vacation, and by the end of our visit, it was going on 7:00!

Today was a lovely day, I must say. The weather was great, unlike yesterday’s freezing winds, on and off rains, and long lines! I also was in a much better mood than I have been over the past couple of days, and as a trio, we got along a lot better, with much fewer quarrels and quips throughout the day. It’s only about 10:45 PM now, as I write this, which seems late, but isn’t the latest we’ve been staying up. Malka is passed out horizontally on the king-sized bed, my mom is getting ready to sleep, and we are all, what I like to say, POOPED!