an ordinary Saturday afternoon in Lange Haven Canal in Schiedam
After almost nine hours of non-stop plane ride from Boston to Amsterdam, and about fifteen hours total including the time I left home in Deland, Florida, I was fetched by my nephew (Kevin) and my niece (Selena) as soon as I collected my luggage at Amsterdam/Schipol Airport. We went home to Schiedam right away where my sister Merly was waiting. This was my first time seeing her house since she acquired this new place. I like that it is nice and cozy- a perfect size apartment for her and her two kids that alternately stay with her on opposite time schedules.
After resting for few hours- refreshed after shower, I asked my sister and Selena if we should go and head out to downtown Schiedam and explore the city since the weather is good; a bitt of cloud but perfect for strolling. The last I was here I didn’t have the chance to do such; we were in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and KInderdijk instead. And because we were crunch in time back then, we didn’t explore their town.
Top: Lange Haven Canal;
Bottom: Having breakfast at Zalig; strolling the old town of Schiedam
Schiedam. Schiedam is a historic city in South Holland ( West of Rotterdam) where my sister Merly and her family is based for more than three decades now. Since this is the first time I would be exploring town, I have a list of the few places I wanted to see. Though my mission is to take photos of as many as windmills I see. Molens as the dutch calls them. There are eight molens in Schiedam. The first one I saw is right next to the building of the shopping mall where we parked. It helped that we were at the rooftop; it gave me a better perspective. It also made me see the older infrastructures at bird’s eye view. One down, seven to go😂.
Before we truly tackled our day, we decided to eat breakfast at Zelig in downtown. We chose and outside seating as the breeze and the sun were gorgeous. I ordered Rotterdamsche Kroket to re-introduce myself to Dutch food. It is similar to corn dog, but with cheese and less to none of the yucky grease of corndog. The breading is also different- more of a refined panko. It was a great meal for a great weather being outside. Not bad for a start.
Selena came prepared and ready to show me around. Incidentally, there was a Monument Day that time- all the public buildings turned museums were entrance fee-free. Lucky Me 😉. We started walking nearby. First we went was the old church/building of Grote of St Janskerk. The tower has time schedule to go up and we put ours for 2PM. TTHat gave us time to wander around.
Next we saw was Schiedam Stadhuis/Townhall- this old town hall is turned to an event venue. Wedding rehearsal was going on when we got inside to see the place (and I took a stolen shot). The remnants of what it was made for remains with some preservations from historic society of course. The best part was the elaborate toilet made for the queen of Holland during her visit, but according to the guide her majesty never used it.
A day in Utrecht. Top: enjoying the scenery at Oudegracht Canal
Botom: Dnner at the Japanese Ramen place; the two moles we saw in Utrechtt
As we were walking around and doing some sightseeing around Lange Haven Canal, we witnessed a family and some children celebrating birthday of one of them. Merly told me they will open the bridge so we waited. And indeed, the bridge opened and the kids were cheering (in dutch) must be a special treat for special occasion like that. Then we continued walking and exploring.
Selena and Merly brought me next to Zakkendragershuisje/Porters’ Guild House- the central headquarter for unloading grain ships for the gin economy of town back in the days. If you have a chance, try to look for how the labor as to who’s going to unload the sacks of grains back then… you’ll be surprised. We spent some time in this building then we continued walking.
Top:: at the moles; Bottom: photo next to Miffy; Right: The popular Dom Tower
De Bibliotheek Schiedam-de Korenbeurs- this is another one I have in my list. Dutch people are active readers; and the local people transformed this formerly corn exchange building in the 1700s to an eco-friendly library, or a giant attrium filled with real mature trees and plants. It was pleasant to see young and old people reading their books while enjoying nature beside them. And we continued walking.
Museummolen De Walvisch- This is the only windmill we were able to go in while exploring the old downtown. Built in 1794, and inside youl’ll see the inner workings of a grain mill. As we reached the top, we went outside; here I felt the strong gush of wind coming from the moving windmill. I couldn’t remember if the windmills we saw in Kinderdijk the first time we were in Holland was this strong; but boy! the wind was really strong. Outside we saw the orange roof landscapes of the town, and we also saw the other windmills from the area as it stood out from the rest of the buildings. We spent sometime just admiring the place and enjoying the breeze for a while, then decided to go down to continue our walks.
When it was almost 2PM we headed back to Grote of St Janskerk so we could climb up the tower. The guide was telling us about the tower but I could no longer understand what the tour is all about. I was already exhausted. By the time it was done, we decided to go home to have dinner then rest.
Utrecht. The next day we checked out Utrecht; another place on my list. This is the 4th largest city in the Netherlands. Before we went to the town, we headed to Molen van de Polder Buitenweg and De molens van Oud Zuilen first. This was one of my must see in Utrecht as it has 2 windmills pretty much next to each other only separated by a small canal. Same like the most molens we went in Schiedam, they were used to mill grains, Another functionality it does is to serve as dam; they control water level in the canal to help irrigate the farm or to control flooding. Sometime in the 60’s or 70’s one of them was burned down by a possible arsonist, but the government helped the locals to rebuild it.
The weather was overcast and windy; typical of Holland- and yet we continue our sightseeing in Utrecht Central. It was packed on a Sunday. A lot of traffic, pedestrians and tourists like me🤣. The Oudegracht Canal, which is the main attraction is obviously bigger than the Lange Haven in Schiedam. More boat tours I see as I looked around. Just like we did yesterday, we just followed and walked along the canal. Kevin and Selena guided us to the Dom Tower, which was on my list to see in the area. The Dom is the tallest church tower in The Netherlands; from afar, you can easily spot it as its is stands above the rest. This reminded m of Scott Monument in Edinburgh. While walking and just like any other time I was in Holland, I couldn’t help but admire the Dutch architecture. It is so unique amongst places I have seen. The intricate details of the old buildings, carved and shaped like the ones in the gingerbread houses we only see in the cookie cans on Christmas- fascinating. By the time we got to the Dom it was almost closing so I didn’t get the chance to explore inside, but enjoyed every corner of the outside. Perhaps next time.
Scheveningen Beach Pier..
We continued our walk and the Vleemings said they will bring me to the most popular character in The Netherlands. I had no clue. When we got there, it was the Museum of Nijntje or popularly known as Miffy. It was the little bunny character popular all over the world! To be honest, Im not really a fan, but- it is good to see even atleast outside the museum and to know that it was created here in Utrecht.
By the time we were done with all the walkings and sightseeings, we were cold and hungry- Kevin and Selena suggested a ramen, which I did not oppose so we headed to Takumi Sapporo Ramen where we all had ramen of our choice- satisfying. When we were finished, we decided to head back home.
Top: Delft City Center with the New Church;
Bottom: The otheredof h Centeristhe city hall; The Blue Heart;
Delft. On Monday Morning, two days after I arrived in Holland, My sister brought me to Delft since Kevin and Selena were not available (one was working and the other was studying). Another place on my list to see.
The first thing that caught my eye as we exited the station was the train station at Delft Central. It was modern, but on the vaulted ceiling there was an elaborate design in blue. Curiosity brought me into looking what was it and found that it is the historic map of Delft in 1877 that connects to the city hall in iconic Delft Blue ink.
Unlike Utrecht, Delft is more like Schiedam- smaller iconic canals. As we walk by Oude Delft Canal there were so many quaint original dutch houses and historical buildings to admire. Merly brought me to the Beestenmarkt Square- a place where farmers bring their cattle and sheep in the old days for trade. Now it is a large food/social hubs with tables and chairs outside for people to sit on during nice weather and the summer. Across the street from the Market is the Blue Heart. It is a fairly new landmark in the city; sculptured in 1998 by Marcel Sink which represents the city and the blue refers to the Delft Blue Porcelain. It also stands literally at the heart of the city! How cool is that.🙂 Then we walked to a narrow street and there’s the towering Niuwe Kerk/New Church opposite the city hall at the center. This perhaps is the main attraction (at least for me) for this town. I walked around each corners trying to digest all these architectural feasts- such beauty. Merly and I decided to have muffin and a coffee in front of the square while people watching and enjoying the place.
Once we’re done we headed to the Old Church but only looked at it from the inside facade as it requires another entrance fee (I’m going broke with the fees!). As we exit the city, I took another opprotunity to photograph another windmill available in town. 😉
A little trivia: If you are a science geek: Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek was based in Delft; he is the Father of Microbiology who invented the microscope🙂.
Another windmill found in Delft.
Finally got to see lighthouses at Sheveningen Beach; and Dinner at Barry- a Filipino Restaurant in Den Haag.
Den Haag and Scheveningen Beach. Den Haag and Scheveningen Beach were actually not part of my list ti visit. Originally I planned on going to Maarken to see a lighthouse but it was way opposite Schiedam. Little time.
After Merly and I did our half day walk around of Delft, we proceeded to Den Haag to meet with Selena. She is going to bring us to the beach to pacify my request to see a lighthouse (one of my favorite landscapes)🤣. It was late in the afternoon and a bit breezy when we got there- with the stoic lighthouse plastered before us as we get off the bus. When we finally got to the beach, I noticed that there’s two more lighthouses by the breakwater. I would have gone down there if and only I was alone. I took some photos of all three of them along side the views around this beach. We spent sometime here until we decided to head out. My niece said she wanted to try the new Filipino restaurant in Den Haag, so Filipino food for dinner it is. Baryo Restaurant has good Filipino Food cooked with authentic tastes, unlike other Filipino restaurant I have in the past in another country that alters the tastes, this one didn’t. We left with a happy tummy 😂. Then we headed home as it was getting late. That same night I packed for our trip to Belgium and eventually, Italy.
My last day in Holland was spent on exploring more on the other side of town. WE finally found the three other windmills, the same that is in the lobby of Merly’s condominium. It was bitter sweet that last night, my sister and I spent sometime bonding over a cup of chai tea and A stroopwafel- a traditional Dutch treat made of two thin, baked waffle layers joined together by a sweet, gooey caramel-like syrup filling.