Water, water, everywhere
When you discover that Amsterdam has more canals than Venice, you are not surprised when you find a gem around every corner. Designated a world heritage site, the seventeenth century canal ring around the city of Amsterdam was designed for a specific reason.
Amsterdam was founded around 1250, with the building of the Dam, in the Amstel river, that gives it its name. In the golden age of the seventeenth century, more canals were built for the burgeoning world trade, of which Amsterdam was at the heart. The canals allowed for the thousands of small barges that carried goods to and from the various parts of the trading world.
On Leaving the UK
We arrived in Amsterdam after spending the best part of six weeks touring the UK. Catching up with family after the COVID experience everyone has had was wonderful. And we chose a longer time period just for this reason. Well, it wasn’t totally altruistic. We also wanted to have time to explore the UK as tourists ourselves. We were fortunate enough to have visited London and the Cotswolds as I have previously written about.
Leaving the UK the only plan we had was a flight to Amsterdam. If COVID has taught us all anything, besides greater cleanliness, is that long term plans are about as much use as the paper you write them on. Our “plan” was to get into Europe and then avoid airports as much as possible, using the excellent network of trains that criss-cross mainland Europe.
Amsterdam, Said with a Knowing Wink
Amsterdam comes with a certain reputation. Mention the city and there are a number of responses. Predictably, there will be smirks and knowing nods, pertaining to the city’s famous red light district. Now a tourist site in its own right it does have to be seen to be believed. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, “window shopping”.
There is also the side of Amsterdam that could keep you on a permanent high. Brown cafes and coffee shops are so called to distinguish between espresso houses. The latter where the only high you will experience is due to the caffeine. So, what would you go to a “coffee shop” for? Whilst not strictly legal, the use of cannabis and marijuana is permitted in these establishments. Smoking not your thing? Try the space muffins. If you want to lose a night of your travels!
Cruising the canals of Amsterdam
The water is the best place to see Amsterdam from. The canal cruise we took allowed us perfect views of the amazing architecture of the city. Gliding through the canals you get a sense of the scale of the city, and a thought of how much work must have gone into the creation of all those waterways.
Our days were spent wandering the streets. Breakfasting by the canals. Sipping early evening drinks in one of the many bustling squares. And marvelling at how many cyclists there are. When someone tells you Amsterdam takes cyclists seriously, they are not kidding. Dedicated bike lanes separated from the traffic. No mandated helmet laws. Large bike parking lots. This is a city that does cycling right.
Three days later we were back at Amsterdam Central train station, boarding a train to Belgium. This is how easy travel is within the Schengen area, the visa free zone within the EU. Why anybody would want to purposefully opt out of this arrangement is beyond my comprehension, but this blog is not about politics.
Brussels and Bruges
It is about travel, and we were travelling to the beautiful city of Brussels. The Grand Place, or Grote Markt, has to be seen to be believed. A vast open square, with gargantuan gothic buildings encircling it. Stand, stare, and wonder how these magnificent creations survived the World wars. We sat at a pavement cafe, ordered cold beers, and took a few moments to savour the experience. We were lucky enough to catch the last days of the market square floor being covered with a decorative flower arrangement. A very impressive sight and one that increased the crowds.
Much like Amsterdam, Brussels has a lot to keep tourists happy. Plentiful food and drink, with some of the greatest beers in the world. The monks certainly knew how to brew. On the food front, I couldn’t go past a bowl of moules and frites, finished off with a gaufre (waffle), freshly made and drenched in chocolate, strawberries, and cream. Lucky that we were doing around 30,000 steps each day. Our legs were crying out for rest but our bellies were thankful for the exercise.
Historic Bruges
A short one hour train ride from Brussels, Bruges is the ideal day trip. Walking the one kilometer from the train station to the centre ville, you immediately start getting a sense of Bruges. Small, old buildings on cobbled streets, leading you to the main square, dominated by the 13th century belfry. The belfry, and Bruges historical centre are World Unesco Heritage sites.
And with such beauty comes the price that places all over the world are once again having to struggle with. Inordinate amounts of tourists. Figures from 2019 show that almost 9 million a year visit this small town. The local mayor described Bruges as becoming “like Disneyland”, and that “it was time to pull up the drawbridge”.
Whilst we are undeniably part of the problem, as we are two of the multitudes that march every hour from Bruges train station into the centre of town, I don’t know what the answer is. Tourism brings in lots of cash and jobs for locals into the economy. I suppose the question is, where is the tipping point?
On to the travel budget?
Whilst I am on the subject of food I know that a few of you have been specifically waiting for us to move to our “travel budget”. I can confirm that we are now tightening our belts and have even started having cheese sandwiches for lunch. I am sorry to report that these are not dry, but full of flavour and delicious. They go perfectly with a bottle of chilled water. Pizza by the slice is also very popular with Mrs C.
Onwards, to France, and the Champagne region
And the travel budget may need to be paused, ever so slightly, as our next destination is France. Starting in Lille for a few days we will then head in to Champagne, visiting the towns of Reims and Epernay. We have already booked a couple of tours of the champagne houses and their famous caves (cellars). Keep tuned for the next instalment.
Salut!
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