Leeuwarden

Trip Start Apr 17, 2007
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Trip End Dec 05, 2007


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Flag of Netherlands  ,
Thursday, May 24, 2007

  The Netherlands... we didn't get the best first impression!!  We were lost over and over again, the whole place is full of bridges, tunnels and over passes for the motorways.... Which just don't make sense!!  However the mood was brightened when we saw a sign for "Zeeland".  We ticky toured round and crossed Europe's longest bridge and were quite shocked when the lights went red, it split in half and all the sailing boats shot through right in front of us!  It was raining and quite dull, we got stuck in a huge traffic jam and weren't in the best mood so decided to pull over and call it a day. 
  From here it did get better as we got to the mainland and headed for Rotterdam, we checked out a thing called the Euromast.  Its 185metres tall with 2 viewing platforms and a rotating glass elevator at the top, we got quite a view!  In Den Bosch we visited St Janskathedral, which took 214 years to complete and funny enough there is still scaffolding on the side to this day!!  Quite impressive though, huge and beautiful inside!  We drove through Nijmegen, The Netherlands oldest town and headed north to camp at Hoge Veluwe National Park.
  Today was a 26km bike ride around the park, they have thousands of white bikes you can borrow and we took a picnic lunch.... I was quite tempted to ask for a refund when we didn't see any of the deer that they say were around!  From here it was to Den Haag where we splashed out on a camp site and gave Wattie a much needed clean and chilled out in the sun.  Just out of Den Haag there is a miniature version of The Netherlands, 'Madurodam'.  The detail was quite amazing and it means we saw every building that was important... only on a smaller scale!  After a stroll on the beach... we headed north to see the famous Holland flood controls.  And across to the German boarder...
 
Funny story:
  I'm not sure who brought Wattie up, but she is a bit confused about what exactly she is... you all know about the tram incident... well this time she thought she was a bike!!  The Netherlands is full of bikes, we felt quite unnumbered in a car... we pulled into a petrol station and all the pumps were being used so Rod decided to turn round and use the other side, not realizing when we thumped down the curb that it was a cycle lane!  Only to see the gas man cracking up laughing and an angry cyclist behind us, trying to decide where to go next.... But in Watties defence, who puts a cycle lane right through the centre of a petrol station!  Still not quite sure why they need a cycle lane as they don't run on gas!  I'm sure we made the gas attendants day though, im sure he is still laughing, now he has a story to tell everyone... "these folks from NZ....."
 
And look out Germany here we come.....
 
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