The Netherlands

March 2 – Friday – We need to be on the road on time, hopefully we have light traffic for our drive back to Cork Airport. After a light breakfast and packing the car, we are on the road by 9:30. Even driving in the rain all day we actually get to Kinsale by 1:45, redo the luggage a bit for our flight, off to the Great Southern next to the airport for lunch, turn the car in and get to our gate with time to spare. We leave a little after 5, and with the one hour time difference, we arrive in Amsterdam about 7:45. It takes us a hour to go through customs and immigration though, so we don’t see my cousin Gerrie and Rudolph, who are waiting for us, until 8:45. Hugs all around, a cup of coffee in the airport and on the road. It is a 1 ¼ hour drive to their house in Bolsward so we get there about 10:30. After settling in and chatting for a bit, we head for bed. It’s been a long day traveling, but we’re happy to be here.

March 3 – Saturday – Gerrie sets the table for breakfast, she said it’s nice to do it once in a while, when it’s just the two of them they don’t do it much. After a hearty breakfast, we decide to do a tour of their hometown, it is called Bolsward, or Bolsert in Frysian, and located in the northern Province of Fryslan. Fryslan has it’s own language, which is different than Dutch, in fact, most of the 11 or 12 Provinces of The Netherlands have their own language, sometime it’s even localized to a town such as Hindeloopen, where we will travel this evening, had it’s own language once. But the Frysian language is the only one, other than Dutch, that is taught in school.

Bolsward is a beautiful town, very old, some of the architecture dates to the 1500’s. The town hall, which is considered one of the three finest town halls in the Netherlands, is dated Anno 1614, and is simply gorgeous. Of course there is a lot of water around, canals and such, and lots of fishing. Rudolph shows us where the houses of his youth and his relatives are, then takes us to the grocery store which he used to be part owner. It is called “Jumbo Kooistra”, Kooistra being his surname. Everyone there knows him by name. We pick up a couple things, and while looking in the liquor section, I see there is a Single Malt Whiskey that is made in town! It is called FryskHynder and I asked if they had a small bottle I could buy. It only comes in fifths, so I pass, but the salesman told us we could go through the distillery, it is just down the road, so off we go. At the distillery bar I get to try a shot of the whiskey, and it’s pretty good. Has a little bite, but flavorful. I did get a shot glass from here though, but the head distiller says the whiskey is only sold in fifths. They also brew beer here, it’s called US Heit. You can check it out online at www.bierbrouwerij-usheit.nl.

As I said earlier, we then go for a ride to Hindeloopen, a seaside village near Bolsward. We drive past old and new windmills on the way, the new ones are mostly owned by the government, but some are owned by the farmers, and Gerrie thinks they are allowed to sell any excess electricity to the government. We park outside Hindeloopen and walk in, there is a small harbor with working fishing vessels in it. Because Hindeloopen is also quite a tourist town, there are a bunch of sailboats stored here right now. We stop on the dike that keeps the Ijsselmeer out and look around. The Ijsselmeer is formed by the dike keeping out the North Sea (Noordzee), and is now a fresh water lake. After a walk around town, we have dinner at the Restaurant de Drie Harinkjes, and no I forgot to ask what Harinkjes are, but there are three (drie) of them. After dinner we go back to Rudolph and Gerrie’s, have a coffee and retire for the night.

March 4 – Sunday – Amsterdam today! And the easiest way for us to do this is to drive to Zaandam which is about an hour drive, and take a 15 minute train ride in. We spend a wonderful day in Amsterdam, the weather cooperates again, cool but no rain even though it was foggy on the drive in, and we walk around for a while. Coming across a self-serve with krokets, I figure I better have one, it’s been 35 years since my last one, it is kind of hard to describe, fried with a liquid meat filling. After enjoying that, we walk the shopping street, and arrive at the square where there are performers trying to make a buck. Mostly they dress up and want money for you to get your picture taken with them. One guy was dressed like Jim Carry in the “Mask”, one a Roman Centurion, there was a bagpiper, and horse carriages for rides. We wandered over to the New Café (Nieuwe Kafe) for lunch, some really good pea soup for me, sandwiches for the rest. Back out in the city, we saw some very old architecture, and quite a variety of it also, Amsterdam being a melting pot of cultures over the years.

Not having time to do it all, naturally, we thought we would like to take the canal boat ride and get a good all around view. This took about an hour, and was really worthwhile. They helped explain some of the buildings you were looking at, and some of the history of the city. I think you could spend months in Amsterdam and not see it all, much less just one day, but it was a nice overview anyway. On the way back to the train, we just had to stop and get Lisa some frites (French fries) which the Dutch sell in a paper cone with mayonnaise on top.

On the trip home we stop on the dike at the monument, it is closed so we can’t get up there, but we get a few pictures before the cold wind drives us back to the car. After we get home, we call out for Chinese takeout and have a nice dinner, for desert Rudolph offers me a shot of Berenberg which is a liquor that is also made in Fryslan. Not bad, it’s like a lightly spiced whiskey. It’s been a long day again, and we have to be up early so we go to bed about 10.

March 5 – Monday – We are up at 5:30, the Schipol Taxi that will take us to the airport is due at 6:10. We say our goodbyes all around and climb in through the heavy rain for the ride to the airport. The traffic jam starts 20 kilometers out of Amsterdam! The ride that was an 1 ¼ hours on Friday, is now a 2 ½ hour trip in, but we make it to the gate with time to spare. Even the weather cooperates and the sun comes out for a while. But on landing in Cork, we are greeted with rain and gale force winds. I grab a taxi to take us home and we arrive there very tired but happy. It was a great weekend with Gerrie and Rudolph, we met 2 of their daughters also, and we really enjoyed ourselves. The rest of the day is now taken up with grocery shopping and laundry. We both are tired at night so we retire about 10.

Co Wicklow

February 28 – Wednesday – Up on time and after a quick breakfast we are on the road before 8:30. I decide to try going through Cork instead using the ferry by Cobh this time, I think it will be faster. We make the N25 by 9:00 and hit Youghal (pronounced yawl) by 9:45. Having heard the Youghal is a historical town we pull over after we pass through the clock gate. We climb up the town wall to see if we can get in the clock gate museum but it is closed. We wander down to the harbor, and see the Moby Dick restaurant, and yes they did film the movie here (1954 starred Gregory Peck), then had a coffee and pastry at the Coffee Pot before getting underway again. By 11 we were driving through Dungarvan, and I’ll be danged if I could find the “Old Dungarvan Oak”. We came across a “Mobile Chef” on the road, a box truck that was serving food out the side. We continue through Waterford and stop at New Ross to go through the Dunbrody Famine ship. Quite rainy and windy, helps to lend a little authenticity to the tour. While we are touring, they are filming a movie. I didn’t get it all, but something about a teen doing some time travel and he lands on the famine ship during his adventures.

Getting back on the road we hit Enniscorthy about 1:30 and stopped in to see the 1798 Rebellion Center which celebrates the United Irishman in their struggle for Independence. A fascinating tour, well set up, self paced. There is a coffee shop in the building so we have lunch too, great mushroom soup and a tuna wrap. Back on the road just before 3:00 and drive to the hotel in Woodenbridge arriving about 4:00 where we check in to the oldest hotel in Ireland (1608). The weather was cooperating so we went back out and drove to Avoca, I wanted to see Fitzgerald’s where they filmed Ballykissangel, and Lisa wanted to go to the Avoca Handweavers. We needed to check for a scarf for Linda but they didn’t have one to match her coat, Lisa picked up a couple things and we walked back down to Fitzgerald’s to have a pint and take a couple pictures.

Needing tickets for the Elders show tomorrow, we went to Arklow to the internet café that was selling them, and then looked for a place for supper, ending up at Murphy’s Pub. Very good food, and not very expensive for such a nice place. I had the pork loin, Lisa the chicken nuggets, and it was less than 20euro for the bill. Going back to the hotel afterward, we had a pint in the residents lounge (Four Vales) before hitting the hay, it was a long day with all the driving.

March 1 – Thursday – 8:00 finds us getting ready for breakfast in the restaurant, I order the full Irish, 3 giant rashers (bacon), 2 Irish sausage, black and white pudding, eggs over easy, grilled tomatoes, grilled mushrooms and toast, this will keep me going today! Driving to Avondale we walk the Pine Trail in the Avondale Forest Park. This is also home to the Avondale House which was built in 1777, and where Charles Stewart Parnell was born in 1846. We really luck out today as the weather cooperates with us, sunny and cool, very nice for walking. It holds out as we drive to the Meeting of the Waters, where the Avonbeg and Avonmore rivers meet and is associated with the poet Thomas Moore. The pub located there is called The Meetings, and needing a pint we stop in. I order the Kilkenny and am really disappointed, it tastes really bad, nothing like the one I had at the Spaniard. Figuring we better walk off the pint we just had, we drive to Aughrim and find the Sean Linehan trail. Beautiful walk along the river and back.

We walk for a hour or so and make our way into town for a few pictures and a bite of lunch at the Stonecutter’s coffeehouse, I have just a bowl of soup after the big breakfast I had this morning, after which we figure we would drive around a bit for a good look at the country here. Make our way up to Wiklow and back down to Arklow where we stop at the NewVision I-café so I can check my email. I buy an hour’s worth of time from a very nice lady (Julie New) who I later discover is Ian Byrne’s sister! (That is why the tickets are only for sale here) Lisa picks me up after some shopping and we make our way back to the hotel for some supper in the Four Vales and get ready for the Elders show in the back room. We have fun talking to the band again, they had a good trip in, but arrived just today, so with the concert tonight it will be a long day for them. Fred and Mary from Grand Rapids are here with their daughters Lee and Tess, who are going to school in Galway. It’s the first time they have seen them since they left for school in January. We also meet Ian’s mother, very nice lady who is going on the tour with the band, and we meet Jeff from England who used to live in Wichita and knew all about the Elders but never had a chance to see them live in Kansas! So he came over here to follow the tour.

The concert is suppose to start at 8:30, but being Irish time it’s more like 9 before the opener begins, Fran Harper on vocals and guitar, and Naimh on keyboard and vocals. They used to play with Ian before he joined the Elders. After 5 or 6 songs, Naimh left the stage and Gig (Paul) joined Fran for a couple songs, some really good blues there. By now the room was full and ready for the Elders to start. They climb the stage about 10 to a great reception from the crowd, jumping right into Michael’s Ride and playing for a enthusiastic audience. Ian was very energetic, and managed to entertain everyone with tales of his youth in the Avoca area, which included the introduction of his mother. The band ending up with the Devil’s Tongue and when encouraged to do an encore, they brought up Fran and Gig to help them with Message in a Bottle which rocked the house. A great night for everyone! After a bit of chatting we all decide it’s time to crash so off we go.

getting ready to travel

February 27 – Tuesday – Farmer’s Market again today so we decide to hold off and eat breakfast down there. Lisa’s doing a bit of laundry, we need to pack today for the trip to Arklow and Amsterdam, we won’t be back until next Monday. Do a bit of house cleaning, I run the vacuum, Lisa a little scrubbing. Down at the Farmer’s Market we have a couple crepes for breakfast. I have the veggie and Lisa has a strawberry one, along with a couple coffees from the coffee cart. We go to the I-café to catch up on things and post a bit, we won’t be around for a while so I better do it now. For some reason my laptop acts up, can’t access the internet, play around with it for a bit and end up running out of battery. It doesn’t last very long on this machine, 50 minutes or so, but new batteries are quite expensive. Head home, plug in the laptop, play around with the settings and I think I’m all set. Back to the I-café and viola…it works. Post to the blog and put up some pics while I check all the emails. Have to prebook our luggage for the Amsterdam flight, saves a few euro that way. Stop in to the Swell for a pint on the way home. Nice place, and it seems to feature jazz, we will have to try it next weekend. The Murphy pint glasses have some inscription on them and I ask the bartender “what would it take to take one home”. She puts the tip jar in front of me along with two clean glasses, I drop 2 euro in and she seems quite pleased, win/win I guess :)

Supper at home, chicken glazed with soy, mashies and green beans, after we map out the trip for tomorrow, I think we have it all set, clothes-check, maps-check, reservations-check, cameras-yup I think we have everything. We have time for a pint yet tonight, so we try the White House, haven’t been there yet. Everyone is watching Reading vs. Manchester United when we arrive. I see they have 1703 on tap, it is a brew from the Kinsale Brewing Co, but it’s not stocked until summer, so I go with the Smithwick’s. We watch Man U win 3-2 and wander home for the night. Tomorrow is a long day driving.