We've been to Amsterdam a number of times, and are returning shortly. We'd
like to do a few day trips. My wife is eager to see The Hague and Delft. I
was thinking Haarlem might be interesting.

We're old castle/quaint street kind of people.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

"PTRAVEL" <[email protected]> schreef in bericht
news:[email protected]...
    > We've been to Amsterdam a number of times, and are returning shortly.
We'd
    > like to do a few day trips. My wife is eager to see The Hague and Delft.
I
    > was thinking Haarlem might be interesting.
    > We're old castle/quaint street kind of people.
    > Any suggestions?

Kasteel (Castle) De Haar in Haarzuilen near Utrecht is nice.
http://www.kasteeldehaar.nl/uk/index_flash.htm

Sjoerd

"Sjoerd" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > "PTRAVEL" <[email protected]> schreef in bericht
    > news:[email protected]...
    >> We've been to Amsterdam a number of times, and are returning shortly.
    > We'd
    >> like to do a few day trips. My wife is eager to see The Hague and Delft.
    > I
    >> was thinking Haarlem might be interesting.
    >> We're old castle/quaint street kind of people.
    >> Any suggestions?
    > Kasteel (Castle) De Haar in Haarzuilen near Utrecht is nice.
    > http://www.kasteeldehaar.nl/uk/index_flash.htm
    > Sjoerd

Thanks, Sjoerd!

    >

On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 01:44:40 -0800, "PTRAVEL"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >We've been to Amsterdam a number of times, and are returning shortly. We'd
    >like to do a few day trips. My wife is eager to see The Hague and Delft. I
    >was thinking Haarlem might be interesting.

and Leiden
and the towns on the west coast of the IJsselmeer.
Monickendam, Marken, Hoorn Enkhuizen and Medemblik where there is a
medieval castle. To the east of A'dam there is Muiden, which also has
a moted medieval castle.
You can do a triangular trip from Hoorn - Hoorn -> Medemblik by steam
train, Medemblik_> Enkhuizen by pre-war ferry and then from Enkhuizen
back to Hoorn or Amsterdam by modern train.
Enkhuizen has a wonderful indoor museum in an old Dutch East Indies
Company warehouse dating from1650. In a dry dock inside the building
are a lot of old wooden sailing ships. Across the road from the museum
is an outdoor museum consisting of 70 buildings from all over the
IJsselmeer that have been demolished and restored here. They include a
working steam laundry, a blacksmiths, a cooper, a boat builders yard,
house painters workshop, pancake house etc. you can also take a trip
on a traditional Dutch sailing boat on some days.
--
Martin

Do not forget about Het Loo Palace, the former summer residence of the
Dutch Royal family that has been restored to it's initial beauty. The
palace and grounds are beautiful. www.hetloo.nl. The palace is in
Apeldoorn, about 1.5 hours by train out of Amsterdam. It is a great
day trip that we have done a couple of times.

On 8 Jan 2005 06:10:17 -0800, "Tom" <[email protected]> wrote:

    >Do not forget about Het Loo Palace, the former summer residence of the
    >Dutch Royal family that has been restored to it's initial beauty. The
    >palace and grounds are beautiful. www.hetloo.nl. The palace is in
    >Apeldoorn, about 1.5 hours by train out of Amsterdam. It is a great
    >day trip that we have done a couple of times.

If you are planning to go to Apeldoorn then the Kroller Muller Museum
full of Van Gogh paintings and much else is not far away.

See http://www.kmm.nl/index_flash.html
--
Martin

On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 13:49:16 +0100, nitram <[email protected]> wrote:

    >On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 01:44:40 -0800, "PTRAVEL"
    ><[email protected]> wrote:
    >>We've been to Amsterdam a number of times, and are returning shortly. We'd
    >>like to do a few day trips. My wife is eager to see The Hague and Delft. I
    >>was thinking Haarlem might be interesting.
    >and Leiden
    >and the towns on the west coast of the IJsselmeer.
    >Monickendam, Marken, Hoorn Enkhuizen and Medemblik where there is a
    >medieval castle. To the east of A'dam there is Muiden, which also has
    >a moted medieval castle.

If you're driving, the trip accross the N302 dike, I can't remember
the name, from Lelystad to Enkhuizen is quite an adventure and an
insight into Dutch engineering capabilities.

The winds can blow quite heavily accross the N302 along the dike's
ridge and will buffet the car while you try to dodge the seagulls
flying in completely erratic patterns as they fly into the wind trying
to get to the other side of the dike. They fly so low sometimes you
have to swerve to dodge them (or think you do).

The bridge at the Enkhuizen end of the dike is an engineering wonder
as well as a beautiful design.

On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 07:37:03 -0800, Jed <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 13:49:16 +0100, nitram <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 01:44:40 -0800, "PTRAVEL"
    >><[email protected]> wrote:
    >>>We've been to Amsterdam a number of times, and are returning shortly. We'd
    >>>like to do a few day trips. My wife is eager to see The Hague and Delft. I
    >>>was thinking Haarlem might be interesting.
    >>and Leiden
    >>and the towns on the west coast of the IJsselmeer.
    >>Monickendam, Marken, Hoorn Enkhuizen and Medemblik where there is a
    >>medieval castle. To the east of A'dam there is Muiden, which also has
    >>a moted medieval castle.
    >If you're driving, the trip accross the N302 dike, I can't remember
    >the name, from Lelystad to Enkhuizen is quite an adventure and an
    >insight into Dutch engineering capabilities.

Houtribdijk with it's almost new spectacular Naviduct.

If you do, visit the Batavia, a repro of a 17th Century East Indiaman
on the other side from Enkhuizen, also on the same site the national
marine archeology museum full of ancient wrecks and stuff recovered
during draining of parts of the IJsselmeer and a bit further on the
Aviodome Aircraft Museum at Lelystad airfield.

    >The winds can blow quite heavily accross the N302 along the dike's
    >ridge and will buffet the car while you try to dodge the seagulls
    >flying in completely erratic patterns as they fly into the wind trying
    >to get to the other side of the dike. They fly so low sometimes you
    >have to swerve to dodge them (or think you do).

During very cold winters pack ice sometimes overwhelms this road.

    >The bridge at the Enkhuizen end of the dike is an engineering wonder
    >as well as a beautiful design.

The naviduct?
--
Martin

In article <[email protected]>,
"PTRAVEL" <[email protected]> wrote:

    > We've been to Amsterdam a number of times, and are returning shortly. We'd
    > like to do a few day trips. My wife is eager to see The Hague and Delft. I
    > was thinking Haarlem might be interesting.
    >
    > We're old castle/quaint street kind of people.
    >
    > Any suggestions?

The "Zaanse Schans" is very nice, you'll like that. (no castle but 100%
Dutch history, and very beautiful). It can be easily reached by train
from Amsterdam (it's very close to A'dam) and I believe there also are
boats that can take you there, but you'll have to ask about this at the
VVV... don't know the details. (VVV is opposite Amsterdam central
station)

website:
http://www.zaanseschans.nl/

Lourens

On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 01:44:40 -0800, "PTRAVEL"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >We've been to Amsterdam a number of times, and are returning shortly. We'd
    >like to do a few day trips. My wife is eager to see The Hague and Delft. I
    >was thinking Haarlem might be interesting.
    >We're old castle/quaint street kind of people.

Naarden, east of Amsterdam is a fortified town with a fine museum.
Ceremonial cannon firing on the last Sunday of the month. A friendly
group who engaged my brother in law to participate in the loading.
And that was not the only loading going on.. following each shot, a
young girl circulated in the crowd to offer everyone another shot.. of
brandy.

http://narden.nl and http://www.vestingmuseum.nl/english/

Gordon

On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 09:21:06 -0800, Gordon Forbess
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >http://narden.nl

Should be: http://naarden.nl

On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 09:21:06 -0800, Gordon Forbess
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 01:44:40 -0800, "PTRAVEL"
    ><[email protected]> wrote:
    >>We've been to Amsterdam a number of times, and are returning shortly. We'd
    >>like to do a few day trips. My wife is eager to see The Hague and Delft. I
    >>was thinking Haarlem might be interesting.
    >>We're old castle/quaint street kind of people.
    >Naarden, east of Amsterdam is a fortified town with a fine museum.
    >Ceremonial cannon firing on the last Sunday of the month.

They actually fire a mat black painted football. A man rows out in a
boat and collects them from the moat after firing.

    > A friendly
    >group who engaged my brother in law to participate in the loading.
    >And that was not the only loading going on.. following each shot, a
    >young girl circulated in the crowd to offer everyone another shot.. of
    >brandy.

Not when we were there :-((

It's good fun though. It's one of 32 forts built to keep out the
Prussians AFAIR.
--
Martin

On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 17:01:32 +0100, nitram <[email protected]> wrote:

    >On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 07:37:03 -0800, Jed <[email protected]>
    >wrote:

    >>The bridge at the Enkhuizen end of the dike is an engineering wonder
    >>as well as a beautiful design.
    >The naviduct?

No, the Naviduct was built after I moved back to the United States in
1994. I am probably thinking of the lock rather than a bridge.

On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 09:30:16 -0800, Jed <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 17:01:32 +0100, nitram <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 07:37:03 -0800, Jed <[email protected]>
    >>wrote:
    >>>The bridge at the Enkhuizen end of the dike is an engineering wonder
    >>>as well as a beautiful design.
    >>The naviduct?
    >No, the Naviduct was built after I moved back to the United States in
    >1994. I am probably thinking of the lock rather than a bridge.

Why is the lock an engineering wonder?

The naviduct cost something like GBP30 million. I did wonder how they
could justify spending that much, to make it easier for yachtsmen to
cross the dijk. :-)
--
Martin

Sjoerd wrote:

    > Kasteel (Castle) De Haar in Haarzuilen near Utrecht is nice.
    > http://www.kasteeldehaar.nl/uk/index_flash.htm


Where is the monument to the brave little Dutch lad who stuck his swollen
member into a leaky dyke and thus prevented a horrible flood...???

--
Best
Greg