BLOG

JOURNAL

PHOTOS

[boy]FRIENDS

TRAVEL

    > Australia
    > Calgary
    > Holland
    > Japan
    > Peru
    > Nova Scotia
    > NZ
    > St Maarten

<!-- travel - Day 1, Netherlands -->

may 28, 2005

Me and mom's first day in Holland. We arrived at Schipol airport at 6:30am, greeted by Jan and my mom's cousin Joke and her husband, Johan. We went straight for some coffee. We hadn't slept on the plane.

We dropped our things at Joke and Johan's house in Lisse, ate breakfast and decided we needed to go on a bike ride to keep us awake. So away we went...

Click on the thumbnails for larger photos then click "Back" to return to this index page.

	Only later did we discover that it was National Cycling Day (fietsdag). It was a great way to stay awake - although after our 30km ride, I admit I was tired. Not being used to bike riding, we were both a bit nervous and didn't realize it was normal to ride beside a friend, instead of the single-file rules in Canada. Also, no one wears a helmet, children ride on their parent's handlebars and I rode on the back of a bike and it's all legal!
	I must say it was really nice to bike along those sand dunes in the gorgeous (albeit windy) weather. It was some of the best weather we had the whole trip! The bike paths in Holland are amazing - once you get used to them. Mom had some problems with rubber-necking and kind of ran into someone coming around a corner.
	Johan taught us how to lock up bikes. There are a lot of warnings about bike theft, although it mostly applies to larger cities. However, even though each bike has a wheel lock built right in, one should also lock your bike TO something so that people don't just pick it up and take it away. This is normal practice in Canada, but double-locking is becoming a must in the Netherlands.
	Mom and I got our picture taken with all the people who were out on the beach with their wind screens. I've never seen it before, but if you'd felt the force of the wind, you'd understand the necessity. It being a top-optional country, I can only imagine the damage that whipping sand could cause to the more sensitive parts of your body!
	I never really thought of Holland as a beach destination. However, there is a lot of beautiful waterfront property here!
	Kiteboarding was very popular on that beach. I can imagine why: the wind is INCREDIBLE!
	Kiteboard at Noordwijk.
	Mom, Johan and I at Noordwijk aan Zee. We later went for a walk up on the boardwalk and I found myself sleep walking. After that, we biked home.