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2-8AUG2004 I left Germany late in the evening and crossed the border into the Netherlands. The countryside was an intense green color and the barns with the high roofs gave it a different look from Germany. I found a campground near the top end of Afslutdjik, which seperates the Zuider Zee from the North Sea. The next morning I rode the 60km length of the dike and then spent the afternoon on the famous resort island of Texel. There I found some beautiful farms and thousands of Dutch tourists. That Evening I arrived in Leiden to spend a few days with my friend Rik. I met him while taking a TEFL course in Bangkok a few years ago. He is a teacher in Leiden and also loves to travel. He, too, is a big fan of Thailand. After a few cold beers and a good night's sleep we set off to explore Leiden. His flat is only a 15 minute walk from the center of the town. Everywhere I looked there were canals and beautifully preserved old buildings. Leiden has the oldest university in the Netherlands and I actually witnessed a student studying. We took the canal tour of Leiden. There are lots of houseboats along the canal and they look like a great place to live. Students (I don't think they were studying) were sunning themselves in the many parks along the canal. We saw the burger shop next to the townhall where Rik's ancestors farmed 400 years ago. I guess you could say his family aren't newcomers to Leiden. We took a late evening stroll on a nearby beach and spent some pleasant time on his balcony. After looking at the prices for ciggarettes in Western Europe I decided to roll my own. I'm now practicing the art with the help of a little rolling machine. On Friday, we're meeting a computer-generated friend in Amsterdam. She promises great insights into the architecture and history of Amsterdam. The tour of Amsterdam was interesting and we had a really good pizza. It was time to move on and say goodbye to Rik and his great computer. Next stop England. |
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