An Enthusiastic Traveller

The engine whistles and the fireman shovels coal into the firebox. An adventurous trip to days gone by is about to begin, when steam trams connected ancient towns like Hoorn and Medemblik. Seated in the antique coaches, we listened to the clickety-clack of the wheels, heard the escaping steam and felt the tram move through the timeless Westfrisian countryside. A friend told me about the steam tram rides between Hoorn and Medemblik, and I immediately booked tickets. We were fortunate to catch one of the trips that passes by the tulip fields in bloom. Hoorn Tram station At Hoorn Tram station which is converted in museum we discovered the story of steam trams in Netherlands, covering the 1878 - 1966 period. The Timeline exhibitions takes us back into history. Small objects, film images, photos and documents tell the story about the steam tram in the Netherlands. The common thread is a timeline in which the highlights of Dutch steam tram history are central. We were filled with excitement,...

During the rainy days and with the current restrictions, my only consolation is writing about magical places I discovered in the past months in Netherlands. The subject of this post is De Haar Castle, a place rich in stories!  The joy of exploring this flamboyant castle De Haar is the largest castle in the Netherlands, once the private residence of the Van Zuylen family, whose descendants still stay there yearly. In the last century, the castle also frequently hosted members of the international jet set with their lavish lifestyle; from Coco Chanel to Roger Moore, they too left their mark on the sumptuous rooms of the most opulent spot in Utrecht. I visited the castle a couple of weeks ago, together with my dearest friend, Ioana, and it was a lovely Sunday, even with some warm sunshine!  This year I bought  Museumkaart  which allows free entrance to about 400 museums in the Netherlands, De Haar Castle included! Despite the months when the museums were/are closed, I g...

 It's been a while since my last post in March. Despite the pandemic, in May - June, when the restrictions loosened up, I started to go on short trips in Netherlands to explore the nature and iconic places, such Zaanse Schans. You may wonder why I waited so long to visit this place. Well, I've never been a big fan of crowded places, and according to the statistics, Zaanse Schans attracts nearly a million visitors per year and it's one of the Netherlands' best loved attractions. I seized the moment and when I visited the place it was almost deserted, for my own content. Additionally, I did a return journey with my bicycle! From Amsterdam Oost (where I live), is approximatively 20km one way. The route includes a ferry. I took the ferry from Veer Hempontplein because I stopped in West to surprise my friend with a delicious cheesecake that I baked the night before. And also this route went through Zaandam! I had to stop to capture this Who let the ducks out! This is not the...

Another sunny day spent well! I woke up, had breakfast at home and went to Amsterdam Centraal. At that moment I didn't know my destination. The plan was to take the first train from first platform. It wasn't exactly platform 1, but 2 and that took me to Leiden, a charming city in southern part of Netherlands. The ride was ~40 minutes. Leiden Centraal First thing I did when I got off the train was to go to the tourist information centre and grab a paper map (for free). Yes! Today I didn't use Google maps and I manage to return to Amsterdam! First stop: Molen de Valk (The Falcon), a tower mill dating from 1743. There is also a museum that you can visit it (I skipped it). Molen de Valk and its reflection in the river It was lovely to walk in the sunshine and enjoy this charming town. Beestenmarkt, a central square which used to be a cattle market in the past One of the busiest canals with a lot of cafes I wonder what's behind that gate Leiden is t...