Delft is a beautiful town and the village just outside of it, Den Hoorn, is a lovely little village. The day after I arrive, Vivian lends me a bike and we bike from where he lives in Den Hoorn to the train station in Delft. Though we get on the same train (translation: so I could get on the right one), he gets off in Leiden and I continue on to Amsterdam where I will be spending the day. Amsterdam’s main city center is a spider web of canals radiating out from the train station. It’s quite extraordinary. On my list are three places I really want to see and wouldn’t you know it? They are in three very different places along the spider web of canals. But today I decide to save my feet. I spot a hop on/hop off canal tour that has four lines going through the canals and you can get off at various spots to go see things nearby. It was the canal ride for me. Best euros I've ever spent. I’m not even sure I would have been able to see all three places without it. (What those three were is for another post.) Heading back to Den Hoorn, I managed to find the right trains but got lost bicycling in the village. A group of older folk saved me on this one as they lent me a phone to call Vivian. I learned enough to have his phone number on hand but not his address. Go figure.
The next day was a simple matter of walking, trains, and biking which by this point, I was used to. I think that is when my friends made some secret phone calls in Dutch and decided to see just how far the American can go. And so a new week in European boot camp began.Labels: Europe 2011