This maybe our last trip report as this might be our last weekend in Germany. Therefore it was quite fitting that we head back to Amsterdam since that was the first city we had visited way back at the beginning of September and we knew then there was more we wanted to see. What an adventure this turned out to be.

Last week in Dusseldorf, there was much activity along the Rhine just down from the building. They were building ski ramps and bringing in large truckloads of snow for the Ski World Cup kickoff, which was to be held over the weekend. Just like with Oktoberfest, the small beer houses were put up all around the city and banners hung over the streets advertising the weekend. This was the first time this event was held here. This information becomes important later. 

We left late Friday evening to ensure we got two full days in since we knew it would be our last time there. Arrived in Amsterdam around 11:00PM but since we knew where we were going, not a problem. You don’t want to be hanging out on the street corners later in the evening with a map in your hand announcing to all that you are truly lost. Shortly after we checked into the hotel, Mother Nature let loose. We were treated to an awesome lightning storm complete with hail. At that point, we were glad to be inside, little did we know of what was to come.

Saturday

We started out our morning with a tour of the windmills and a visit to the medieval town of Edam. My cousin had not seen the wooden shoemaker in action so we want back to that. Afterwards we went to see a working windmill. Today it is used mainly as a showplace of how it use to function and does still actually turn out a small amount of product. It grinds peanuts and produces peanut oil. The stone wheels inside the windmill are the same ones from the 18th century. When they were first installed they weighed more than a ton, today they are a slim ½ ton. Raw peanuts which have had the husks removed are placed under the wheel and once a paste is made some of the husks are added to the mixture. Once they are blended together, the entire mixture is moved to a warming stone. When the peanut mixture is warm, it is raked into canvas bags with are then placed in a slot. The windmill is set up with an anvil that is pushed down by the force of a block hitting it into an area by the bag of peanuts. The result of this continual pressure is ultimately the oil. I think Jim has pictures of the wheel and process. The creaking and groaning sounds within the windmill was quite loud due to the wind that was beginning to pick up.

In Edam we saw the last cheese-weighing store with its old scales. Once upon a time when everyone had to come and have their cheese weighed before they could sell it and the taxes from this venture made Edam a well to do city as well as providing the name for a cheese type. The homes there are beautiful and unique. One had old wooden shoes on the side with plant growing out of them.

In the afternoon we went to Delft and a visit to the famous "Delft Blue" pottery factory. A good lesson was given as to how to tell a true piece of Delft pottery should you encounter a piece advertised as such. Naturally as you stroll through the gift shop, a purchase or two has to be made.

Then onto The Hague which is the seat of the Dutch government and the Peace Palace. We saw the place where Milokovich’s(sp) trial will be held. Quite an impressive city.

We then went to visit the miniature town of Madurodam. Madurodam is really Holland in a nutshell. By the time we got here, it was incredibly cold and windy. We could have easily spent hours looking at all the miniature cities recreated here but it was too cold. For you Vodafoner’s, look at the website. Even in the miniature town, there were a couple of Vodafone advertisements. This town is built at a 1:25 scale and was opened to the public in 1952. It was named after George Maduro who fought as a reserve cavalry lieutenant in the Second World War and died as a POW. His parents wanted to commemorate him so they built this city and donate its profits to the Student Sanatorium.

On the way back to Amsterdam we drove by the resort of Scheveningen with its silvery beaches for strolling and shopping but not on a day like this. No one wanted to leave the coach. The North Sea was churning with White Caps.

By the time we got back to the hotel, we were ready for a glass of wine out of the wind.

We met a lady at the hotel Saturday evening from Seattle who said she couldn’t get out because only one runway was open at the airport due to the wind.

Sunday we went to mass at St. Nicholas’s cathedral. It was quite windy and the timing was good because the rain was just starting as we went into the church. As with all the old churches in Europe, it was beautiful. It was build back in the 13th century as a Catholic Church and then during the reformation, it became a Protestant Church, now it is back to a Catholic Church. One of the things that are unique about it are the colors. Most churches have their paintings in vibrant colors but this one was completely filled with very muted pastels and tiles. During the service you could hear the wind moaning outside and the candles were flickering even with all the doors and windows closed.

Afterwards we decided to walk the city heading first toward the Ann Frank house. By now the wind was so strong that you had to walk with your head down to make progress. When we got to the Ann Frank house, the line to get in was almost around the block. We decided to keep walking. We went through the Red Light district since my cousin had never been there. There is almost as much activity going on in the windows during the day as at night. Why not, everyone needs to make a living. By now the rain had started to fall in earnest along with the wind so we stopped in for a bit of lunch at a restaurant along the mail canal. We watched as one canal cruise company closed their gates and stopped having the tours. Again you would have thought this should have been a clue that something was amiss, how many tour companies close their doors at 3:00 on a Sunday afternoon. After lunch we headed out to the one remaining canal cruise that was open and by then it was pouring. We did the tour and when they go partly out to the open waters, it was quite scary. That little boat was rocking and rolling. After we got back, we decided to go ahead and head to the train station even though we had an hour before our train was to leave. The few blocks walk to the train station was in pouring rain and high winds. You had to hold onto each other to keep moving forward. Chaos reigned at the train station. All trains leaving Amsterdam had been canceled due to gale force 4 winds within the city and gale force 11 winds outside of the city. We immediately called the hotel where we had been staying to see if we could get a reservation for another night. Luckily we called from the train station because by the time we swam back to the hotel, the line was forming with people who were now stranded without a place to sleep. Tiles were being torn from the rooftops and were sailing through the air like projectiles. We were exhausted by the time we finally got to our room.

We saw on CNN where the Ski World Cup kickoff that was to have been held in Dusseldorf over the weekend had to be canceled due to the high winds and 6 people had been killed in the UK due to wind related events.

Bright and early Monday morning we get up and head back to the train station. Upon entering it, all looks normal. Schedules are posted on the board so we go up to the platform for our 7:05 train. It gets pulled from the schedule; next train is at 7:55. Jim checks with the counter and she said yep, platform 4B. Up we go. Around 8:15 they pull the notice of the 7:55 train down. By now the platform is quite crowded. We strike up a conversation with a young man (again from Seattle); he goes back down and checks at another information booth. They now tell him all trains after a certain point are stopped due to trees down on the tracks and we should take a train as far as we can, then take a bus to the next town and then get back on a train to Dusseldorf. This 2.5-hour journey took us 8 hours. I began to think of Gilligan’s Island but we did arrive back "home" safe and sound and had a great time in spite of everything.

 See you soon.