OLD CONTINENT: Amsterdam NETHERLANDS

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Through ... relentless and pounding rains, a multitude of gravel road washouts, a turbulent snow melt and the blackest of ice ... all the while, expertly manouevering his exceptionally well-cared for and detailed, ding-free and bullet-hole free, street legal, Subaru limousine, around refrigerator sized potholes, the muddiest of mud and the dirtiest of dirt ... our heroic shuttle driver Tony delivered us from home to the Belleville Train Station ... uninjured and ahead of time!😉

From there it was an easy, 3 trains to get us to the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, where we'll overnight and then fly out with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, tomorrow evening. 

7th floor, overlooking the parking lot on an overcast evening.

Our KLM Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner departed Toronto at 6:21 pm EST on March 06 and touched down in Amsterdam at 06:47 am CET (12:47 EST) on March 07; a flight duration of 6 hours 26 minutes.

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For the Readers

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You can just skip all the text I've written and double click on any photo to launch a gallery of all photos; which you can then scroll (<>) through.

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NETHERLANDS

Mar 07-11

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A Walking Tour

Stock Photo

The Old City Centre of Amsterdam is a World UNESCO site.

We stayed in The Historic District. We had fabulous weather, clear skies and daytime temperatures in the mid - high teens celcius; which is apparently nicer than most years.

Bikes rule the streets here. I've never seen so many in such a small area. All traffic, from pedestrians to cars and trucks always give right-of-way to bicycles ... and, I've been told; are considered 'in the wrong' if there is any type of traffic incident.

"In The Netherlands, when the fetus is beyond the first trimester and the mother has decided to keep it, a tiny bicycle with training wheels is inserted in the womb. When born the baby has to show that it is proficient in riding the bike or it gets deported to Belgium." (Source: Our waitress)

The clearly marked, multi-laned streets are congenially shared ... pigeons, walking locals, international tourist pedestrians, wheelchair travellers, old and young folks, roller skaters, skate boarders, uni-cyclists, bicyclists, bike police, scooters, segways, motorcycles, stupid cars, cars, vans, mid and full-sized trucks, vans, buses, double-decker buses, streetcars and the odd 10-ton truck ... really, EVERYONE is welcome, and, ain't that just GREAT!

We were fascinated! We sat at a nearby cafe (con dos vinos tintos y tapas) and watched all that traffic interact; no traffic lights, no police, no horns or sirens, no arguments, no fights ... just understanding and co-operation. At home, there would have been large signage warning of a dangerous intersection being approached / drivers beware.

Cigarette butts are really the only street litter here - the few garbage bins we saw were rarely full, zero dog poops on the streets (pickup regs) - rarely saw dogs before evening hours, lotsa cannibas smoke 'everywhere' - you don't need to purchase, everyone smokes - cigarettes, vaping, canninbas, open alcohol carry - you can even carry a beer on your bike while driving, very little graffiti and zero street art.

Once outside the 'historical area' the scene changes somewhat ... increased litter and the presence of western, fast food chains, more street noise from bars, restaurants and obnoxious humans, dozens of delivery bicycles zip along, street cleaners are present and necessary here. 

Many very good restaurants in this area, we visited several ... Olijfje was a favourite ... we went twice!

Sharing ... a very nice Merlot, warm crusty bread, olive mix, lightly battered prawns, turkish meatballs, fresh tzatziki, 3-cheese board, mixed greens, gazpacho, chef's aioli, local honey and an elegant olive oil drizzle.

A GREAT meal to end with, on our last night in AMSTERDAM

Second visit ... a South African Tempranillo, crusty bread basket, olive mix, chef's aioli, antep ezme tapinade (spicy spanish peppers, walnuts, paprika, tomatoes, green peppers, parsley, onions), crab salad w. olive oil dressing, mature manchego cheese platter, lamb kabobs (rice, olive oil, sauted vegetables, creamy mushroom gravy), chocolat mousse w. crumbled pistachio.

Couldn't finish it all, came close though, carried a 1/2 bottle of wine home.

Amsterdam is built on a swamp, engineering plans are underway to stabilize the soils.

The rusted, iron wall structures in the above 2 photos are 'driven down to refusal', as much as 20' or more below waterlevel and then filled to create a stable below grade wall; one of several methods being employed to stabilize building foundations. 

The 7 homes shown here, ALL lean in different 'directional combinations'. Although the area which we now know as Amsterdam was dangerous to live in, due to the danger of floods people protected themselves. Residents constructed dykes (the land was below sea level), they built the AmsterDAM and in the 15th century the city’s ring canals were built. 

Houseboats come in all shapes and sizes, aren't navigable and have their engines removed; many were once working supply and trade vessels, 3 masted schooners, water taxis or buses. Spaces are rented, taxes paid, city services provided (electric, water, sewer), some can sell for a high of 1 million euros or higher!; the rundown ones for 0.5 million euros.

 

The homes stay where they are until the hulls are no longer waterproof or can be repaired. They are then hoisted out, sent to salvage and the property owners space is quickly renovated with a waterproof deck/floor and a wooden structure built on top (see home on left).

Stock photo

This is the interior of an Amsterdam houseboat that recently went on the market for 1.495 million euros!

Street scene highlighting ... the Global Femicide Epidemic

Gender-related killings (femicide/feminicide) are the most brutal and extreme manifestation of violence against women and girls.  

Amsterdam Osdorp Butterfly

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A Floating Tour

Stock Photo

The Canals of Amsterdam

Amsterdam has more than 100 kilometers (62 mi) of grachten (canals), about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals (Herengracht, Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht), dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings. The 17th-century canal ring area, including the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Jordaan, were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, contributing to Amsterdam's fame as the "Venice of the North". (Source: Wikipedia)

Captain Jamie

Stock Photo

 

... and, he's just as likeable and knowlegable about Amsterdam as his smile indicates.

Living In the Houseboats of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is built on poles, but a part of the city lives on water – literally. The houseboat is a striking part of the inner city of Amsterdam, and it enriches the picturesque image of the canals. Within the area of the Singel, there are around 750 houseboats on the water. Roughly speaking, there are two sorts of houseboats: the house-ship, and the ark. The house-ship is an old barge of which the old cargo space has been transformed into a living space. An ark is a boat that was built to be lived in; a house on water.

NEMO Science and Technology Musuem

The National Maritime Marine Museum

The Seven Bridges refer to a series of bridges that span over two canals, creating a stunning composition of arches and reflections. This enchanting scene has inspired artists, photographers, and poets throughout the years.

The Oude Kerk

The Oude Kerk (English: Old Church) is Amsterdam's oldest building and newest art institute (since 2012). The building was founded about 1213 and consecrated in 1306 by the bishop of Utrecht with Saint Nicolas as its patron saint. After the Reformation in 1578, it became a Calvinist church, which it remains today. It stands in De Wallen, now Amsterdam's main Red-light district. 

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The Red Light District

Project 1012

In 2007 the Amsterdam municipality started ‘Project 1012’, named after the Red Light District’s postal code. The goal is to further decriminalize prostitution in Amsterdam by concentrating it around a limited number of streets and banning criminal elements from the profession. As a result, some 126 windows were closed since then. In the meantime, the working women became more outspoken. The union ‘PROUD’ was established: the adult entertainment industry union. Their mission is to empower and advocate for the rights of adult entertainment workers, and to create a safe and dignified work environment for all. 

You're certaily welcome to walk through the area, but these are the rules ...

1. Do not take photographs or film

2. Do not tap or spit on the window

3. Be respectful toward the women

4. Do not peek through cracks in the curtains

5. Do not stand in front of the doors or windows

6. When visiting, pay in advance and discuss beforehand what is and is not permitted

7. Never have unprotected sex

8. Be hygienic (clean and well-groomed, not intoxicated)

9. When you suspect force or coercion, call the police on 0900 8844

10. Aggression is not tolerated

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Where To Next ? ... 

... SOUTH AFRICA / ZIMBABWE, split up by a couple of safaris in BOTSWANA; all together, about 3 weeks.

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Our complete photography gallery for Trip168 (including *-1 >*-4), comprises the countries of NETHERLANDS, SOUTH AFRICA, BOTSWANA and ZIMBABWE.

Our Cameras

NIKON Coolpix P1000

iPhone 16

Unless credited, all photo content is by LOAFin Around  

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POLAR: Driving ICELAND's Ring Road - Akureyri to Reykjavik

 

Northwest ICELAND

Part 4/4

Akureyri>Laugarbakki Village>Budir>Borgarnes>Reykjavik

   

Tunnels - Waterfalls - Lava Fields - Ravines  - Shipwrecks - Canyons

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More Fun Facts

Iceland is considered an Arctic country, however only a small portion of it is actually north of the Arctic Circle; just the Island of Grimsey at latitude 66.55334. The furthest north we drove to was near Manartakki, (a couple of days ago) at latitude 66.20449. Just 0.3 degrees south of the Arctic Circle or as a distance ... approximately 35 kilometres. So, my personal goal of driving across the Arctic Circle in all Arctic countries won't happen ... drat; I'll have to settle for just visiting them all I suppose.

I imagine winter driving can be quite treacherous in the more remote parts of Iceland. Many farms seemed to have both a high-hoe (to dig a hole or maybe, dig a vehicle out) and an Arctic Truck 'build' (or the equivalent) parked in the driveway. We passed one large, expensive estate along the north coast and the landowner had a snow cat at the ready.

Iceland probably has the tastiest drinking water you will find anywhere! It's available everywhere here, you can drink as much as you want and ... it's FREE!

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Route

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JOURNAL

I've used the Iceland font for Icelandic placenames where we stayed on our driving route or as sidetrips we took and for some Journal details.

My sincere apologies to any native Icelanders for any spelling errors I may have made.

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How to View This Post 

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2. See * below.

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Photography

Cameras: NIKON Coolpix P610 & CANON DSLR EOS Rebel T8i

* For all photos from the 4 posts that were published for this trip, see our Trip158 gallery. Viewing our photography this way, has the advantage of displaying the photos as full screen on your monitor. But, just so you know ... there are several hundred.

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Day14

Route: Akureyri > Laugarbakki Village 

Sidetrip: > none 

Distance (Daily / Cummulative): 285.3 / 2261.0 kms 

Hiking (Daily / Total): 2 / 93.4 kms 

Camp09: 1 night @ Hotel Laugarbakki

A bright, sunny🌞and clear morning ... still fortunate with the weather; this is our day 14 and we've only had 2 days with mild drizzle and some overnight heavier rain. 

Four tunnels today, 2 single lane and one of the double lane tunnels was 7 km long; a new record for us. Mostly a driving day along the coast, no hikes just some short walks. We're following the 'primary' Eyjafjordur, Skagafjordur and Hunafjordur fjords and heading westerly.

The dual Hedinsfjorour Tunnels, with a total length of 11 km, were dug between Siglufjordur and Olafsfjordur to connect with the region of Eyjafjordur in the east, and opened on 2 October 2010. Siglufjordur was already connected by the 800 m tunnel Strakagong to the west; it used to be the town's only road connection open year-round. That tunnel was completed in 1967.

Siglufjorour

Look closely and you'll see the avalanche fencing (photos above and below) across the high mountain slopes above the village. This is the northernmost village that you can drive to in Iceland. To get here you can bypass the tunnels and still follow the old mountain road (only in the summer months) ... it's the highest road in Iceland. We took the tunnels ... 😀

Whooper Swans

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Day15

Route: Laugarbakki Village >Budir

Sidetrip:  > Stykkisholmsbaer  

Distance (Daily / Cummulative): 268.1 / 2529.1 kms 

Hiking (Daily / Total): 1 / 94.4 kms 

Camp10: 2 nights @ Hotel Budir

It was a very rainy day; drizzle with periodic heavy rain and a lot of fog higher in the mountains. The drive also passed through an area of new highway construction, so much of the road surface was gravel. Fortunately, the weather cleared somewhat and enough times, for us to take a few pictures along coastal Highway 54 ... we decided it has the most dramatic scenery of the 2529 kms we've driven, so far in Iceland ... the vibrant Autumn colours probably helped us reach that conclusion.

Shipwreck in the foreground and the fishing village of Stykkisholm in the background. There are nearly 2700 islands in the bay north of the village.

That's a lava field you're looking at.

Stykkisholm (Stock Photo)

Budahraun Lava Fields 

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Day16

Route: @ Budir

Sidetrip: Budir > Olafsvik

Distance (Daily / Cummulative): 135.6 / 2664.7 kms 

Hiking (Daily / Total): 7.41 / 101.8 kms 

Camp10: 2 nights @ Hotel Budir

Rain overnight, early morning low fog, drizzle, cleared before noon, fogged in again by mid-afternoon, heavy rain around 4 pm, high 13 C. Gewme (that's how he pronounced it) at the National Park visitor centre, told us this is the nicest September he can recall. Even though it rained today, this really is only the 2nd half day (in 16) we've been 'rained out'.

Hotel Budir ... our accommodation for 2 nights.

The Black Church

On the south coast of Iceland’s Snæfellsnes peninsula, there’s a village with only a hotel and a tiny black church called the Búðakirkja. It was erected in 1703 by Bent Lárusson, who was a merchant in Búðir. It rotted down but was rebuilt by Steinunn Sveinsdóttir in 1848. Legend has it that she did this following a request by Bent Lárusson in a dream.

Friends

Raudfaldsgja Ravine

Rauðfeldsgjá is a deep, high and narrow ravine in the cliffs south of the glacier Snæfellsjökull with a dramatic story and family tragedy attached to its name. The location is near the tiny hamlet of Arnarstapi. Seen from the road, it looks like a small crack in the berg that slid just a bit, enough for people to enter and observe. If you look closely, you can see 2 hikers just at the entrance.

Barour Snaefellsnes

Bárður was according to Bárðar Saga Snæfellsáss the settler of this area, half a troll, and half a man, his father was half a titan, but his mother was human. Bárður came to Iceland in the 9th century and gave the peninsula its name, Snjófellsnes peninsula, but both words "snær" and "snjór" mean snow in Icelandic.

In ... Snaefellsnes National Park 

Note: Remainder of the photos in this post are taken in the NP.

Djupalonssandur

Driving the Budahraun Lava Field - estimated eruption date 250 A.D.

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Day17

Route: Budir > Borgarnes

Sidetrips: > Gianni & Hraunfossar Waterfalls

Distance (Daily / Cummulative): 242.7  / 2907.4 kms 

Hiking (Daily / Total): 4.7 / 106.5 kms 

Camp11: 1 night @ B59 Hotel

Some overnight rain, early morning drizzle, some low fog; then it cleared for several hours in the afternoon ... by 6 pm the drizzle moved back in. Just a couple of easy walks today. We only have a short drive to our final (on the road) nights stay at Borgarnes today; then it's back to the capital; Rekjavik for a couple of additional days, before flying home to Canada ... this adventure is winding down.

... just another beautiful canyon!

Last Lupins of the season.

Gianni Waterfall

The locals believe it to be the dwelling place for elves and trolls. 

Hraunfossar Waterfall

The lava field that Hraunfossar trickles through flowed from an eruption of one of the volcanoes lying under the nearby glacier of Langjökull, the second largest ice-cap in Iceland. The waterfalls pour into the Hvítá river from ledges of less porous rock in the lava; that seemingly originate in a field without a river or a lake. The water is actually streaming through rivulets in the Hallmundarhraun lava field. 

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Day18

Route: Borgarnes > Reykjavik

Sidetrips: None

Distance (Daily / Cummulative): 160.7  / 3068.1 kms 

Hiking (Daily / Total): 2.0 / 108.5 kms 

Camp12: 3 nights @ Iceland Air Hotel

Mostly a clear day, high 15 C. The highlight of our final driving day was the trip along the inside coastline of the scenic Hvalfjordur fjord.

This cairn holds an emergency food cache. Carefully piled rocks formed into a cairn make a landmark. In centuries gone by, cairns could mean the difference between life and death in the less hospitable parts of Iceland. They would break up long journeys on foot and reassure the weary traveller that they were indeed on their way to their friend’s farm or the next village, and not over the edge of a hidden cliff, or into the mouth of a volcano. Important stuff, right?

Iceland’s cairns are carefully catalogued and are protected structures. Some of them are hundreds of years old, and one is even believed to be the oldest structure in the country—literally built by one of the Viking settlers. 

Unfortunately, in recent years, modern-day visitors have started building a lot of cairns of their own. ... All. Over. The. Place. Much like the proliferation of countless Inukshucks in Canada's north (and south); this cultural appropriation by uninformed people only has the effect of making both of these symbols irrelevant. Personally, I knock Inukshuks down and scatter the stones; when I find them in places they shouldn't be.

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Days 19 > 21

Route: Around Reykjavik 

Distance (Daily / Cummulative): 0.0 / 3068.1 kms 

Hiking (Daily / Total): 7.5 + 5.3 / 121.3  kms 

Camp13: 3 nights @ Icelandair Hotel Marina

We had mixed weather over our time here; some drizzle and rain, some clear and sunny skies ... typical for this time of year.

Walked the main shopping district of Rekyjavik, visited the National Museum of Iceland.

Rekyavik Scenes ... pedestrian malls mixed with some vehicle traffic, local youth on scooterboards, more building art and graffiti than other parts of the country, some streets are fairly steep, lots of bars and restaurants, a lunch at the Old Iceland Restaurant

A few photos taken at the National Museum of Iceland ... certainly worth a visit.

Lunch at the Old Iceland Restaurant ... appetizer of cured salmon, trout roe, pickled cucumber, dill mayo, rye crumble !

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About Food

We've had some fabulous 'eats' in Iceland.

We haven't prepared any food on this trip; all our meals have been in restaurants and often at the hotels where we were staying. We've eaten in roadside cafes, roadhouses, pizza joints and higher end eateries and restaurants. We've had very few disappointing meals. Icelanders really know how to prepare and serve up breads, soups, butter, skyr, arctic char, salmon, trout, lamb. Matorka Farms in particular, is worth mentioning here because of their environmentally friendly and innovative programn for farm raised Arctic Char. 

There seems to be a short supply of fruits in some regions; we were offered very few berries and limited citrus, mostly just a couple of different melon varieties and bananas. I had one of the best takes ever on a 'caprese salad' here in Rekyjavik. A variety of cheeses is also not often offered; however the burrata cheese used in a number of traditional Icelandic dishes is certainly worth trying if you can find it offered on a menu.

                                                  

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If You Come to ICELAND

We want to extend our appreciation to the Nordic Visitor travel service and in particular to Margrét, who was extremely helpful and very quickly answered any questions we had.

Right up front ... the only negative we found, was that ... everything is very expensive here. Other than that, you will meet friendly and helpful Icelanders, experience some of the most rugged and scenic landscape on the planet, all in an environmentally conscious and very clean country.

We were here for 3 weeks in September; a time of year when the country can experience a lot of rainfall; however we didn't have much and the little we did, didn't affect our daily travel plans. The temperature ranged from just above 0 - 15 C and the winds were only ever as strong as moderate.

We didn't find it that difficult navigating our way along the various driving routes. Our rental vehicle was supplied with unlimited WIFI and I would suspect other rental companies offer the same option to tourists. Detailed area map boards are usually available at road intersections, signage is large and colourful, speed limits are clearly posted. 

As in most European countries, tipping is not required in ICELAND, but you can tip if you want. Workers in service and restaurant industries are paid according to sectoral wage agreements which are supposed to guarantee a minimum living wage. At restaurants and bars the wages of the servants, baristas and bartenders are all included in the price. The same applies to taxis and all guided tours. 

'Carving on a Sperm Whale tooth' 

A work by Icelandic carver Greta Por Palsson.

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Next

Flight from Reykjavik ICELAND > Toronto CANADA

Regroup and repack for some LOAFin Around in October ...

Then, 5 weeks swimming with the fishes in Cozumel MEXICO ... December 2022 to January 2023.

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We're Kanoe Tripping with a Mitsibushi Eclipse Crossover Hybrid this adventure 

... LOAF stayed at BASECAMP. 

  

You can follow all our travels from here.

  

For all photos from this trip see our Trip158 gallery.

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