The Hague and Amsterdam
Our plan at this stage is to tour Scandinavia over summer and experience the midnight sun at Nordkapp in Norway, the northernmost point in Europe. With the aim of being there in early July the first part of our journey is focused on getting to Scandinavia while still making sure we do justice to the places we’re passing through and see as much as we can.
After leaving Brugge on June 5 we headed towards Amsterdam. I’ve always wanted to see The Hague and had heard the waterfront is worth a visit so I persuaded Mr. Love to stop there for lunch. This was easier said than done as traffic was horrific and the waterfront built up and crowded, not the place for a 7.45 metre-long campervan. We did eventually find a park and had our picnic overlooking the marina before heading into the centre for a stroll through this city of Peace and Justice. 2017 marks the centenary of the Dutch art movement De Stijl best known through the works of Piet Mondrian with his bold black grids filled with blocks of bright primary colours. The Hague has gone all out to celebrate Mondrian, turning buildings into giant replicas of his famous art and flying Mondrian styled flags along the streets. Retailers were getting into the spirit with shop window designs inspired by Mondrian, and even dresses in the windows of high fashion stores bearing the trademark print of this famous artist.
We arrived mid-afternoon in Amsterdam and settled in to Camping Zeeburg, a colourful camping ground located about 7.5km from the city centre. The place was a hive of activity, filled with young backpackers in tiny one-man tents as well, as families and couples in campers and caravans of all shapes and sizes. We knew we were in Amsterdam when greeted by the waft of “smoke”, a permanent presence around the camp. After setting up we cycled to Amsterdam and spent a few hours exploring the city before heading back to camp.
Overnight a storm hit with heavy rain and strong winds. The campervan felt like a boat being tossed around at sea. At 5am the wind still hadn’t abated and after listening to the awning flapping madly in the gale we decided it was best to get up and take it down. Semi-clothed and fighting the wind we successfully had the awning rolled up and back in place and as a reward got to see a dramatic red dawn sky – “red sky in the morning shepherds’ warning”.
After waiting for the weather to clear for most of the morning we decided to brave it, rug up against the cold wind, and cycle to town. First stop, the Van Gogh Museum where we were told the next available tickets were for the 4pm intake. We bought tickets and then cycled through the Old Towne to the Tulip Markets for lunch, after which we visited some of the local cheese shops for tastings of Gouda of all flavours imaginable.
I am great with maps and generally have good sense of direction, as Andrew would say; “very good for a girl”. But Amsterdam gets me, and Andrew too. It’s one of those cities that seems to send you in circles every time. We took an age trying to find Anne Frank’s house and with squalls of wind and rain constantly coming through navigation proved even harder. In a moment of frustration, I tried to take a short cut and cycled straight into an angry Dutchman. With my leg and pride bruised and a bit of confidence lost we managed to find our intended destination.
After visiting Anne Frank’s House, we headed back to the Van Gogh Museum to get there for the 4pm intake. Unsurprisingly we got horribly lost again, but enjoyed seeing some more picturesque residential streets filled with climbing roses and flower pots brimming with impatiens.
The Van Gogh Museum was a great experience, especially for a longtime fan like me. I thought I knew a lot about this artist after falling in love with his work at 15, but perhaps embarrassingly didn’t know he went through a Japanese phase, Fishing Boats on the Beach at Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is now my new favourite. Within the museum was also an exhibition of Prints in Paris 1900, an amazing display of modern art prints including world-famous posters like Le Chat Noir and Le Moulin Rouge.
After a couple of hours in the museum we headed back to the campsite, arriving there just as the heavens opened, so we put aside any plans for a night on the town and hunkered down in the camper telling stories and listening to the rain on the roof.
Hamburg
To get to Hamburg the next day we drove 465 km in the pouring rain with heavy traffic and more trucks than you could ever imagine. Where are they all going?
Given the conditions, it was hard going for my driver, but he did a great job and only once managed to upset the locals when driving through roadworks and attempting to drive down a lane that had a width restriction of 2 metres, and being 2.3 metres without the mirrors we were inevitably squeezed to a halt. An angry truck driver got out of his vehicle and gave is a quick roadside lesson on measuring. Lesson learned.
After almost eight hours on the road we arrived at our campsite in Hamburg. Knaus Campingpark is in a woodland area 14km from central Hamburg, and funnily enough right beside IKEA. Despite having one of the world’s biggest homeware stores as your neighbour the setting is very pleasant, with plenty of trees and greenery, and each site surrounded by a privacy hedge.
Originally, we were only going to stay one night but as it took so long to get here we decided to stay two so we could spend a full day in the city, so the next morning we headed off to town via the extremely efficient and convenient public transport. For $20 NZD, we could get a day pass for two people giving us unlimited access to all public transport.
Hamburg is a beautiful city; wide streets, clean, a low-rise cityscape creating a feeling of openness, nice balance of historic and modern, laidback and cool populous with no one really in a rush and no crowds or visible queues, a seemingly very livable city.
After an enjoyable day walking the streets of Hamburg, taking in the history and admiring the architecture, both historic and modern, we headed back to the camping ground via a quick stop at IKEA to buy some essentials for our “home”.
It’s rained every day this week and the average high has been 15 degrees, so it’s not at all summery. However, the weather forecast looks like it’s finally clearing and warming up, perfect timing as we head north to Denmark tomorrow.
