On leaving Bremen we moved our base camp to Holland. We set up home on a campsite in Bloemendaal aan Zee. We chose this venue because it was near to the Euro Hockey League matches which were to be played at HC Bloemendaal over the Easter weekend.
On our first day in the area we visited Amsterdam - via train and then cycled around the city.
Amsterdam's name is derived from Amstelredamme - a dam in the river Amstel. Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age, a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading centre for finance and diamonds.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded, and many new neighbourhoods and suburbs were formed. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam (in Dutch: 'Grachtengordel'), located in the heart of Amsterdam, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2010.
Just to show that the famous song is right - there is a "windmill in old Amsterdam" - although we didn't see a mouse on the stair!
The end of the 19th century is sometimes called Amsterdam's second Golden Age. New museums, a train station, and the Concertgebouw were built. The Amsterdam-Rhine Canal was dug to give Amsterdam a direct connection to the Rhine, and the North Sea Canal was dug to give the port a shorter connection to the North Sea.
Amsterdam Central Station
You know how you might sometimes say about someone that they "wouldn't pull up any trees" - well these guys definitely did (admittedly with help from a crane!)
The brewery
Vondelpark
The Rijksmuseum possesses the largest and most important collection of classical Dutch art. It opened in 1885. Its collection consists of nearly one million objects. The artist most associated with Amsterdam is Rembrandt, whose work, and the work of his pupils, is displayed in the Rijksmuseum. Rembrandt's masterpiece the Nightwatch is one of top pieces of art of the museum. The museum also houses paintings from artists like Van der Helst, Vermeer, Frans Hals, Ferdinand Bol, Albert Cuijp, Van Ruysdael and Paulus Potter.
Statue of Rembrandt in Rembrandt Plein
Rembrandt's house, where he lived from 1636 to 1658. The interior has been restored to its original state. The museum owns an almost complete collection of the known 290 etchings.
Funfare in front of the Royal Palace. The Palace was originally the Town Hall of Amsterdam but is now used for official occasions by the Queen of the Netherlands
The sun sets as we wend our way back to the campsite
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