155 km
We start early this morning to go to the flower auction at Flora Holland, where you can watch the buyers at the auction and the distribution of the flowers. Its fun to watch from above how the flowers are distributed on small waggons, so many of them driving around with their beautiful freight.
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| Flora Holland |
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| Flora Holland |
After the spectacle we have breakfast before we drive on to Utrecht. We park at the
P+R Pappendorp
52°04’10,3″ N 5°04’59,6″ E
Parking for 4,- a day with a bus stop next to it, which takes you to the center
We would have liked to go with the bikes again, but a tire is destroyed and we have to take the bus instead. First we head to a bike shop to get new tubes, than we take a walk to the money museum which I found in my travel guide. As we get there, we find out that it is closed since 3 years !
So we walk into town and along the busy channels, which have a second level, with restaurants at the water and shops at the street level.
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| channels in Utrecht |
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| channels in Utrecht |
We find that in the Netherlands all the shops are in the center and not in commercial centers at the edge of town, leaving the centers empty, as we see it for example in Austria more and more. The reason for that seems to be that the dutch use their bike so much which makes it easier to get around in town as with a car. We like that !
We find a nice small restaurant for lunch and look at many shops and the church and its bell tower, standing seperately, since a big storm in 1674 destroyed the middle part. Before leaving we stop at an ice cream stall and slowly make our way back to the big train station where also our bus leaves. Luckely there is somebody from the bus company there helping us to find the right bus stop.
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| Cathedral of Utrecht |
We leave Utrecht and drive past Amsterdam north until Hoorn, where we find the caravan parking at the port already full, so we take the camping, which is very green with small waterways inbetween and rabbits hopping around. We have to drive over 2 fragile looking bridges, but the manager asures us that it’s no problem at all.
Grashaven Marina – 52°38’4 , 5°3’24
Camping ‘t Venhop – 52°37’53 , 5°0’39
beautiful camping, very green with water channels going through
