Jocelyn's blog
Apr. 16, 2009
Lijn 90
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"It is beaut, really." That was Nanna's way of describing this picturesque way of traveling around some of the Netherlands. By catching a bus from Utrecht to Rotterdam, we would go through tiny, quaint villages and see the countryside. It sounded like a great idea and it was 27 degrees yesterday, warm and sunny, so we thought that we would spend the afternoon this way. We'd had morning tea and lunch with Nanna and left her place by mid-afternoon. After all, the Netherlands is a small country so it really wouldn't take that long... After taking a train to Utrecht, we eventually found the bus we wanted - Lijn 90 (line 90) and it did meander along the edge of the River Lek for two and a half hours. I couldn't take photographs of so many of the scenes that caught my eye because being on the bus just didn't allow me to do so. I will try to describe some of what we saw and the rest of the pictures will be put on Facebook later today. There isn't one scene that has stayed in my mind, more of an ongoing picture, added to and enhanced as we traveled through each little town. The countryside is open, rather than fenced off as it is in Australia. We use terms such as "rugged" or "rustic" to describe country charm and I find myself unable to use those words. Perhaps another "r" word is better, like "relaxed". There's houses that are set in manicured gardens, there's the neatness and order of canal ways through the land, there's finely appointed houses but there's also part of the countryside that hasn't been tamed or domesticated or seems to be more loosely structured. Longer, lush grass that is so vividly green; goats and cows sharing the land; trees and flowers bursting into bloom, a riot of colour. The beauty is in the harmony of all of these elements and that gives the sense of idyll. Just spending time reflectively looking out at the countryside, in quiet repose was a worthwhile experience. If you have time, I would recommend the bus part of this journey. I certainly felt it was the best part of the sightseeing that day. Unfortunately, when we stopped at Kinderdijk to look at windmills, the next bus didn't come for one hour. We had more hassles getting from South Rotterdam to Centraal Station and the train back to Amsterdam, and with the waits and train transfers, we didn't get home until 9.15pm. This meant the whole trip took almost 7 hours!! We were a bit travel-weary but sat down to enjoy a lovely meal of Thai Takeaway with the vdBs - which was a great way to unwind and finish the day. |
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