Well I am off travelling again, but this time I have left my wife at home working and have brought along my sister Karin. Don’t get me wrong, Jill is still joining me in a few weeks for our upcoming cruise around Africa (no way she was missing out on that) but the first 5 weeks or so was just too much of a stretch to ask from a new job.

So the first few legs are cruise ships out of the UK. The logistics (and cost) of transport in and around the UK were brutal. So we decided to fly from Australia (via Qatar) to Amsterdam (one of the few places with direct flights to Southampton). This also meant that Karin could see some more of Europe other than just the cruise ship ports.

Amsterdam accommodation is prohibitively expensive, and for those that have been following along, Jill and I have made great friends (Michel and Sonja) in the town of Alkmaar (a short 40 minute train ride from central Amsterdam). So we booked into Alkmaar (saving us a ton of money) and could do a quick train ride to check out the touristy things in town. And for all the rest of the time we could just have fun in the awesome town of Alkmaar.

Alkmaar

I really do not know what to say about this town, it is truly amazing. EVERY single time that I come here there is some major event on. Either I am the luckiest person on the planet or this town just has a whole lot going on ALL THE TIME.

Our first foray saw us hitting the town during the ‘once a year’ Kaeskoppenstad. A celebration a 1500’s resistance to Spanish occupiers that involved the whole town dressing up like the 1500’s and show what life was like 450 years ago.

And this time we arrived to find ourselves exhausted after the Monster transit only to be told that the next day would be the ‘once a year’ Lappendag (Rag Day). What this meant was that every trader in town (and many from around) basically had a stocktake sale on the streets. This turned the whole town centre into a ‘once a year’ outdoor market. It started with the clothing and quickly evolved into just about everything, most notably food.

This made for some interesting sights early on as the streets turned into dressing rooms and women were stripping down to try on various items of clothing. Thankfully Karin found herself in the market for a jacket, which did not involve such an intimate public display.

Somehow in all of this madness, the Lappendag found a way to evolve to include a livestock display of cows, horses and goats. We were out and about early so the crowds weren’t too silly. Although I did have to brave the peak crowd a bit later on so that Karin could bathe (context to follow).

Day one was ambling about and day two was the Lappendag, given our limited time available on day three we hopped the train to Amsterdam for an exploration there.

Amsterdam

After a 10 euro (each way pp) train ride we were in Amsterdam central, ready to explore.

Our arrival time coincided almost perfectly with the departure time for the HOHO canal boat ride, which launched from directly outside of the railway station. So we sat on the boat (it was a cold and less than ideal day) in the relative warmth and did the 2 hour circuit of Amsterdam taking in a lot of the sights.

When our canal boat took us back to the start point we did the 12 minute walk down to where the HOHO bus departed and hopped on that to do the one hour loop of that. Well sort of. We actually hopped off the bus in the museum district and Karin went into the Rijksmuseum (after a pretty special lunch in a nearby café).

Not really being into the artworks I milled about outside while she did her Rembrandt (and others) thing. From here we were back on the HOHO bus, back on the train and back to Alkmaar. While it wasn’t a crazy amount of walking, it had still managed to be a long and tiring day.

The next day we just milled about and took in the sights of Alkmaar. Karin found an immediate and ongoing affinity towards the tiny cars that seemed to abound. Many were small but we learned that the smallest of them were designed for the disabled. They were perfect for the tiny streets and alleys but were not allowed on the main roads or highways.

We went virtually every day, but on hearing that the Pieper children were in town the catholic church went into full lockdown and refused to open their doors. This remained the case for the entire week. So we took that as a sign and walked away.

As pretty and welcoming as Alkmaar is during the day, the night time brings the place to life in a whole new way. Narrow streets combine with decorative lighting and then you get to factor in the reflections off the water in the canals. I really do love this place.

The only real detraction from our time in Alkmaar was our somewhat strange hotel room. The hotel was lovely and the room was nice but it had no door on either the toilet or the bathroom. It was a wide opening with an alcove on each side for both the toilet and shower. This is OK for partners, but for just travel companions made thigs a little awkward. We ended up taking it in turns to disappear so that each other could have a shower in peace.

As for going to the toilet, well we just had to make do as best we could.

As it happens our last day in Alkmaar (luckily) coincided with the last cheese market display for the season. I had told Karin how much fun it was, but our original timings meant that we were going to miss it. But thankfully Michel offered to drive us to the airport, taking away all of the transit palaver and giving us enough time to catch the last Friday cheese market.