Useful sites for journey planning in Nethelands

Hi,

After so many days I am writing this blog. During these days, I have experienced the Netherlands in very different way with different aspects of life.

Whatever I have experienced is readily available information about everything whether it shop, train timings, bus stops and timings, supermarkets and what not.

We have found out one site where you can plan your journey as per your wish and at your suitable time. After feeding information about your start point and destination and means of travel you want, it gives you complete information about how you can reach to your destination place with various alternatives.

I found it very coconvenient and especially when you are new to the country.

The site is : http://journeyplanner.9292.nl/   : Door-to-door-journey planner.

Also,

If you want to travel by train then also you can manage your journey according to your choice. The Netherlands Public train company NS has its own site where all information is readily avialable about all trains and their timings, stops etc.

You just need to feed start and end point of your journey with date and time and it gives information about which train goes there t what time and stops in between.

The site is : http://ns.nl/ 

We always plan our trips with the help of these two mentioned sites... and we found them terrific!!!! Each and every information is correct and accurate.. So no worry !!!

We can enjoy our vacations without tensions to reach to destination place....

Really such things make our life easier in foreign country or at unknown place...

Weather Facts

I remember the day when we went to Madurodam… It was complete sunny day having temperature around 24 degree ...  But later on, temperature lowered down slowly… and rain also started…..

In Netherlands, 2nd Half of June, July and 1st Half of August is a real season for outings…. Afterwards rainy season starts with speedy wind which ultimately keep the temperature cool….. Because the major part of Netherlands is below sea level…. so ‘low pressure area’ develops very rapidly and one can experience the sudden changes in atmosphere and temperature….. No one can predict the continuous changes in weather here…. Yes, except the Observatory….

To my astonishment, though the weather is dynamic here, Observatory predicts accurately for next nine to ten days!!!!!…. and another fascinating thing is; weather also follows the same pattern predicted by them, as if it doesn’t want to make ‘down’ in the eyes of foreigners….. :)

You know, why is this fascinated to me????????  I had experienced the exactly opposite thing in my hometown…. Not once but for last 20-25 years…..There when the Observatory predicted to be the heavy rainfall for next two days, we always experienced the ‘Sunny shiny Days’ … and vice visa…. It never happened that forecast matched to the actual weather….

Yes, I know and understand that The Netherlands is the Developed Country.. so might be they are having advanced machinery, equipment to judge the weather.. but such a small thing really can make a big difference in the perspective of outsiders….. Ultimately they also start relying and trusting on Country unknowingly …

This is not the comparison between two countries… because both are totally different on each ground…. But yes, this is the comparison between Developed and Developing countries…. At least I think… ;)

So, as I told you till August only, the temperature is bearable.. Then you experience the day becomes small slowly and coldness increases which make you seat at home at weekends also…. Continuous rain pouring, bone chilling cold and speedy wind make you adaptable sometimes up to some extent, but you never become used to it….

So whenever you will plan to visit this beautiful country does keep in mind these most sunny and enjoyable days of year…. If you miss it…. You are the one who is going to pay for it …… In sense of money and unbearable chilling, ultimately ruining of your trip….

Be Aware….. But never miss it……

Enjoy The Netherlands once in a lifetime :) :) :)

Madurodam

Madurodam Entrance

‘Madurodam’ ..Dutch miniature city …. Strenge name, but very interesting.

When first I heard this name, I thought it is related to ‘dam’ ( in English)…. But later when I actually visited the place, I came to know that it has no correlation with ‘Actual Dam’.

It is situated in the Den Haag.. After reaching Den Haag Centraal Station, get a tram number 9 from tramstop 'Station HS/Stationsplein'. It takes nearly 15 minutes by tram. Get off at tramstop 'Madurodam Noord'. Walk for 2 minutes and then you will reach to your destination…. The Madurodam- Dutch Miniature City.

The timings are 9 am to 11 pm in summer. This is because; you can enjoy the daylight till 11 pm in Netherlands in summer… So you get maximum time to utilize as you want…

For more information you can visit www.madurodam.nl

Madurodam is not only the amusement park but is also a war memorial. It opened in 1952 in the memories of George Maduro who was the resident fighter. He died in 1945. So his parents financed the miniature town intending to donate the profits in good cause. Madurodam also has a replica of the house of George Maduro where he was born I Willemstad, Curacao.

House of Gorge Maduro

Everything is precisely 25 times smaller than in reality. But that does not make it less real. This is because everything in Madurodam, has been exactly replicated. All buildings are made up of synthetic material, and not of wood, because the models must be displayed outside for around 30 years. Some models took 5 years to build. The green areas require very special attention because they are real trees and shrubs. Their intensive pruning keep them at the height of 60 cm , without which they can grow 15 m.

Madurodam is roughly divided into 4 parts… Madurodam Harbour, Madurodam Polder, Madurodam Centre and Madurodam Recreation Area.

Madurodam Harbour : Here we can find major Dutch works such as refineries, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and number of large office buildings besides Harbour.

Madurodam Polder : This is the location of the new residential district of Madurodam, situated between several old farms and mills old Leidschendam. Rotterdam Blaak Station provides the public transport, and HSL – High Speed Railway for faster transport.

Madurodam Centre : In the Centre of the Madurodam, we can see Churches, Museums , The Cheese Market and Typical Amsterdam Canals. Also Government Buildings like Binnenhof, Museum ‘Rijkmuseum’ and Basilica of Our Lady from Maastricht.

The Smallest Town in Big People’s Figures

Miniature Town Surface area : 18,000 m2

Inhabitants : 66,000

Cars and Trucks : 4,542

Kilometers per year per car : 14,000

Kilometers per year per train : 16,000

Trains : 13

Trams : 5

Rail and Tram Tracks : 4,250 m

Aircrafts : 15

Height of Schiphol traffic tower : 4 m

Number of cases in baggage system : 500

Miniature trees : 5,236

Flower bulbs 30,000

Light in Miniature Town : 50,000

Railway Sleepers : 80,000

Ships : 40

Madurodam has two restaurants and Souvenir shop where we can buy Postcards, Memory cards, Cuddly toys, Printed T-Shirts etc.

All building, Museums, beaches are fascinating…. They are actually the replica of real. This we confirm when we visit the miniature thing and actual place …. This gives us the overall look of Netherlands and its beauty…

It is the main source of live information about what should be seen or visited in Netherland by default….. So I suggest if someone want to see Netherlands, then he /she should visit Madurodam first and then plan their trip. It also provides us one handbook stating about information related to every miniature thing in it….. So afterwards it can be used as a perfect guide to visit all places in real…..

After visiting Madurodam, you can rest at park near station while returning back to home…. Enjoy the silence with wonderful memory of Madurodam…..

I salute to the person having such a terrific vision to build Madurodam, enjoyment with introduction to Country……..

Really some small things sometimes make a big difference ………

First Sunday in Netherlands ......

On Saturday, we returned back to home at 8.30 pm from Keukenhof. Since morning we were only walking in excitement to explore the new things.. but when we settled down at night, slowly my body started paining.... I could not realized as I was much more tired and wanted a deep sound sleep. I had never walked so much earlier and that to continuously….

Really, when our mind is excited, it shows a perfect chemistry with our body ….. and does things never done before… the same thing happened to me….

Next morning, when I woke up, I was not even able to keep my feet on floor… terrific pain in my whole body…. At least I should had had a pain killer, but it didn’t strike me at night.

So ultimately we decided to stay at home … very nervous but had no other way… I had ruined one Sunday in my life….

I took enough rest till afternoon …Till then; it was the perfect lazy day.... I went downstairs, took a long breath, went near the window.... and shocked seeing outside view ..... each and every 'dutch' was getting ready with their cars, bikes and bicycles !!!!....Earlier, I had heard that Dutch people are the happiest and enthusiastic people on the earth…. That moment I experienced the truth …After a week or two, they were enjoying sunny day....started for outings....

The day was really shiny and warm.... we missed it half...... We planned to go out at evening, roam around, do some window shopping and have dinner at good restaurant …… At 5.30 pm, we went out also …. But….. :( :( :(  We came to know, everything was closed ….shops, some restaurants, parks…. It was like pin-drop silence on roads…..

I knew that Dutch people love to live each moment….. That is fine …. But they keep all shops closed and everyone enjoys the weekends ….. ?????!!!!!! Strange and shocking to me ….Because in Pune, actual day starts at evening on Sunday…. And lasts late night….

I know it is very difficult to adjust other culture….. but I believe that no culture is absolutely perfect in it … The only thing we can do is to accept the culture as it is and try to be the part of it….. Then only we can know why this is so…..

Its just about how you react to the change.....

Explore the 'World of Tulips....... Keukenhof '

It was my first weekend in Netherlands and my husband decided to take me to the 'World of Tulips' --- The Keukenhof Garden. It is situated at 'Lisse, Holland'. If you want detailed information, you can also visit the website : www.keukenhof.nl

It is open between March to May each year according to Tulip's season.There are two ways to  reach the Keukenhof, either  from Leiden station or Schiphol Airport. Come out of the station and catch the direct bus. Bus number 54 from Leiden station and bus number 58 from Schiphol station.

On Saturday morning, we started our small one day trip to  Keukenhof from Utrecht station. We went to Schiphol first by train and later by bus up to the Keukenhof gate. The day was cloudy with a speedy wind, as usual very cold. You won't believe, I really had worn  6-8 clothes one on other to protect myself from cold wind.. which turned to make me look 'fat' in all my snaps :(

As soon as we entered the garden, we became stand stilled by seeing the beautiful flower arrangements in the garden. It was just like someone had spread colours on Canvas and all those colours had come together to form a beautiful painting no one had ever seen before...... It was awesome.....

Different colour shades ranging from Red, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Dark chocolaty to Faint Pink, Light Blue etc.. etc... Not even possible to express some colours.....

The Garden was presented to visitors with an amazing aesthetic sense and unimaginable shapes and shades... The garden had an elegant way in which flowers were planted. This year theme was from Russia with love. Every year theme changes.

The garden is very huge and you easily spend 7-8 hours only by exploring new and different arrangements in the garden. Awesome combinations and shapes.....

The garden also has Restaurants, Coffee shops, General shops where you can sit calmly, get relaxed and recall all the beautiful colours in your mind.... take a break and again start exploring and enjoying ......

In the Centre of the garden, you can enjoy the scenery of small lake in which swans and ducks enjoy the sunshine. At one end you find the fountains surrounded by small pond. Fountains really  play nice and fascinating theme.....

As you move forward, you come across to ' Bhul - Bhulaiya' :), made up of plant fencing.... As you go on and on, you reach to the entrance only .......but what about the exit ?????????? very hard to find and reach …...

One part of the garden, the old fashioned 'Wind mill' is situated.... beautifully built and maintained..... We all know that The Netherlands is the pioneer of the wind-mills. The Wind-mill is open from inside and anyone can go inside and upstairs to see the ultimate and fascinating view of the garden from height... Some volunteers also dance underneath the wind-mill to entertain visitors... You also find shop near as well as inside it... small shoes made up of china clay or wood .. speciality of Holland.. and garden greeting cards, gift articles etc etc... It is the best place of shopping for all visitors..... and place for relaxation......

The time passes away and you never come to know how you reach to end point of the garden... the ‘exit’... Each moment you spend in enjoying the flowers,colours, arrangements, fountains, lake, windmill and blah... blah... blah... !!!!

You always return with a colourful unforgettable memories of Keukenhof.....

By the 5.30 pm, we also ended our trip to Keukenhof with lots of enjoyment and excitement.... After getting out off the garden, we both became quiet and started ignoring each others existance….just not wanted to come out of the Keukenhof ..... the silence took hold of the situation slowly.. left us unknowing to the fact..... alone with unforgettable memories of world of heaven ... :)

Enjoy the Keukenhof once in a life time ...... keep living and enjoying :) :) :)

No journey any more :) Hurrreeeee..... !!!!!

I still remember the day I landed here.... It was around 5.30 pm. I had a big bag in my left hand, on sack on my back and Passport having Netherlands' Welcome Stamp in another hand. After 30 hours journey, I hardly could understand anything... My eyes started finding my hubby.... and as soon as saw him, putting aside all things in my hands, I literally ran and hugged him..... no matters, who cares !!!!

That hug was for the my successful journey for, to be with my love ... :)

We stepped out of the airport.... and one chilled, smoothing breeze passed away by me.... I could really smell that breeze .. breeze of Welcome, happiness, relaxation ......

Coming back to the world, I slowly started shivering ..... the temperature was around 10 degree ... very cold... but bit romantic....

From India, I started with 43 degree temperature and landed in 10 degree..... Just imagine what an extreme difference I experienced in temperature.... just within a couple of hours !!

The atmosphere was quite humid and cold.. My all tiredness went within a moment.. and we headed towards the Utrecht.

It nearly takes around 45 minutes to reach Utrecht from Schiphol by train. But it was not the big deal ..... because the Netherlands has its very good Public transport.. whether it is a train or bus or tram. They have regular and continuous frequency and so you hardly find a two wheeler on the road. Ultimately, no pollution.....

The Rail/train public transport is operated mainly by the Governmental Company – 'Nederlandse Spoorwegen' i.e. 'NS'. It has provided all necessary facilities to customers.

The Bus companies include Arriva, Breng, Connexxion, Hermes, Qbuzz, Syntus and Veolia. Connexxion plays vital role in Bus transport.

After taking train from Schiphol to Utrecht, we reached to Utrecht Centraal Station. The Schiphol Station is underground but not the Utrecht Station. The first and prominent thing I noticed at both stations is ' cleanliness' .... no comparison with Indian Railway Stations.....

From there, we stepped down for bus.. hardly waited for 5 minutes.... and started heading towards my new house ...... Slotlaan, Utrecht. And finally, reached home at 6.30 pm.....

Again a Big Sigh of Relax................. no journey any more ;)

Only relaxation... and Chilling Out ..................... Hurrreeeee !!!!!!!

Why the 'Special' bonding with 'Dutch'.....

The Netherlands is the beautiful country, I have seen ever. It is the part of Europe Continent. Developed country with a nature touch.

My special bonding with 'Dutch' stared from the day I travelled alone to The Netherlands...

My husband already had gone to Netherlands and after one month I had to go ... And in between, Volcano irrupted.... I was just praying to God to let me land safely in Holland.. all flights got cancelled for nearly a week...... and by my luck or bad luck, one seat got confirmed with 'Turkish Airline' for me....

But it was not a direct flight....I had to change my flight at Istanbul and take another flight to go to Netherlands... a journey of 30 hours from Pune....

The problem started right from 'Mumbai Aiport'..... first flight was delayed by half an hour.... and it reached Istanbul about an hour late.....

At 'Istanbul Aiport', hardly anyone could speak or understand English. I tried a lot to express myself by doing different actions and things but unfortunately no one understood me. I only wanted to confirm did I need to complete any formality at that Airport... But I did not get the right answer quickly..Finally at one Help Desk, one guy tried to tell me no other formalities are required and directed me to the waiting area in his language... I understood by his expression only...

Finally when I settled down at waiting area and started continuously following the Display board for my next flight updates, I heard the someone next to me was talking in English ???? An old lady with a beautiful 'blue' eyes, fair complexion and kindness on her face :) For a moment, I stared at her..... and unknowingly muttered 'What a beautiful eyes !!!!' She smiled at me.. and said' Hi, I am Marga Von Bon from The Netherlands'. For the very first time, I am seeing an old , beautiful Dutch lady....

Suddenly I regained my senses and understood that she actually had spoken in English ... Ohh my God !!!.... I can not express the feeling now,what I felt at that moment.. a sigh of relax....!!!!!

I introduced myself to her and by my luck, she was also going to 'Schiphol' with the same flight. She was also in worry about her luggage and no one understood her also at the Airport.

So I explained her about the luggage and she also started interacting with me in English and helped me a lot. She did not know much English .. coz in Netherlands, people speak 'Dutch' and English very rarely. But they do try to speak.

So after about an 2 hours later, our flight number displayed and we both literally started running to find the Terminal of our flight. After 15-20 minutes, exploring the whole Airport, we reached to 'Checking' section and then we both said good bye to our problems ... and took off to Netherlands :)

That kind old lady, really took cake of mine like her child and helped me a lot .. as I was travelling for the first time to abroad and that to alone ....

When we landed at Netherlands, 'Schiphol Airport', we moved to take our baggage. She got her quickly within 5 minutes.. but mine ?????????????

I again started worrying .... I could not see my bag though 15-20 minutes had already passed. But she stayed there to pamper me and to make me feel like at home country.... Actually need not to wait until I receive my bag... But she accompanied me to relax me ...... We waited for more than half hour, and finally I saw my bag ... husshhhh......

At that point, we both said good bye to each other with the gratitude....

I would never forget this such a lovely and caring experience in my whole life :)

Since that day, I really share a special bond with 'Dutch'