Ice cream joy - the Dutch way

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After nine years of living in the Netherlands you would think that by now, I have seen the country from top to bottom and been to every possible corner - it is quite a small country, after all.

I have indeed visited lots of places - big cities and tiny villages; polders and islands; I've explored marshes, flatlands, beaches and woods; been to the sea and to former seas turned lakes. 

I have seen a lot of the Netherlands and I have taken thousands of photos of the country as well. I am also by now quite acquainted with the Dutch ways and I have even embraced many of the local habits and quirks. I have done my best to speak the language, I have learned about the country's history and I have admired its art and literature.

I would go as far as to say that I have truly earned the Dutch citizenship that I got back in 2007!

Bicycle parking lot at the train station in Amersfoort.

Still, there are sights that I think will never get old with me. Give me a bicycle in every possible setting and I will take a dozen pictures of it as if it were the first time I see one in this country of bicycle lovers. Every year in the winter I let the ice fever get to me as the whole country stands still waiting to hear that there is going to be an Elfstedentocht. Come spring, the tulip mania gets hold of me and doesn't let go until I have made every contact on Flickr or Facebook completely sick from a tulip overdose produced by a flood of tulip photos and tulip blog posts.

A very simple scene like the one I spotted in Alkmaar just a couple of days ago while waiting for my canal cruise to start, still feels new to me and fills me with wonder, as if I was newly arrived and just beginning to discover the country.

How often do you go out for ice cream in your town or city? If you like ice cream I bet you do that quite often, especially during the summer.
But how often do you go out for ice cream rowing your own boat down the canal? How often do you have to ring a bell at the ice cream shop, wait till you are served and then happily row your boat back home while enjoying your delicious ice cream? I bet not as often as you would wish!

Click to view the photo in a large size:

Icre cream a la Dutch: row your boat, ring the bell, order your ice cream, yamyam and row happily back home!

The Netherlands and its canals: Appingedam

"Honey, I hung the kitchen!"

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If you have never been to The Netherlands, it is very well possible that you think that you can only find canals in Amsterdam. It is true that Amsterdam is known around the world as "The Venice of the North" and that the grachtengordel (the Dutch word for "canal ring") has recenly been added to UNESCO's World Heritage list. But canals are not exclusively found in Amsterdam - there are also beautiful canals in other big cities in the country, such as Delft or Utrecht or small towns like Valkenburg or IJlst, and in some cases these canals have unique characteristics. Take a look at this photo I took in the province of Groningen:

These are the (not so) famous hanging kitchens (hangende keukens, in Dutch) of Appingedam, a city in the northern province of Groningen.

Some of the 16th century houses along the Solwerderstraat in the city of Appingedam have kitchens overlooking the canal, the Damsterdiep. They were originally warehouses that were later converted into private residences in the 17th century. Due to the lack of space, they built the kitchens "hanging" over the Damsterdiep canal - a practical solution which also allowed the housewives back then, to collect the water for cooking directly from the canal and after the washing up, to throw the water out the kitchen window back into the canal.
Many of these houses were restored in the 1980s and they are still used as private residences. From the Vrouwenbrug (Women's bridge) you can get a nice view of the hanging kitchens:

Vrouwenbrug over the Damsterdiep in Appingedam.

A nice little terrace over the canal and one of the hanging kitchens.

But the hanging kitchens are not the only places of interest in Appingedam. The town also has a marina that attracts yacht owners and where you can rent pedal boats or canoes to sail around. Through the Damsterdiep you can actually sail for 40 km pass very picturesque dorpjes or villages in Groningen.


Just walking around Appingedam you can spot charming scenes like these:

Parking your boat in front of your house - how cool is that?

I wonder if the police hand out parking tickets along the canal, too?

Neighbours having a chat - how often do you see scenes like this in your neighbourhood?

In the summer, no need to put up your plastic paddle pool in your garden; in the winter, you have a natural ice-skating ring for free!

Modern houses by the marina in Appingedam.

Nice old houses on the Solwerderstraat.

Someone was watching me!

Appingedam is a charming town to visit for a day especially during the spring/summer months, when you can enjoy the activities around the marina and, for example, rent a boat or explore the area by bike. It is also good to combine with a visit to the city of Groningen which is about 30 km southwest of Appingedam.