Campsites,Netherlands #1of2

In 1970 we headed for the campsite located next to the Olympic Stadium south of Amsterdam. At one point we saw a tall vertical sign that said “CAMPING,” but missed the turn, then found another campsite in Amstelveen. After three intense weeks as driver, tour guide, waker-upper, and motivator, Amstelveen is where, to the relief of Emmy and the two Lindas, I finally collapsed and slept for 10 solid hours.

When we finally found Apeldoorn we determined the first two campsites we found were closed to overnight campers. By law, most are closed on September 30, and they said they could be in big trouble if they let us stay, but we finally found an open one, nearby. In Arnhem, we visited the Open Air Museum that has old houses, bridges, windmills, all furnished like years ago. Buildings were brought here from all parts of Holland.

We spent much time looking for a campsite again tonight, then found we had been driving back and forth past an open one in Zeist, but the sign was hidden by all the trees.

Found a campsite on the south side of the river near Rotterdam, where many people stay for months at a time, but few stay just overnight. They said park on the private street outside and plug our electric cord into their restroom electrical system. Did they charge us? We don’t remember.

The ferry boat from Harwick, England, arrived in Hook de Holland, and the campsite was easy to find. There was no electricity, that’s unusual on the continent, but it wasn’t too cold that night. Slept till 9:30, drove to Delft to see the blue.

Gouda has several interesting sights, including lots of cheese, a lovely city hall, a beautiful church reflected in a canal, and a campsite. Most of the homes in Holland have a very clean, very large plate glass window, with lace curtains on each side, so we can look right into the living room.

Dutch campsites, like the one in Oislerwijk, are unlike those in most other countries in Europe. People stay camped for months, or they seem to leave their trailer there forever. Nearby was a large forest, with miles of bike and walking paths.

Went to a small flea market in Giethoorn, then to the campsite, then took a long walk through the town. Only canals, foot or bike paths. Streets are only to the edge of town.