Last day in Amersfoort

With the weather becoming somewhat unpredictable, we decided to spend our last day in the Netherlands discovering the nearby town of Amersfoort on foot.  A mere 15 minute train ride from Utrecht, it’s a perfect day trip.  We walked into the old town, the heart of the now greatly expanded town from the train station, and got ourselves to the local tourist office to pick up some information on town walks.  While it’s always enjoyable to wander freely, we’ve found it even more so to have a little more notion of what we’re actually looking at.

The old center of Amersfoort is somewhat egg-shaped, and surrounded by a canal.  Several of the old city gates still stand, and they make a stark contrast with the new world that is creeping up to them.  Along with the homes of wealthy tobacco merchants, there is also a very interesting section of homes that were built directly into the city’s walls, the Muurhuizen, –although evidently there is some dispute as to whether or not these were actual city walls or not.  As always, the central cathedral lies on one edge of the main open square, and there are numerous other old edifices to enjoy. 
Once again the weather kept dry, although continuously threatening rain, and so we were able to enjoy our last outdoor café, complete with people watching and a last look for building details missed in our initial walkabout. 

So, all in all, another successful journey.  We spent half our days away on bikes, reconnected with my cousins and aunts, went back to see both my parents’ childhood homes and neighborhoods, and visited haunts from my own childhood during family visits.  On top of that, we were truly thrilled with the excellent accommodations and hosts we found through the bed and breakfast network in Holland.  The ever-changing weather notwithstanding, we only had two days of pretty well solid rain, so—, no complaints on that score either.  In addition, contact with a wide array of people gave us a fair window on the solid standard of living enjoyed in the country, as well a better understanding of how some of the social and health services work—particularly for the elderly.  Another super plus for us was the stupendous public transportation system—which while complained about to some degree by locals—struck us as fabulous.  So now it’s back home to what we’ve heard is hellishly hot weather, something we honestly haven’t missed, but it’s still always a good feeling to be heading home.  Until the next time on the road.

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