Walking to Delft...

After lunch in Nootdorp, we headed into the Delftse Hout, the Delft woods. The weather was perfect!

Eventually we finished our 13.5-mile (22K) walk as we made our way into the city center where we stopped for a drink and an ice cream before heading to the train station.

Windmills in Leidschendam...

The following day, Carlin, Kent and I set off for yet another long walk as part of our Coast-2-Coast training. En route to our destination of Delft, we walked along the Vliet through Leidschendam. Along the way we saw an unusual amount of geese and goslings.

It was sweet seeing the families travelling together with both mom and dad along.

We also saw some Dutch lawnmowers along the way (be assured, sheep would be a common theme during the actual Coast-2-Coast).

I led the way along the route that I use when I cycle to Delft. On the way to Leidschenveen, we passed by the Molendriegang (three mill gang). Built in 1672 as polder mills to pump out the water, one burnt down after being struck by lightning in 1902 but was replaced the following year.

Liberation Day...

Every May 4, the Dutch observe two minutes of silence for all those who have died, in war and in peace operations, during and since the outbreak of World War II. Whereas May 4 is a day of sadness and commemoration, May 5 is the Day of Liberation with celebrations marking the end of Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. When Carlin, Kent and I were walking to Wassenaar Beach for one of our 13-mile (21K) training walks, we heard a loud racket and then found ourselves passed by a large convoy of World War II military vehicles.

I couldn’t help but smile when we were passed by numerous vehicles flying American, Canadian and UK flags.

From what we could figure out when we saw all the vehicles displayed together in Wassenaar, they are all individually owned and kept in pristine condition for use in various Liberation Day parades.

As the Light Faded...

 Loved how the lights under this bridge reflected.

 This was the last shot I got before the light really faded.

Once it was dark, it became harder to capture the colors correctly with my limited photographic skills. I must admit, I was very skeptical about spending the evening cruising the canals when I boarded Reinhardt’s boat, but it was a magical evening.

Reflections on Still Waters in Leiden...

What was most incredible about our boat ride was how very still the waters were; not only was it a exceptionally rare night with zero wind, but we had the canals to ourselves as we rarely encountered another boat. I’ve always loved trying to photograph reflections, so you can only imagine how nuts I went when I saw reflections everywhere we turned.

Here is Molen De Put. The original windmill dated back to 1619, but this replica dates back to just 1987. This windmill is used to grind flour, although it currently only operates on Saturdays.

Molen De Valk is also not the original windmill, but this reproduction dates back to 1743. It now houses the Windmill Museum, which is a regular stop with all of our visitors. It was decorated in honor of Liberation Day which was the following day.

The Morspoort City Gate was built in 1611 and is only one of the two remaining of the eight medieval gates once surrounding the city. Apparently it didn’t used to be one of the more pleasant entrances to the city as it was where the bodies of hanged criminals were displayed.

The other remaining gate is the Zijlpoort, built in 1667. 

Just past the Molen De Put is the Oude Haven (Old Port).

Dutch Nash Hash Meeting in a Tin Can...

Our friend Reinhardt (aka Boar Whore) is a creative genius and all-around persuasive guy, and he convinced Jimmy and me to help him plan this year’s Dutch Nash Hash to be held over a weekend in September aboard four sailboats sleeping a total of 122 hashers. Of course, that meant that over the last several months we had to have mismanagement meetings to plan the event. In early May, Reinhardt invited us to a meeting in Leiden aboard his boat, which was little more than a floating tin can (albeit with a new and reliable motor).

As you can see, there’s no benches in his boat. What you can’t see is that some of the floorboards are rotting, so you have to be careful where you step.

 Jimmy was very sweet to bring a chair for me.

Celine brought along her laptop to take minutes so we’d have evidence of what we decided.

Reinhardt was a great skipper and had an eye for finding interesting flotsam.

King’s Day...

Due to rain in the morning, we decided to skip going to the hash. Instead, our King’s Day was very lazy. Eventually Jimmy, Kati and I ventured into our village.

Kati was surprisingly cooperative about wearing her King’s Day costume.

By the time we arrived, things were pretty much closing up. The best thing we saw was this cool wagon which the owner was kind enough for Kati to try out.