Having seen all I could see in Amsterdam for the time being, I arranged to stay with Laura, a friend I had met on the ferry back from the Gilli Islands near Bali last year when I was travelling south east Asia. She lives in Arnhem, which is an hour train ride from Amsterdam. After a teary goodbye to Bec, I jumped on the train to Arnhem (15.2 Euros).
Arnhem is a lovely place – I thought canal houses were a singular oddity of Amsterdam, but Arnhem also possesses its fair share of beautiful old apartments, although no canals to speak of. Just walking through the central shopping district is beautiful, while the other areas hold monolithic churches and lovely parks. Arnhem is the greenest city in Amsterdam, and it shows – apartments in Holland hold a charm unto themselves. I have never felt any desire to live in an apartment in Australia – they are usually flavourless, cramped spaces, but the apartments here are spacious, and beautifully designed, inside and out. Laura's apartment has been expertly decorated to suit her tastes, with a hammock, tasteful wallpaper, bare wooden floorboards and the most comfortable couch in the world (my bed, and the only couch that I have fit full length on and still had plenty of room).
The first night with Laura, we went for a picnic in the park with some of her friends – I was now a member of that utopian society I spoke about last post, that has picnics in parks and enjoys every moment of warmth and sunshine. As an Australian, warmth and sunshine aren't duly appreciated by me, but I've learnt their benefits. Some of Laura's friends brought along some cask wine as well as a couple of bottles, so we stayed in the park happily for about six hours, soaking in sunshine, red wine and friendship. Once the wine had almost run out, we sojourned to a theatre fair that was going on atop a hill (yes, Arnhem is the only non-flat place in the Netherlands). The real purpose of the fair, however, was to provide a place for most of the town of Arnhem to drink beer.
Meeting more of Laura's friends, the beer, capirinhas and mojitos flowing, we had an awesome night – I tried out my extensive knowledge of the Dutch language (saying 'I love you) on many people, mostly men as it turned out, and made many friends myself. While I was unsuccessful at learning any of the names of Laura's friends, I did remember one person's 'name' – Wally, who's real name was so difficult that no-one bothers to pronounce it.
Waking up on the couch the next morning, I remembered how bad headaches cask wine gives, so slept it off until about noon, when I felt ready to move again. I bought a massive breakfast of ham, eggs and bread from the shop, and finished off the rest of my delicious dutch cheese. Fully recovered, I spent the rest of the day researching where to go next, and how to get there. After a few hours of uncertain searching, I happened upon the Wicked Campervan website, who are currently holding a special for a journey from Amsterdam to London – the price of the rental for a week is one pound total. I quickly sent off an email and received a reply about two hours later. It looks like my next journey will be to London, as I was successful in booking the special! Much more research is needed – I intend to drive around France for a few days before making a ferry crossing to Dover and then exploring England before handing back the van on the 13th of June. If anyone knows anyone in Amsterdam or France who wants a ride to London, do tell! I think I have four seats left. I might put a notice up in the hostel tonight to see if I can find any willing companions.
Today I am travelling around Amsterdam, as Laura gave me a go-anywhere-in-Holland-in-one-day pass (the dutch name for the card is just as long!), before checking back into the hostel in Amsterdam for two days to plan my road trip. Thankyou, Laura, for a great stay, and a great chance to appreciate Holland! I felt very welcome in her apartment, so much so that it made me feel a bit home sick.
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