IES was leading this excursion, so everything was nicely set up and laid out for us. On Saturday morning we got up bright and early to meet our IES leaders Eva and Margarethe outside Funen, where we boarded a bus bound for our first stop: Paleis Het Loo.
The palace stables.
The palace peacock. It decided to hang out with us for awhile.The Paleis Het Loo was built in the 17th century to serve as a country home for King William III and Queen Mary II of the house of Orange – you know, the ones the college is named after (note: not MY college). When William and Mary became joint rulers of the English throne as well, the palace underwent a fancy renovation and became one of the official homes of the Dutch royal family. Over the years it’s had a bunch of renovations done, but at the moment it serves primarily as a museum (the Dutch royal family now preferring to live elsewhere) which restorers have tried to faithfully return to its 17th century splendor.
We took slightly cheesy self-guided audio tours through the palace and then ventured out into the gardens, which are incredibly, ridiculously sculpted and beautiful.
Then it was back aboard the bus again and into Apeldoorn proper, where we dropped off our luggage at a hostel and then headed into the city center. A group of us wandered around for awhile before dinner, but it was close to closing time so there wasn't much to do. Fortunately, we stumbled onto a small park-like green, accentuated only by several trees, a strange sculpture, two stoners on a bench, and: a giant spinning toy!
The “toy” was actually some sort of twisty ride composed of a circular platform around a metal pole. There were four or five ropes coming down like a tent from the top of the pole to the edges of the platform. If you stand on the ground, grab a rope, and walk around the ride in a circle, the ropes wind up around the top of the pole. Then you jump on the platform and hang on for dear life as it whips around in the process of unwinding. So much fun!!!
By the time we had finished acting like five-year-old children (the stoners were unimpressed) it was finally time for dinner. And oh, what an epic dinner it was! We ate at the restaurant Jules Verne, where we were served what I can only properly describe as a marathon of a meal.
There were bottles of water sitting at the table when we arrived, and then everyone could order a soft drink as well. Then Eva and Margarethe ordered a round of wine for the table, and the waiters brought out some bread with butter and other spreads. Then the waiters took our orders. For an appetizer I got beef carpaccio with a delicious pesto and pine nut sauce, then for my main course I had an artfully prepared piece of steak. In addition to our entrees, the waiters brought out salad… and then garlic potatoes… and then vegetables… and then finally french fries with mayonnaise. Mmm.
We sat around for awhile after our plates had been cleared, and I was sure we were waiting for the check, but then the waiters were back again with plates of dessert for everyone! We had baked pear, strawberry mousse and a sampling of sorbet and gelato, and then those plates were cleared as well.
But - just when I thought we were finally finished, Margarethe and Eva ordered one last thing: a round of coffee or tea for everyone to warm us up before we went out into the cold night. When we finally did set out into the night it was nearly four hours after we had arrived. It didn’t take long for a couple of my friends and me to decide we wanted to head back to the hostel and crash.
After a cold and gloomy Saturday, the weather took a turn for the better – it was still chilly, but wonderfully bright and sunny. It was a good thing, too, because Sunday we were scheduled spend the majority of the day outside at the Hoge Veluwe. The Hoge Veluwe is one of the Netherlands’ oldest and largest national parks, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It was easily the most trees and grass I’ve seen in over a month. Amsterdam’s a fairly green city, with a fair number of parks and trees, but it wasn’t until I was immersed in Veluwe that I realized how much I miss real nature.
We hopped on the free white bikes provided by the park and cycled leisurely around for awhile. This is what we saw:
The “toy” was actually some sort of twisty ride composed of a circular platform around a metal pole. There were four or five ropes coming down like a tent from the top of the pole to the edges of the platform. If you stand on the ground, grab a rope, and walk around the ride in a circle, the ropes wind up around the top of the pole. Then you jump on the platform and hang on for dear life as it whips around in the process of unwinding. So much fun!!!
By the time we had finished acting like five-year-old children (the stoners were unimpressed) it was finally time for dinner. And oh, what an epic dinner it was! We ate at the restaurant Jules Verne, where we were served what I can only properly describe as a marathon of a meal.
There were bottles of water sitting at the table when we arrived, and then everyone could order a soft drink as well. Then Eva and Margarethe ordered a round of wine for the table, and the waiters brought out some bread with butter and other spreads. Then the waiters took our orders. For an appetizer I got beef carpaccio with a delicious pesto and pine nut sauce, then for my main course I had an artfully prepared piece of steak. In addition to our entrees, the waiters brought out salad… and then garlic potatoes… and then vegetables… and then finally french fries with mayonnaise. Mmm.
We sat around for awhile after our plates had been cleared, and I was sure we were waiting for the check, but then the waiters were back again with plates of dessert for everyone! We had baked pear, strawberry mousse and a sampling of sorbet and gelato, and then those plates were cleared as well.
But - just when I thought we were finally finished, Margarethe and Eva ordered one last thing: a round of coffee or tea for everyone to warm us up before we went out into the cold night. When we finally did set out into the night it was nearly four hours after we had arrived. It didn’t take long for a couple of my friends and me to decide we wanted to head back to the hostel and crash.
After a cold and gloomy Saturday, the weather took a turn for the better – it was still chilly, but wonderfully bright and sunny. It was a good thing, too, because Sunday we were scheduled spend the majority of the day outside at the Hoge Veluwe. The Hoge Veluwe is one of the Netherlands’ oldest and largest national parks, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It was easily the most trees and grass I’ve seen in over a month. Amsterdam’s a fairly green city, with a fair number of parks and trees, but it wasn’t until I was immersed in Veluwe that I realized how much I miss real nature.
We hopped on the free white bikes provided by the park and cycled leisurely around for awhile. This is what we saw:
Our white bicycles.
A hunting lodge.
Sweeping vistas.
After our lovely morning ride we stopped for lunch at the park’s restaurant. We then proceeded to wander through the sculpture garden of the Kröller-Müller Museum, and then into the museum itself.
Considering it’s smack in the middle of a national park, the Kröller-Müller Museum is an amazing collection of art. It was all collected by the couple that owned the expansive property that is now the Veluwe. They were apparently very rich and had very good taste, because it is a wonderful museum, housing an impressive display of Van Goghs (including this famous one), Seurats, Picassos, Piet Mondriaans, a smattering of Impressionist headliners, and some older and more contemporary stuff as well. .
Saturated with fresh air and fine art, we cycled back to the bus, where I half-read, half-dozed all the way home. I returned to Funen feeling very tired but wonderfully content.
Saturated with fresh air and fine art, we cycled back to the bus, where I half-read, half-dozed all the way home. I returned to Funen feeling very tired but wonderfully content.
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