Twelve miles into Friesland, we came to the town of Franeker, site of the world’s oldest working planetarium. Eise Eisenga left school early, married and developed a wool carding business. As a boy, he was a precocious mathematics student and, … Continue reading
We mounted our bikes in light drizzle once again on Weds. morning and headed into Friesland. Every day we asked Joppe what the weather would be and we got the same response: “Today you should pack a raincoat—just in case. … Continue reading
The Dutch are champion milkers. Everywhere we ride our bikes we see sheep, goats, and–especially–cows. We have cream soups, cream sauces, ice cream and whipped cream at every evening meal, and cheese finds its way into most entrees as well. … Continue reading
Texel is an island just off the Dutch coast accessible only by a short ferry ride. On Tuesday afternoon we loaded our luggage and bikes and boarded a van-sized bus to drive to Den Helder where we could catch … Continue reading
The Dutch are a frugal people. Americans would call them “tightwads”. The concept of paying more for something than another person is very hard to swallow for a Dutch person so the traditional “bidding up” auction system presented a major … Continue reading