European Chirstmas Holiday 2017 - Netherlands

The Adventure Begins

At Victoria Coach Station, a little bit of scampering happened - looking for which counter I had to go to to check in. I wouldn't call Victoria Coach Station a developed piece of infrastructure - I think more needs to be done to improve this station to match London's reputation as a leading global city. There were not enough seating, it was not the cleanest, and it was not that well organised.

Undoubtedly, it is better than many greyhound stations in the US, but that is not the yardstick.

After finding out that I only need to check in at the Eurolines counter near the boarding gate, I lingered around till they announced the boarding of Coach 143 from London to Amsterdam. My intention was not to go all the way to the coffee shops by the canals by was to stop at Eindhoven as that is where I am getting the plane for my onward journey from. However, upon realising that the bus also stops in Utrecht, I informed the bus driver about my desire to stop there instead and he kindly agreed to. I heard that the canals in Utrecht can match the canals in Amsterdam and I was there to check out this claim.

Therefore, after about 8 hours on the bus, seeing the white cliffs of Dover, and a short ferry ride on the DFDS service across the Channel where we had to physically get off the bus, I disembarked in Utrecht meeting the morning rush of commuters going to work. With google maps in my palm (and after the blue dot misled me for 5 minutes), I started my own city walking tour around the city, checking out some of the modern architecture of the government buildings alongside the more picturesque trade buildings by an equally picturesque canal. And who knew Miffy or Nintje was Dutch - with a whole museum and traffic signals dedicated to this character in the city or Utrecht. Instead of opting for a kebab at the street where all the Middle Eastern shops were, I played safe and went for a kebab at the main train station instead.

This city did not disappoint and the canals did match Amsterdam in the level of beauty but isn't as extensive as the ones in Amsterdam. The only down side if this short exploration was it was an early Monday morning where there were limited operation hours by shops and museums. There were some cool shops and pubs which definitely deserves a trip back - maybe with a few friends who are locals the next time.

The Canals of Utrecht

This whirlwind tour around the Netherlands then took me to Den Haag where I met up with Arty who lives there. Arty took me around this very beautiful and significant city, which hosts amongst others, the ICJ which is operated by the Carnegie foundation in fact - talk about a secret world order eh? After having a cream cheese and bug bagel (yes, you read right, there were bugs in my bagel, which didn't taste like much, just adding some crunch into the bagel and a lot of sustainable source of food points!)

The International Courts of Justice Building

Filled with bugs and still thinking of an unofficial world order, we went to the beach. Yes, the beach. I was still slightly surprised that there was such a nice beach right by the city. Unfortunately the weather wasn't beach weather but we still had a good time walking by the promenade and the pier and ending with a drink at a posh beach hotel.

The short tour around Netherlands this time around ended when I boarded another NS train to Eindhoven and then catching the airport bus without actually touring around Eindhoven, which besides a Phillips Museum and Eindhoven FC, there isn't much as many Dutchies have asserted.

12 hours in the Netherlands, 2 cities explored, 2 train journeys, catching up with friends, was all possible due to the size of the country and a very efficient train system. At the end of this whirlwind tour, I flew off to Valencia. Why such a convoluted itinerary one may ask - cheap journeys - £17 for the bus journey from London to Eindhoven and €15 for the flight from Utrecht to Valencia. Thank you Skyscanner! A slight detour to the Netherlands, on the way south turned out to be a wonderful adventure, and a really nice introduction to other areas in the Netherlands which could actually offer more than just Amsterdam.

Upon arriving in Valencia, 10 minutes after landing, I was already in a taxi on the way to the hotel - thank you Schengen!