Tag: public transport

July 1st 2019

Time for another public transport expedition. Public transport doesn’t really agree with us, and this time was no exception. We boarded the train and made ourselves comfortable for the 2 hour train ride. Just when we had ourselves installed, a voice over the intercom announced that the train didn’t run because ‘it was broken’. We had to get off and wait for the next train which was due in 30 minutes. After 2 hours we had to transfer to another train, but we missed our transfer because Jeroen was still in the loo. Fortunately the next stop was Amsterdam Central station with enough trains running to The Hague.

The weird thing about this public transport trip is that it’s like we’re retracing our steps. We passed Edam in the distance, transferred in Amsterdam, we saw the canals and aqueducts we went through when travelling the Staande Mast Route and passed through Leiden. After 3 months travelling by boat we’ve gotten as far as Enkhuizen, and it took us just 3 hours to get from Enkhuizen to Zoetermeer by train.

But we were not done travelling today. Jeroen has to undergo a root canal treatment tomorrow, and we don’t know how he will feel afterwards. We have heard quite a few horror stories about these treatments, so we were not sure if he would feel up to the 3 hour train journey. Therefore we decided to spend the coming 2 nights at Carmen’s parents place, which is close to The Hague. But we can’t leave Captain Fluffy alone for two days, and we couldn’t take him with us on the train. He can’t travel in a cage, so we always have him on a leash like a dog when we travel. But he tends to panic from all the noises and movements at busy train stations. That meant we had to drive back to Enkhuizen to collect our furry companion by car, and then drive back to Zoetermeer again.

In the evening we finally were back in Zoetermeer, Captain Fluffy and all, so totally exhausted we flopped in the garden seats to cool down. And Captain Fluffy? Totally oblivious for al the troubles we’ve been through to get him here, he’s is enjoying the grass in the garden.

May 16th 2019

Today we took the train to The Hague for our dentist appointment. We had booked first class train tickets, which proved to be a smart move. The local soccer team had won the national championship and today there was a tribute event to celebrate their victory. There were warnings everywhere to avoid traveling by train to Amsterdam this day because of the expected masses to come to the capital for the celebrations. When trains in the Netherlands are crowded there is usually still space in the first class compartments, so hopefully we’ll still have a seat on our way back. Public transport in the Netherlands is on average more expensive than driving a car and less reliable. For the both of us to travel from Amsterdam to The Hague by train and tram was €55,60. In comparison, if we go by car it costs us €16,60. Even if we would take separate cars it would cost €33,20, still less than two train tickets. No wonder most people prefer a car over public transport here. It’s more convenient, cleaner and a lot cheaper.

After the dentist we had lunch with Jeroen’s mother who works in The Hague, and made use of the opportunity to get some Asian supplies in one of the many of The Hague’s Asian stores.

There was no sign of the forecasted mass of people when we took the train back to Amsterdam. We only saw one forlorn fan on the train platform donning the club shirt. Apparently the soccer team wasn’t as popular as they thought it would be.