We'd only stayed in Epen, Holland before this trip and there's a little Spar grocery store in Epen that doesn't take credit cards. We thought it was just because the store was in a little town in the middle of nowhere. When the rain let up, we went to the big grocery store in Amsterdam for provisions (of course I mean wine, what else) and to our surprise, it wasn't just Epen...grocery stores in Holland don't take credit cards. Period. So, a warning to those of you who are headed over: take cash green money if you want groceries.
The next day, the rain gave us a break and we walked around town. We passed by the Anne Frank Huis but did not go to the museum because the line to get in was ridiculous. Might have had something to do with the huge cruise ship that was visiting. Here's one of the prettier canals:
House boats are everywhere, and they look like a pretty good way to go. Actually, we might have looked for one to rent if we'd known. Some of the architecture is interesting, too:
Does the building look like it's leaning? It's not the camera angle. It's leaning. Lots of them are. Some of the streets look like a screen shot out of an animated Disney movie! Of course, it is well known that "cafe" in Amsterdam may mean coffee or it may mean pot or it may mean both. Standing outside one of them and reading a historical plaque on the wall, we got a good whiff.
And here's one of the locals that we met along the way:
The next day, we made a pilgrimage to the new Austin Healey Museum in Vreeland, Holland. This was one of our usual adventures. We took a train, then transferred to a bus which was actually a van. The bus driver couldn't take cash (only transport cards) but he took us to Vreeland anyway and said he'd be back on duty at 4:00 p.m. in case we needed a free ride back. Gordon bought the chap a cup of cafe. As it turned out, the earlier returning bus-van did take money, gratefully.
Anyway, Vreeland is just a cute little town with lots of boats and houseboats:
From the bus stop, one walks along the canal to the museum. The Austin Healey museum has been open for less than a year and is still small, but it offers plenty of cars and lots of historical memorbilia. The people who run the place are very friendly (the owner's wife even offered to drive us back to the bus stop) and they really know their Healey stuff. We wouldn't recommend it as a vacation destination, but if you like Healeys and are in Amsterdam, it's worth the stop.
One of the Big Healeys on loan to the museum is very unique, one of only three built. It's what might have been: the Austin Healey 4000. Austin Healey acquired some Rolls Royce engines and built prototypes, widening the cars to accommodate the bigger engines by literally sawing them in half and welding in additional bodywork. It looks like a regular Healey until you set it next to the others and see the big difference that engine installation made.
And, those were the only Healeys ever made with automatic transmissions:
Now you, too, have more automotive trivia than is needed.
Next stop: The Krijtland!
