Nijmegen, Holland

 After a 12 hour flight from China we arrived in Amsterdam, then caught the train to Nijmegen - an old town near the German border. Here we caught up with Marjolein and Henk. Marjolein took us for a tourist walk around the old town centre, before having dinner at their place.

The cobble-stoned town square provided an authentic foreground for the traditional Guild Hall and buildings. Some of the buildings date from the 1600s (John wonders whether they're still covered by building construction warranties!).
This is the bell tower and spire of Stevenskerk. The church and many of the buildings were badly damaged during an air raid which heavily bombed Nijmegen in 1944. Restoration work concentrated on keeping it close to the original architecture.
We were fortunate to have a very knowledgeable volunteer guide who shared stories of the church's history and construction and reconstruction after the war.





Being so flat Holland is perfect bike territory and it is common to see numerous riders and countless bikes parked in bike racks. This multi-level bike park at the railway station must hold hundreds of bikes and has been full every time we've walked past. You really have to have your wits about you when crossing streets as it would be easy to get cleaned up if you don't look. Bike have right of way. For us of course, cars and bikes are coming from the left. 

So many towns, including Nijmegen, have an Opollo hotel or cafe. This is useful if you want to "walk on the wild side!"



Seen today: Rain (surprise!); John riding a pushbike (yes I have photos); chestnuts and beech nuts; old WWII troop carriers flying in formation to commemorate Operation Market Garden in 1944.