I arrived in a rain storm but who cares? I've reached my first destination.
My hotel is a kilometre from the bridge on a bend of the Rijn but with great views back to the bridge and further down the river. The sense of calm looking across the river, with large low slung barges silently motoring up and down the river is just great.
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| Looking towards the city centre |
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| Looking down the Rijn |
The city has been developed on the north side leaving the south side generally free from roads and buildings. If this was England we would have cluttered the area with industrial sheds, retail parks and the paraphernalia of road signs, cameras and obstacles demanded by the Department of Transport.
Unfortunately i made the mistake of taking an umbrella and not a hat when walking into the centre when the rain stopped. Typically, the sun came out and my head now appears to glow in the dark...
I expect the centre is typical of most dutch cities with few cars, lots of bikes (no middle aged men in lycra...) pedestrians with respect for each other; no angst between different users; just good to be walk and slow down...
