Feats of Feets on Fiets

Still in the Netherlands, the land of bikes and giants (ok just a lot of tall people), my adventures this week took me to De Hoge Veluwe. I took the bus to this Dutch National Park and asked the driver which stop I needed to get off at and he said Otterloo. As we got closer to Otterloo I was surprised when I saw 4 stops listed. One of the stops displayed Kantor De Hoge Veluwe and so I figured that was the center. What it turned out to be was the main office - oops. I strolled through the parking lot making my way to the building and ran into a gentleman doing the same from his car. I asked him if this was the main center and he explained it was the office but perhaps they could help me. It turned out that he was actually from the US and had moved to the Netherlands 20 years ago and he teaches English. So, he escorts me to the main lobby and I meet another very nice man who immediately takes control of my situation. He tells me that they will let me into the park free of charge since they cannot take money at this location. He also goes to the back and brings me a bunch of literature about the park, all in English. He shows me where to go on the map and where to get one of the white bikes (fiets) to enjoy the park. I thank him for all of his help and learn from the English instructor that the guy was the President/Director and we all have a laugh about me being an actress testing their English language skills.

I found the bikes and pick one out. There are 30km or so of paved bike trails throughout the park. It was a great way to enjoy a large portion of the park as there is just no way you could walk all around in a day. You can drive or ride horseback around/through the park as well, but the free bikes are the best!

There are two awesome museums in the park. One is the Kroller-Muller art museum, with a huge collection of Vincent van Gogh artwork and a large sculpture garden, and the other is the Museonder underground museum. The hunting lodge was closed for renovations when I was there and wished I could have had a chance to see it.

The landscape throughout the park is varied. You can see sand drift, heathland, peat bogs and dense woods. Boar, deer, squirrel, badger, fox, sheep and more are in the area. I did see a deer and quite a few birds.

This week I also went to the NEMO museum in Amsterdam. Luck was still with me as it was Science & Industry Weekend and there was no admission. This science museum is a hands on experience and loads of fun with loads of information. I also made my way to the Anne Frank house, but there were too many people, so opted not to explore. Other things I would highly recommend, which I have seen on a previous trip, are the Rijksmuseum and the van Gogh museum.

For the next 4 - 6 weeks I will be walking El Camino de Santiago to Santiago de Compostela and making my way back to the Netherlands. I will not be taking my keyboard along with me and therefore I will not be posting large blog updates during that time. I do however have some of my favorite stories you can read in that period of time. Please browse through the following list and pick one or two that you would like to do or introduce your significant other/kids to. If you have read/seen/done these things already, pick one (or more) to do again.

Book Series:
- Apprentice Adept (7) - Piers Anthony
- Incarnations of Immortality (8) - Piers Anthony
- Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit (3/4) - J. R. R. Tolken (if you read The Hobbit, read it first)
- Harry Potter (7) - J. K. Rawlings
- Chronicles of Narnia (7) - C. S. Lewis (great one to read to kids)
- Jurrasic Park (2) - Michael Crichton
- Ghattis Tales (3) - Gayle Greene
- Egyptian (River God, etc.) (4) - Wilbur Smith
- Hitchhikers Guide (3) - Douglas Adams
- Hannibal Lecter (3) - Thomas Harris
- Tears of Artamon (3) - Sarah Ash
- Kingkiller Chronicles (2 so far) - Patrick Rothfuss

If you read any of this series for the first time:
1. What did you like about the series?
2. What did you wish was different about the series?
3. What would have made the series better?
4. How did you feel after reading the books?
5. Had you heard of the books/author before?
6. Did the series get better as it went along?
7. Would you recommend the series to another?
8. What series would you recommend?

If you read a series for the second time:
1. Was it how you remembered it?
2. Were there things you noticed this time that you didn't the last?
3. How have you changed since the last reading? Did this affect your perspective?
4. Were you bored reading it a second (or more) time?
5. Was the experience better, worse, or about the same?
6. What series would you recommend?

Books vs. movies:
- Where the Red Fern Grows
- Into Thin Air
- Wizard of Oz
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
- Harry Potter
- The Narnia Series (so far)
- Jurrasic Park Series
- Hitchhikers Guide
- Hannibal Lecter

Immediately after reading the book, watch the corresponding movie.
1. Did you wish there was something in the movie that was in the book?
2. Did you notice details that were different that you didn't notice previously?
3. Did the movie change or add something? Was it for the better?
4. Did you experience the same feeling from the movie as you did the book?
5. Was there something that was done better in the movie than in the book?
6. Did the movie to justice to the book?
7. Have you ever experienced a movie that was better than its book?
8. What book/movie comparison would you recommend?

TV Series (for extra fun):
- Arrested Development
- Firefly (and the movie Serenity afterwards)
- Battlestar Galactica (old/new/vs)
- Futurama

I look forward to reading your "reviews" and to the list of new books to read! Bom Camino!