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On a Saturday we caught a train from Amsterdam to Kampen. What usually would take someone 90 minute to do it took us a little over 2 hours. No events to report other than the difficulty in getting our luggage onto the tram and then onto the right train. The luggage slowed us down just enough to miss our connections. We will pack different next time. Again our friend was there to meet us at the train station guide us over the bridge to our new home. This B&B was right on the river and our room looked down upon some touring sailing boats. In no time we were on the move to find some food. The local food was good and somewhat cheap. The main street has a lovely tower that is currently being restored. This city is one of the oldest in Northern Netherlands and maintains an old city feel. It still has 3 of it's city gates and a couple rings of canals used for defense. Defense from flooding is a major issue. The water control system was built into the street in a way that you wouldn't notice. It wasn't till they were pointed out to me did I see the effectiveness and simplicity of the design. We headed for the car and out for a little jaunt around town. The green belt, the quiet small streets and city gates gave this city an almost fairy tale like quality. The city is expanding and new houses are taking over the surrounding fields. That evening we hit a Chinese place for dinner and then wandered down to see some bands. It was the last day of August. The stage was setup in a little square beside the river. The place was packed with people drinking cheap beer. We hung out till the Joe Cocker Revival band played out the night and the beer was all gone. It was time to check out more of the nightlife. Wandering down main street we experienced the after beer food. Which in cases was either really bad tasting or really bad for you. It gave us plenty of energy for us to hit the town for another few hours. A couple of questioning looks at a few bars because I guess no one brings their child to a pub there. It's not illegal or anything it just wasn't done. We wandered on home later that evening. The streets were quiet and the people were friendly. It was a very nice medieval city.
AccomodationThe Bed & Breakfast in Kampen we stayed at while touring Overijssel was absolutely awesome. The location was perfect, the hosts warm and friendly and the breakfast was satisfying. It felt like we were truly in Netherlands. The B&B IJsselhuys has wonderful views over the river. City GateThere are 3 old city gates in Kampen. Two of them are on the edge of the green belt and one is near the water.
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