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Adventures in Amsterdam and the Challenges
Report from (Mary Cooper 4th Elworth Brownies)
On 25/07/09 395 members of Girlguiding from NWE descended on the city of Amsterdam for a “challenge”. Most had arrived a couple of days before and stayed several days. I travelled with a Guider from Cheshire Forest. We were met at Schiphol airport by two efficient Guiders from the Amsterdam support team, were escorted to the station and were in the city centre very quickly - EASY!
Okay, Holland is as flat as a pancake(not surprising that one of the national foods is the pancake!) so how come we spent most of our time “going up and down”, getting on and off and dodging “in and out”?
Firstly we trundled across the city with our luggage negotiating 100’s of bikes and trams until we reached our hotel in the Jewish Quarter of the city. It was old and had no lifts. On entering we faced our first challenge - Mt. Everest i.e. the stairs! We almost needed crampons and an ice axe to get to the reception at the top. We must have looked shocked as a voice from the summit shouted “leave your luggage we’ll bring it up!” Then followed a further 16 steps to our room.
The next challenge - trying to sleep. We were situated opposite the Westerkerk - a large Protestant church (Royal weddings had taken place here) with the highest tower in Amsterdam and the BELLS! Every half hour a loud tuneless clanging began and then on the hour every hour more tuneless clanging followed by very slow booming chimes - midnight was a nightmare. One found oneself waiting & counting & waiting & counting all through the night! (Ann Frank’s house was around the corner. She had written in her diary that she would never get used to the bells although they were eventually taken down and melted for use in the war but replaced).
The next morning more noise – a thunderstorm echoing around the city but being hardy Guiders we briskly walked to the station in the rain to get the train to Delft. The tickets were £20 each, 1st class and we could go anywhere. First to Delft - a lovely mini Amsterdam with a Square, canals but no trams. Next to Scheveningen on the coast - a large holiday resort. We braved a walk along the beach in a Force 8 gale. Back to the station and on to the Hague - here were the Royal residences and Government buildings - all very grand. Then back to Amsterdam exhausted but having had a great day.
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SATURDAY 25th - the first challenge of the day | |
| to climb the Westerkerk tower (I secretly wanted to take a tool kit to dismantle those bells). Up we went - only 6 at a time - more steep spiral stairs with a single rope to hold on to and then wooden ladder type stairs to climb but when we reached the Gallery the most fantastic views of Amsterdam and that hotel across the road! | |
Next our main challenge - the highlight of our trip. 58 adult Guiders met at Dam Square at 2pm (another 340 met at the Rijksmuseum). Dressed in International uniform some were mistaken as “Guides” by helpless tourists and asked the way to various locations. Of course they obliged! We joined 3 Guiders from Liverpool and were given the Challenge - to visit 9 locations spread across the city, solve 9 clues and be in Oosterpark by 5pm. At each location was a Dutch Scouter or English Guider. Did we choose the right group to join? Yes! We had a very enthusiastic Guider who was a whiz with the map. We raced around the city on and off the trams with 390 others from the Flower market to the Ferry port to the Zoo etc. and arrived at the park to win the Adult Section Challenge! Exhausting but great fun! We decorated and swapped neckers whilst singing “Make good friends”. One girl made her Promise, we sang Taps and parted to our various hotels in Amsterdam.
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On challenge at Den Haag Restaurant |
On challenge at the |
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It had been my birthday - one I didn’t have a second to think about and one I certainly won’t forget - all thanks to guiding and the friendship of others - wonderful!
