FNRttC The Fridays 2017 Tour On Tour Thread

[User169]

@wanda2010 We didn't get around to twee porcelain, but can report that the khazis at Delft station are not just un-twee but uncommonly minging.

When the station opened last year, it had revolving exit doors. Trains arriving at the platforms caused a huge upthrust of air spinning the doors hard so visitors were forcefully ejected out of the building. The doors have now been removed.

 

[mjr]

When the station opened last year, it had revolving exit doors. Trains arriving at the platforms caused a huge upthrust of air spinning the doors hard so visitors were forcefully ejected out of the building. The doors have now been removed.

Any videos? There are altogether too many people posting videos of train doors online

 

[theclaud]

When the station opened last year, it had revolving exit doors. Trains arriving at the platforms caused a huge upthrust of air spinning the doors hard so visitors were forcefully ejected out of the building. The doors have now been removed.

 

[Aperitif]

When the station opened last year, it had revolving exit doors. Trains arriving at the platforms caused a huge upthrust of air spinning the doors hard so visitors were forcefully ejected out of the building. The doors have now been removed.

Looks like a thoughtful construction!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p31RuIQ72Ig

The video following "Arriving in Delft" is also nice.

 

[ianmac62]

@ianmac62 all videos showing as "unobtainable". Please help. The Present Mrs Mmmmartin is making coffee and coming to the table to watch them and I'm too scared to tell her they're "unobtainable".

Sorry! My default upload setting seems to have been "private"; changed them all to "public" now. This should make them visible. Mrs Mmmmartin's coffee will be cold.

 

[mmmmartin]

changed them all to "public" now. This should make them visible.

These are hilarious, well worth a few minutes of your time. The feet twirling on the beer bike are very funny.

 

[ianmac62]

Well, I've been looking again at my tracks for the Tour and have spotted that, when we had tea / beer at Alphen on the Saturday afternoon on the way to Breda, we were just five kilometres (!!) north of Baarle, a place which is the last survivor of the strange way the boundary was drawn between the Netherlands and Belgium when the Belgians broke away from the Dutch in 1830.

One half, Baarle-Hertog, is Belgian while the other, Baarle-Nassau, is Dutch. Baarle-Hertog is made up of Belgian enclaves totally surrounded by Dutch territory. But get this: part of the territory that makes up Baarle-Nassau consists of seven Dutch enclaves totally surrounded by some of the Belgian enclaves (which are themselves, of course, totally surrounded by Dutch territory) making those Dutch enclaves the only examples in Europe of *double-enclaves*!!

The border was drawn that way in the 1830s so that Catholic parishes could be in the newly independent Belgium while Calvinist parishes remained in the Netherlands. The most recent attempt to smooth it all out was agreed by the two governments and by the two sets of church authorities ... and then rejected by the inhabitants who, after the best part of two centuries, are rather attached to the everyday arrangements the enclaves entail!

So NEXT TIME we go the Low Countries, please please please can we include this spot on our Tour?

 

[mmmmartin]

Steve, who accompanied us from Maastricht to Eindhoven, told us he lived so close to the Belgian border that he was paying roaming rates on his mobile when he rang his mates from inside his own house. Until Our Wonderful EU abolished roaming charges, obvs.

 

[srw]

Well, I've been looking again at my tracks for the Tour and have spotted that, when we had tea / beer at Alphen on the Saturday afternoon on the way to Breda, we were just five kilometres (!!) north of Baarle, a place which is the last survivor of the strange way the boundary was drawn between the Netherlands and Belgium when the Belgians broke away from the Dutch in 1830.

So NEXT TIME we go the Low Countries, please please please can we include this spot on our Tour?

It's not impossible that someone suggested the same thing in the planning phase for this year's tour. Perhaps even more than once. And I'm pretty sure that Google Maps was summoned while we were sitting in the café next to the old train line from Breda to Baarle to demonstrate the nature of the interlocking borders. But some people had decided on the café in the square....

I quite like this phrase, which I can't quote properly because the thread has been locked:

"As our trans-Atlantic cousins probably wouldn't say, one of the exclavest places in the world."

 

[ianmac62]

Gosh @srw I am sorry - I haven't been paying attention (a) to threads (b) to choosing the appropriate café! Hats off to you! (I would have joined a guerrilla breakaway group to Baarle!)

 

[srw]

Gosh @srw I am sorry - I haven't been paying attention (a) to threads (b) to choosing the appropriate café! Hats off to you! (I would have joined a guerrilla breakaway group to Baarle!)

To be honest, I was very surprised myself when I realised we were only 5km away. If I'd been on my own on the bike and on top form I might have suggested a rebellious detour. I'm now messing around with google maps.

 

[ianmac62]

... I'm pretty sure that Google Maps was summoned while we were sitting in the café next to the old train line from Breda to Baarle to demonstrate the nature of the interlocking borders ...

I've just read that the old train line from Tilburg (in the Netherlands) to Turnhout (in Belgium) goes through several of the Baarle enclaves. Leaving Alphen, it crosses the border eight times before getting to the "real" border. One for you, @srw - and for @mmmmartin - https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2018/06/05/from-railway-to-cycleway/ where the blogger describes how s/he travelled on the train before the line closed and how he has cycled the path today. There are some great modern and historical photographs together with some interesting videos.

 

[User169]

@wanda2010. We didn't get around to twee porcelain, but can report that the khazis at Delft station are not just un-twee but uncommonly minging.

TC - I think they heard you!

Roughly translates as “They may be a bit crap now, but soon you’ll luv em!’

“Together for new toilets!”

 

[theclaud]

TC - I think they heard you!

Roughly translates as “They may be a bit crap now, but soon you’ll luv em!’

“Together for new toilets!”


View attachment 448344

Excellent news! Will have to visit again to admire the new khazis.

 

[StuartG]

“Together for new toilets!”

Ahem, does that mean gender-free in Dutch?