H O L L A N D

19 March 2005

B r e d a

We knew almost nothing about Breda, so we decided to take a look to see what it was like. On the way, we crossed the Rhine at the nearest bridging point to the sea; it was like crossing a miniature ocean. Breda turned out to have a very nice centre, in which we saw Ivy in her natural habitat ... SHOPPING! The Cathedral is vast, in fact so big that we couldn't fit it onto one picture from any angle. We found a very nice traditional shoemaker with a large selection of clogs (traditional Dutch wooden shoes). We also found a lovely traditional wurlitzer (automatic, but not electronic, music machine) playing traditional tunes in the main street. 

The motorway from Breda to Antwerp was jammed solid, so we took the back roads. On the way, we passed a bizarre building called `Jaiselings Royal Palace'.  This is actually not a palace at all but a conference, convention & party centre set up by a Dutch function organiser who wanted to create a fairytale setting. Anyway it looks spectacular!

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