{"id":28957,"date":"2026-10-04T00:30:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T00:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=28957"},"modified":"2026-10-04T00:30:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T00:30:57","slug":"my-first-day-in-holland-and-thoughts-on-a-2027-hike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=28957","title":{"rendered":"My first day in Holland – and thoughts on a 2027 hike…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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I would say so – based on this year’s hiking experience in Holland and Belgium…<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Welcome to the \u201cGeorgia Wasp\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

This blog is modeled on the Carolina Israelite<\/em>. That was an old-time newspaper<\/a> \u2013 more like a personal newsletter<\/a> \u2013 written and published by Harry Golden<\/a>. Back in the 1950s<\/a>, people called Harry a \u201cvoice of sanity amid the braying of jackals.\u201d (For his work on the Israelite<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s now my goal as well. To be a \u201cvoice of sanity amid the braying of jackals<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more on the blog-name connection, see the notes below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantim<\/strong><\/em>e<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

October 4, 2026 – As noted last time, I finished a month-long “Camino hike*” on Holland\u2019s GR5<\/a> last September 14. That last post had a quick review of the hike, 140 miles from Hook (of) Holland<\/a> to Maastricht<\/a>. This one will describe my first two days in Amsterdam – but before that I’ll review some lessons learned this year. (As they may apply to a maybe-next-year hike.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like what to pack and more importantly what not <\/em>to pack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One very<\/em> important thing: Cut down on pack weight. Experts say that on <\/em>a Camino hike your pack should weigh no more than 10 percent of your body weight. In my case that would be 15 pounds, although since I usually stay below 145 pounds at home my ideal pack weight would be 14.5. But at least since the 2023 hike on the Robert Louis Stevenson Trail<\/a> in France, I’ve been lugging around a 20<\/em>-pound pack. I especially <\/em>noted the difference on the GR5 this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe I’m getting too old to lug a 20-pound pack. Maybe it’s time to listen to the experts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For starters, I’ve been carrying a big stainless steel water bottle, which – when it’s three-quarters full – weighs two pounds. However, I rarely drink all the water in it, so to cut down weight I just got a 16-ounce aluminum can of Pure Life Purified Water. (A can because I don’t use plastic water bottles; I’m cutting down on plastic exposure, microplastics and such.) When it’s <\/em>full it weighs one pound, not two, and with more places to stop and refresh next year I could get by with less. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, this year I carried along both a tablet and a battery charger, and together they weighed a full pound. The tablet I use mostly for reading books saved on it as PDFs, but even on the flights over and back I rarely did that much reading. As for the battery charger, I used it once. But in Holland many buses and trains had seats with a charging station. (Provided you remember to remember to pack the charger-cord so it’s readily-accessible.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there’s outerwear. On past hikes I’ve packed two sets of Magellan quick-dry long pants and two long-sleeve Magellan shirts with roll-up sleeves. (One beige and one navy blue each.) But I found out this year I comfortably could get by wearing one set – day after day – as long as I made sure to wash one of the three sets of socks and quick-dry Adidas \u201cAeroready\u201dunderwear. Then too, Camino purists say limit your clothes to those two sets. That way you have one set of day-clothes for hiking, and at night \u2013 after your shower \u2013 you put on the second set. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past I’ve packed a third set of clothes – possibly out of vanity? But no more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then too, the combination of beige quick-dry pants and a navy-blue quick-dry shirt made me look dorky in photos taken along the way. The shirt was fine, but the way-too-big beige Magellan pants ballooned out made me look fat. (And dorky.) “Vanity, Thy Name Is<\/strong><\/em> . . . A Camino hiker trying to impress the folks back home<\/a>.” In this case, that vanity could ease my burden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll explore more ways to cut next year’s pack weight in upcoming posts, but now it’s time to move on to my first days in Amsterdam. For starters, I booked a room for two nights at the Ramada by Wyndham Amsterdam Airport Schiphol<\/a>. (“Sloterweg 299, 1171 VB Badhoevedorp.”) So I had that to look forward to. But before I talk about that: I got through security at the Atlanta airport in five minutes, surprisingly enough. And once through, enjoying a pre-flight high-priced airport beer, I got a text from Tom. He got tickets to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I had that to look forward to as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the red-eye flight I actually got some sleep, for a change. \u201cBack on seat, knees scrunched up against the seat-back in front of me. \u2018Til my ass got sore.\u201d The plane touched down at Schiphol at 10:105 a.m., and from there it took 50 minutes to get through Passport Control. And Delta made that 50 minutes much better because of their new restrictions on carry-on baggage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That fancy 50-liter Decathlon<\/a> backpack I got in Rome in 2022 turned out to be just a touch too big (in dimensions) to carry on. Which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time I checked the big fancy backpack, and for during the flight got a small 10-liter Ozark Trail day pack. Once I got through security it fit nicely into the bigger pack, and since I checked the bigger one I could pack things I couldn’t on earlier trips to Europe. I could bring things like barber scissors – to help me not look scruffy when I got home after a month – and a small pocket knife that came in handy in Holland. Plus it meant I didn’t have a 20-pound pack to lug around the endless lines going through security. And the day pack – aside from being lighter – contained necessities for the first day or two, in case Delta lost my checked bag. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to arriving at Schiphol at 10:105 a.m. As usual I took my time getting oriented, and without much trouble found the hotel shuttle to the Ramada Schiphol. (The ride was free on the way in, but six Euros for the return trip – and you had to make a reservation – but well worth it.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another pleasant surprise: Even though I was hours early for check-in, my room was ready. I settled in, unpacked, got a bit more oriented, then checked Google Maps. With that information I hiked up Sloterweg to “Cafe Cachet,” better known as Cachet Badhoevedorp<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspired by the relaxed charm of a French neighbourhood bistro, Cachet celebrates the beauty of the seasons, pure ingredients and the pleasure of good food in good company. The menu reflects the signature of chef Lars Scharp: rooted in classic French techniques and always guided by the quality of the ingredients.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It was almost up to where the street “Akerdijk” magically transformed into “Nieuemeerdijk,” both running along the first any many canals I would see in the weeks to come. Since the menu was in Dutch – no English menu – I ordered the cheapest snack I could make out. “Bad move, trendy and expensive. I had some kind of pate [‘a rich, savory paste made from finely minced or mashed ingredients’], like hummus, with Sardinian bread. Not bad actually; came with a dark red kind of cabbage slaw. 15 Euros, not counting the beer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And speaking of beer, the “Cachet” price wasn’t bad, only 4,50 Euros. (Much better than airport prices.) On the way back I stopped at the Lidl grocery store I saw hiking over, and stocked up a few necessities for the morning. I unpacked them, then went down to the hotel bar for a nine<\/em>-Euro beer, and that was it for the day. I texted back home, “Got to bed a 4:42 a.m. body-clock time. 10:42 p.m. local.” Some time the next morning I planned to hike the seven miles up to the Amsterdam Centraal<\/a> station, just to make sure it was where it was supposed to be. And maybe stop at the oldest pub in Amsterdam? A story for next time.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The upper image is courtesy of “heavy backpack Images<\/a>.” It came with a quasi-eponymous<\/a> Page, courtesy of uppercervicalawareness.com<\/a>. The page included tips, such as: 1) Follow the 10% Rule, 2) Use Both Shoulder Straps\u2014Always, 3) Tighten the Straps, 4) Use Waist and Chest Straps, and 5) Pack Heavy Items Close to Your Body. I did 2, 3, and 4 on the 2026 hike, but Number 5 was a surprise:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Place heavier items like laptops, books, or water bottles closest to your spine<\/strong>. Keeping the weight near your center of gravity reduces the force pulling your posture forward and helps maintain natural spinal alignment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I’d always been taught to put heavy items at the top of the pack, which caused problems. Over the course of a day the heavy items tend to sink down toward the bottom. (And as always, I liberally define “Camino hike” as not just applying to hikes on the Camino de Santiago<\/a>. Instead it applies to any hike where at the end of each day “you look forward to a warm bed, hot shower and a cold beer.”) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: A possible 2027 hike. It may be back to warm, sunny and dry Spain; we got rained on a lot in Holland and Belgium.<\/em> Which leads to one bit of good news: If we do a hike on a real Camino trail in Spain next year, there should be a lot more places to stop and refresh – so I won’t need to carry as much water as in past hikes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: Vanity. Articles like Vanity, Thy Name Is Woman Quote: Exploring Shakespeare’s Most Famous Line<\/a>. Which in fact is said to be the most misquoted: “Shakespeare\u2019s most debated and often misunderstood lines,” from Hamlet in Act 1, Scene 2. The actual quote is “Frailty, thy name is woman” and was only directed at Hamlet’s mother Gertrude for her weakness in marrying her late husband’s brother. (The link above indicates the line was repeated twice, first with “frailty” and next with “vanity.” Either way, this is one of those rabbit-trail digressions that I love but some of my readers can’t stand. Which is why I put these learning-experiences in the end notes.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re: That fancy Decathlon<\/a>\u00a0backpack: “For the first three Camino hikes I had a cheap low-hanging pack from a local ‘Yuppie Goodwill.’ But Tom and Carol got tired of seeing the pack hanging so low \u2013 and it was<\/strong> uncomfortable \u2013 so when we got back to Rome in 2022, they sprung for a better one. A\u00a0Forclaz Men\u2019s MT100 Easyfit 50 L<\/a>\u00a0(50 Liter) backpack from one of many\u00a0Decathlon<\/a>\u00a0sporting-goods store in Rome.” (From March 2024’s On preparing for a Camino hike<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lower image is courtesy of Amsterdam Centraal station – Wikipedia<\/a>. Caption: “First station roof (1889), designed by L.J. Eijmer.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Re:  The Israelite<\/a>.  Harry Golden<\/a> grew up in the Jewish ghetto of New York City, but eventually moved to Charlotte, North Carolina.  Thus the \u201cCarolina Israelite.\u201d  I on the other hand am a \u201cclassic 75-<\/strong>year-old \u201cWASP\u201d \u2013 White Anglo-Saxon Protestant<\/a> \u2013 and live in north Georgia.  Thus the \u201cGeorgia Wasp.\u201d    <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, in<\/strong> North Carolina Harry wrote and published the \u201cisraelite\u201d from the 1940s through the 1960s.  He was a \u201ccigar-smoking, bourbon-loving raconteur<\/a>.\u201d  (He told good stories.) That also means if he was around today, the \u201cIsraelite <\/strong>would be done as a blog.\u201d  But what made Harry special was his positive outlook on life<\/a>.  As he got older but didn\u2019t turn sour<\/a>, like many do today.  He still got a kick out of life<\/a><\/strong>.  For more on the blog-name connection, see \u201cWasp<\/a>\u201d and\/or The blog<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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*   *   *   * *   *   *   * Welcome to the \u201cGeorgia Wasp\u2026\u201d This blog is modeled on the Carolina Israelite. That was an old-time newspaper \u2013 more like a personal newsletter \u2013 written and published by Harry Golden. Back in the 1950s, people called Harry a \u201cvoice of sanity amid the braying of jackals.\u201d (For his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28957"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28957"}],"version-history":[{"count":131,"href":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29237,"href":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28957\/revisions\/29237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}