Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the haarlemmermeer
The land between Haarlem and Amsterdam—where trains
speed through , c at tle graze, and 747s touch down —was once a
lake the size of Washington, D.C. called the Haarlemmermeer.
In the 1500s, a series of high tides and storms caused the
IJ River to breach its banks, flooding this sub-sea-level area
and turning a bunch of shallow lakes into a single one nearly
15 feet deep, covering 70 square miles. By the 1800s, floods
were licking at the borders of Haarlem and Amsterdam, and
the residents needed to act. First, they dug a ring canal to
channel away water (and preserve the lake's shipping busi-
ness). Then, using steam engines, they pumped the lake dry,
turning marshy soil into fertile ground. The Amsterdam-
Haarlem train line that soon crossed the former lakebed was
the country's first.
Amsterdam to Haarlem Train Tour
Since you'll be commuting from Amsterdam to Haarlem, here's
an out-the-window tour to keep you entertained while you travel.
Departing from Amsterdam, grab a seat on the right (with your
back to Amsterdam, top deck if possible). Everything is on the
right unless I say it's on the left.
You're riding the oldest train line in Holland.
Leaving Amsterdam, you'll see the cranes and ships of its
harbor—sizable, but nothing like Europe's biggest in nearby
Rotterdam.
On your left, a few minutes out of Amsterdam, find the old
windmill.
In front of it, the little garden plots and cottages are
escapes for big-city people who probably don't even have a bal-
cony.
Coming into the
Sloterdijk Station
(where trains connect
for Amsterdam airport), you'll see huge office buildings, such as
Dutch Telecom KPN. These grew up after the station made com-
muting easy. On the horizon, sleek and modern windmills whirl.
Passing through a forest and by some houseboats, you enter a
polder
—an area of reclaimed land. This is part of an ecologically
sound farm zone, run without chemicals. Cows, pigs, and chick-
ens run free—they're not raised in cages. The train tracks are on a
dike, which provides a solid foundation not susceptible to floods.
This way, the transportation system functions right through any
calamity. Looking out at the distant dike, remember you're in the
most densely populated country in Europe.
On the right, just after the Ikea building, find a big beige-and-
white building. This is the
mint,
where currency is printed (top
security, no advertising). This has long been a family business—see
