The following morning
we parked just outside the campsite and walked the kilometre or so to
the town centre which was bustling being a Saturday. Once we had
familiarised ourselves with the vast number of cyclists coming from all
directions, we managed to negotiate the narrow lanes to the market with
many cheese and flower stalls and reached the main square. There was
also an antiques market alongside the narrow canals and bikes of all
shapes and sizes parked everywhere. After lunch we drove to the
mootorway and headed east past Utrecht then on the main road through
Zeist to Ede and a minor road to Otterlo and the Droome Parke
holiday complex with a separate wooded area for touing pitches. We
decided to stay for three nights as it was near several attractions we
wanted to visit.
The next morning was sunny and pleasantly warm so we drove the short
distance to the Hoge Veluwe National Park, a large area of sandy
heathland and pinewoods. It is possible to park at the entrance gates
and use the free bikes but we paid the €6 per vehicle entrance fee and
drove to the Kroller-Muller sculpture garden and art gallery. The
sculpture garden covers 25 hectares and about 160 works are on display
by some well known artists including Rodin, Henry Moore and Barbara
Hepworth. The original gardens, opened in 1961, are laid out in formal
grass areas but later extensions are among woodlands. Some of the
modern works are more challenging to interpret especially the larger
constructions.
After lunch we visited the art gallery where a wide range of paintings
were displayed, from Dutch Masters through the Impressionists - Monet,
Pissaro, Seurat and Van Gogh (of course), to more modern paintings by
Mondriaan and Picasso. We had bought advance tickets online at €19 each
but thought it was an excellent opportunity to see so much art in one
place.