Massage Amsterdam after Volendam, Marken and a long walk on the dike
Written for visitorsThe old fishing villages on the water north of Amsterdam are a well-worn day out: a bus from behind the station, a harbour with smoked fish, a boat across to Marken and a long walk on the dike. By the time the bus brings you back, the wind has done its work, and a massage in Amsterdam is a fair way to close the day.
Volendam and Marken sit on the shore of the Markermeer, the broad lake north-east of the city, and most visitors see both in a single day. The bus leaves from the north side of Centraal, the harbour front in Volendam is lined with fish stalls and souvenir shops, and in the warmer months a ferry crosses to Marken in about half an hour. On Marken the wooden houses stand on small mounds, and a path along the dike leads out to the white lighthouse at the far end. An evening in a warm room is a sensible answer to a day spent outdoors beside a lake that never seems to lie still.
Wind, water and a walk to the lighthouse
The lighthouse walk is the part people underestimate. It is flat and the path is good, but it runs along the top of the dike with water on one side and fields on the other, and nothing shelters you from the wind for most of an hour each way. On the ferry many people stand on deck to watch the shore, and the wait for the bus home means more standing. Faces redden in the wind even on cloudy days, and the shoulders tighten from holding a jacket closed.
Writing from the bus to book a massage in Amsterdam
The bus back to the city is a good place to write. Give the address of your room with its floor, the length you want, and the hour you expect to be through the door, with time for a hot shower. If you have no name in mind, say that whoever is free will suit you. The reply names the therapist, the figure from her profile and the arrival window, and once you accept all three, the evening is settled.
Coming back cold
A day by the lake can leave you colder than you notice until you stop moving. Turn the heating up before the shower rather than after it, so the room is warm by the time she arrives, and put a jumper on while you wait. She brings towels and oil. If you would like the evening to run longer than an hour, ninety minutes gives time to warm through without watching the clock; the session length entry sets out the choices. For a day spent mostly on the water inside the city, the page on a day on the canals by boat covers the same ground.