Hoppity hippity. On to the train to the popular Batavia Stad. But wait, the 20 minutes train ride has something more than the highly comfortable empty bogies to offer—a delay.
I was told that the Batavia Stad would be a good place to hang out to clear my mind. It has the best of all worlds - beautiful architecture, some interesting sculptures, a museum, and beautiful waters to relax by.
The train stopped prematurely due to maintenance issues and the next train would only arrive 1 whole hour later. Here we go again, alone with the thoughts I wanted to get away from. After the train ride, a nice bus ride that shows you a lot about Lelystad takes you to the final stop- Batavia Stad.
And what a view it is!
Beautiful sunny days like these are rare here. It was already shaping up to be like the day I wished it to be. The walls fencing Batavia Stad are vintage and I thoroughly enjoy this aesthetic.
The 1600s aesthetic and the name Batavia Stad are derived from the early 1600 Dutch East India company flagship Batavia. Unfortunately, it met a crashing end.
The first thing that caught my attention was this striking sculpture. A thrilling fully white head with bright blue eyes, almost as if underwater up to the chin. With another sculpture on its bald head. I could make speculations about it but I am sure I'd be wrong every time. Best guess? Something to do with the people that drowned onboard Batavia? Nevertheless, it seemed like a very popular place for kids to play at and take pictures with.
Right across the road is the tall and proud monument of Cornelis Lely. A civil engineer and Dutch politician after whom this entire city in Flevoland province has been named after.
Opposite the Lely monument and north of the "White Face" sculpture is this piece of art. Made of 12 individual wooden pieces. Hard to tell what it resembles without any background knowledge. Maybe this one is also somehow connected to the Batavia ship.
On the way to Batavia Stad there stand a very beautiful conglomerate of buildings. In between is a large green park. The entire space is very large and beautiful. Something nice and pleasant to look at and experience in every direction. There is a calming cool wind coming from the waters nearby.
The Netherlands is popular for its beautiful architecture and everywhere you go you will find examples of their work. This oddly shaped building is a dine-in restaurant.
On another side is the Batavia Land museum. Yet another example of the Dutchie daring architecture. The museum showcases an interactive and thorough curation of artifacts of Flevoland.
Outside the museum there are a couple of photographs from younger times of Flevoland and a disintegrated plane engine. There isn't much to learn from the photographs except for what is shown, but the engine has a detailed explanation right next to it.
Inside the Batavia Stad is the outlet. Plenty of brands to shop from, a handful of fast-food restaurants to grab a quick bite at, quite a few food stalls, and many many people. I was surprised to find so many people on a weekday. Maybe Lelystad is a little different from Almere. Oh, there also is a Max Verstappen shop for F1 lovers.
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