the Swan Rotterdam is the Netherlands’ most modern city. While Amsterdam and other Dutch cities are marked by the medieval feel of canals, narrow streets and alleyways, Rotterdam is more modern-looking. Completely destroyed in WWII, Rotterdam rebuilt its city with high rises, skyscrapers, and tall residential and office buildings. The city also has one of […]
A’Dam Houses Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ largest city and one in which nearly everyone speaks English and rides bikes. The city also has a reputation for being a liberal, hippie, multi-racial, laid-back city of free love, accessible drugs, wild parties, great food, and friendly people. While this reputation is true to some degree, it distorts […]
Reflections The Netherlands, often called Holland, lies north of Belgium and west of Germany. The country is remarkably flat and a substantial part of it is actually at or below sea level. In fact, parts of the country such as the province of Flevoland are actually man-made and have been reclaimed from the sea, which […]
Okay, so we all have heard of sleeping in coffins, hyperbaric chambers and even 6 x 6 pods…but this may be a new idea..sleeping in wine casks. Welcome to the De Vrouwe Van Stavoren Hotel located in the Northern port town of Stavoren in the Netherlands.
We meet a lot of people while boating in France. As Americans, we are foreigners—but most other boaters cruising the inland waterways are too. We hear the stories of British, Australians, New Zealanders, Swiss, Dutch, and Germans, as well as French.
Let’s start by clearing out the confusion. Amsterdam is the official capital of the Netherlands, but The Hague (Den Haag or ‘s-Gravenage in Dutch) is the seat of the country’s government, located in a castle complex called the Binnenhof . It is one of the few countries where the capital and the government seat are not […]
Maastricht is located in that tiny bit of land stretching out to the south of the Netherlands, a narrow strip of land in between Belgium and Germany. And the vestiges of a Roman city beginning here as early as 50 B.C. shows Maastricht to be the oldest city in the Netherlands. Because of its strategic […]
Amsterdam, one of Europe’s leading artistic / cultural centers, is home to over 50 museums and galleries. In fact, it boasts more museums per capita than any other European capital. Most museums are close in proximity and easily accessed on foot or by water taxi in this pedestrian friendly city of canals. If you are able to […]
‘God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands‘, the old saying goes. Unique, idiosyncratic, functional and pretty – no more is the gloriously enchanting lifestyle of the Dutch on display than in the cosy cultural hub of Utrecht.