Windmills of Holland

[Deleted]

We mustn't overlook this country.

Look at this.

[traveler63]

I agree K2. these are beautiful and I have Holland on my list to see.

[lagatta]

I have to visit more of it; I'm mostly familiar with Amsterdam and some of the nearby cities (Rotterdam, the Hague, the beautiful town of Haarlem). I'd like to get deeper into the country: Nijmegen, Groningen etc. The photo gallery is lovely indeed, but the parts of the Dutch countryside I have seen tend to be much more populated and settled, with tidy homes and farms, tidily replanted trees, polders, and ENDLESS greenhouses.

I've been in Amsterdam for weeks at a time, but usually any free travel time saw me visiting people I know and miss in France and in Germany - once I was able to push on to Italy, as attending a conference there.

Even with limited means, there is an extensive network of well-run, clean "youth" hostels - open to all ages, with family rooms - called StayOkay. Very good train service thoughout the country as well as bicycle paths, of course.

[Deleted]

I know that during tulip season, the airport organizes tours for people in transit 3 hours or more. I think it is a great idea. It's a shame that most of the airports of Europe don't have anything like that that they can show in such a brief time.

[betsie]

The tulip fields are a great tourist attraction, so be ready for a very crowded and possibly stressful visit! My partner worked for public transport had to deal with passengers last year who were trying to get the bus transfer to the Keukenhof. It was a total shambles and he had to stand there and take a lot of fury from foreign visitors!

Volendam is another red hot tourist attraction, a kind of Dutch Disneyland village where people wear traditional dress for the benefit of tourists. But there are many other places which are less touristy that are worth seeing in the Netherlands. We have a number of wonderful 17th century towns and cities which have been well preserved, such as Deventer and Zutphen (where my daughter lives). The south of the country is well worth a visit, as is the north, and the Wadden Islands are splendid if you like nature, dunes and birds.

I'll post some pix when I get back from Berlin next week.

[Deleted]

I would imagine, though, that the Dutch get annoyed from time to time about all of the foreigners who know nothing about the country other than windmills, tulips, wooden shoes, etc. Philips? Shell? What does that have to do with "Holland"?

[betsie]

Sept 15, 2010 16:48:48 GMT kerouac2 said:

I would imagine, though, that the Dutch get annoyed from time to time about all of the foreigners who know nothing about the country other than windmills, tulips, wooden shoes, etc. Philips? Shell? What does that have to do with "Holland"?

Not really, they just think it's amusing. The Dutch are a modest, easygoing people and are pretty nice to visitors. They don't expect people to know much about the real Netherlands, but will happily give you advice if you ask what you should see.

[ninchursanga]

My favourite windmill! ;D


It's right next to a small beer brewery, although that one has been steadily expanding since it started. But it's still nice there, especially when the weather is nice and one can sit outside and sip a beer.

[gertie]

Beautiful. I love tulips, but I think I would most like to see Holland in winter. Ice skating on the canals sounds just awesome.

[bjd]

Gertie, then you have to plan your trip carefully. The canals don't freeze every year. The famous 200 km race takes place only about once every 10 years. I think there was one in 2010.

Netherlands in winter is usually cold, gray and rainy.

[gertie]

So my friends who live there tell me. You got me, all my knowledge of the country is from a kid's book about a young fellow who entered the 200 km race and from a very old book my grandparents had on their bookshelf that was along the lines of the Happy Hollisters version Netherlands. I suspect if I looked it up, it was probably some kid's classic from the 1950s.