Archive for 'Uncategorized'
The Parents Are Coming…Eek! Posted by heather on Jul 15, 2011
This weekend my parents will arrive from the States for a short visit in the Netherlands. My dad has been to the Netherlands before but this will be my mum’s first visit to the country. We will also be in the United Kingdom for a few days so the amount of time we have for…
A Day Trip to Texel Posted by heather on Jun 28, 2011
Two weekends ago, I had the opportunity to visit Texel, an island in the Netherlands. Texel is the biggest and most populated of the Frisian Islands. The weather was not looking promising as we headed off for Den Helder, where we would take the double-decker ferry across to the island. But our guide had assured…
De Hoge Veluwe National Park Posted by heather on May 31, 2011
If you have done any research on the Netherlands or visited here, then you are probably quite familiar with the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Den Haag. You may even know about Eindhoven, Arnhem and Maastricht. But you may not be aware of the 5,400 hectares of woodland, heathland, peat bogs and drift sand located…
Waag: Amsterdam’s Oldest Surviving Medieval Gatehouse Posted by heather on May 3, 2011
There is a building in the middle of the market square, Nieuwmarkt, in Amsterdam. Easily spotted despite the market stands sometimes surrounding it; the brick building, featuring several towers is Amsterdam’s oldest surviving medieval gatehouse. Known by many as St. Antoniespoort, this building is called Waag. Waag was built in 1488, with the intention of…
What Not to Miss in Delfshaven Posted by heather on Mar 17, 2011
Sitting just outside the city centre of Rotterdam, Delfshaven was founded in the 14th century as the port of Delft. Delfshaven was part of the municipality of Delft until 1811, when it became a separate municipality until 1886. At this point it became a part of the municipality of Rotterdam. The Dutch East India Company…
Koken met Klaas Posted by Elena on Dec 19, 2010
I don’t know what the rest of the world looks like, but here in Maastricht there can be no doubt that it is winter. The snow has been falling faster – quite literally – than they can plow it up, and Dutch rail travelers and road commuters have been experiencing some unnatural delays. Fortunately, at…
Slaap je niet lekker? Posted by Elena on Nov 14, 2010
I don’t think it is going too far to observe that, in general, the Dutch are a people of strong, often inflexible opinions. The imposition of those opinions on friends, family and casual bystanders is not uncommon. In my experience, a subject that consistently draws expressions from that staunch Dutch well of opinion is sleep. …