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The Holland Tour
Now that summer’s approaching (Yes, it is! It may not look like it now, but it will be summer.) I’ve begun creating a list of all the places I still want to visit around here. Turns out to be quite an impressive list. From the looks of it, I’ll be wearing out the tires on my poor lil’ Ford Ka.
I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t seen all that much of my country yet. There is so much to see around here. Unbelievably beautiful sceneries, lots of culture and old buildings. So much I want my son to learn about the country he was born in. What better way to do that than actually take him to all those places? Of course I’ll be taking my camera with me, it’s my eyes. And a permanent extension of my arm.
Aside from all the tourist places such as Amsterdam, Gouda, Rotterdam, Utrecht, I also want to photograph the smaller and perhaps even more picturesque villages. Think along the lines of Oudewater, Marken, Volendam and lots of other special places. It’ll be fun trips for us, too!
If there are special places, buildings or scenes you would like me to photograph around here—provided it doesn’t require a three-hour drive—let me know and I’ll see what I can do for you!
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Have you ever been to Naarden? It’s very beautiful, and cool to see the old town within the fortress walls. I visited with my aunt who lives nearby in Huizen (also very nice!). If you plan ahead you can climb the old clock tower with a guide and get gorgeous shots, though I must warn you it’s a bit tricky going up those stone steps with a small kid (though we did do it!). Not too far from Gouda either, I don’t think.
My favorite spots are sort of touristy, but I still really enjoy visiting them when I’m in the NL. My favorite place is Kinderdijk because I love the history. And it’s a beautiful place in the summer when everything is green and in bloom. I also really like Madurodam in Scheveningen even though it’s uber touristy. But, I really enjoyed it when I was a kid, so I’m sure your’s will too. And after the tour you could go to the beach! If you’re looking for more small town feel, I really love the church in Delft. It’s an absolutely beautiful place.
Mika:
Put it on the list! Never been there but am already intrigued by your description of the fortress walls!
Liesal:
When I was a teenager I spent big parts of my weekend going out in Kinderdijk. Been ages since I’ve last been there. It will be a trip down memory lane for me :)
Delft! Thanks for reminding me, that’s a big one, too.
Did you realize that you can cross Holland in 3 hours? So you basically say that very place in Holland is an option :)
I would suggest Thorn, in Zuid-Limbrug. It’s a very nice pitoresque town with almost only white houses. Your youngster will love it to, since there is a very famous pannekoekenhuis!
Another spot, a bit closer to your hometown is the Biesbosch. I never been, but I would like to go sometimes but I have no idea what it looks like. So please go and shoot some nice picas so I can see :)
Blokzijl is a very photogenic town, and close to the Weerribben and Giethoorn.
If you’re ever in Friesland, you’re welcome for coffee :)
@Martijn:
Shoot, you’re right! I’ve been to the Biesbosch, it’s pretty!
No no no no. The best and most famous pancake house in the Netherlands is and will always be De Wensput in Doorn :)
On our trip last year, we spent time in Bakkeveen, Norg, Oosterwolde, and Assen (I guess that’s basically Drenthe??). We really enjoyed our time there. And found a couple of great restaurants that were recommended by the locals.
You can read it them here: http://wanderlust-and-pixiedust.blogspot.com/2009/10/quick-updatenow-from-bakkaveen.html
And here: http://wanderlust-and-pixiedust.blogspot.com/2009/10/amazing-its-whats-for-dinner.html
It’s really really laid back and isolated. Lots of tree-lined lanes and quiet heather to roam about. Totally different than my other experiences in Holland.
I also fell in love with Edam on my last trip. Oh, and Leeuwarden! http://wanderlust-and-pixiedust.blogspot.com/2009/12/edam-it-brings-out-my-cheesy-nature.html
I’ll stop now. Really.
Oh, and to second the earlier rec, Naarden if very nice and very interesting.
My mothers home town of Enkhuizen is very beautiful. you can walk along the harbour and enjoy all the sailboats or climb the tower that remains from the old walls. There is also a outside museum where they have collected and restored some of the old buildings and set it up so that you can see the way people used to live a couple of centuries ago.
Starting halfway april, there’s the tulpenroute in the Noordoostpolder. You can make a drive through the polder passing acres and acres of tulips. It’s a nice thing to do, and even better to show all foreigners reading your blog. Check out http://tulpenfestival.nl/ for more info and ‘my website’ to see some nice images of this tour from a few years ago.
Don’t forget about Groningen. :)
Oh and I almost forgot “Nationale Park de Hoge Veluwe”, it’s awesome! Don’t forget to stop by Jachthuis Sint Hubertus.
How far are you from Alsmeer (if I’m spelling that right)? Seeing that flower market was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen!
I’ve only been to Amsterdam and in Friesland. Friesland is beautiful if you ask me! I’ve only been there during the fall and winter, but I’m going there in the summer too, so I can’t wait to see what it’s like then. Sneek is one of the most charming cities I’ve ever been to.
It’s also very pretty to photograph Friesland out in the country!
We lived in The Hague for some years, don’t miss it when you’re crossing to Scheveningen. The Binnenhof is very fine, with Lange Poten in front (the American Embassy is ugly, but in summer the trees make it a beautiful walk) Clingendael with the Japanese Garden and Westbroekpark with it’s many, many roses is nice too.
How about Schiermonnikoog or the hunebedden in Drenthe?
Nienoord in Leek.
The Traffic Park in Assen.
De Eftiling.
Oh this is such an exciting comments section for me! Thanks so much for posting the question and to all your readers for their ideas. We’re planning on relocating from Canada to the NL (Arnhem) in 5 months and this list of great places to visit is now bookmarked to return to very soon! I can’t wait to hear (and see) your impressions as well.
Hi Kay, I would like to see your fav place to eat out and your fav thing to order? Thanks!
When I was a child my dad was a contractor and we moved about a lot. Between the ages of 7 and 9 we lived in Holland and one of the places we lived was Hellevoetsluis. It is a beautiful place. It was a fortified town waaaaay back when and there are some amazing museums relating to its history including IIRC a replica of an 1800′s town. Because it is a port town there are Yacht events every other year and I think someone told me recently that there is a Music festival once a month for Rock/Punk.. you can get your headbanging on! Oh…. and there are world famous sand dunes and I think a nature reserve… but you’d need to check that. :) I hope you have a wonderful time!
There are so many lovley places in Holland to visit. My hometown of Arnhem is great. Burger’s Zoo is a must go, with all the different regions. The Ocean is amazing. And Het Openluchtmuseum is also a really great place to spend a day, although i would recommend you visit that in winter so you can skate as well. And on a warm summer’s day a picknick in Sonsbeek Park followed by a glass of rose on the Korenmarkt.
Amazing that I end up on this blog. My whole family, back several generations, is from Nijmegen, and I’m the first to be born in Australia, let alone outside of Holland.
So today I was looking for a recipe for Dutch meatballs to compare to the one we normally make, and where do I end up? On a Dutch blog. Crazy.
That said, your photography is lovely, as is the food. Subscribed!