Holland - take your car! (Netherlands)

Member Name: Islero

Product:	Netherlands
Date:	03/05/01 (790 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good roads, little traffic: variety of sights and interests

Disadvantages: Little English north of Amsterdam - but not a problem really

I first went to Holland on business and have been a few times flying and staying in Amsterdam. An interesting place but I have since learnt that Holland has so much more to offer. My broader knowledge of Holland has come through a twinning arrangement between two Rotary clubs - we are twinned with the Club of Hengelo Driene over near the German border. We visit every other year.

On my first visit to Hengelo we flew to Schipol, then took the train to The Hague. What a place! Nicer that Amsterdam I think! We stayed a night there and had an organised walking tour of the city - I recommend that to see all the sights and interesting places tucked away. Fine architecture and buildings; busy streets with modern big shops as well as narrower streets with small shops with different interest at each turn. We visited the Vermeer exhibition - what a treat that was! Virtually all the Vermeer paintings gathered together in chronological order. We had Indonesioan ristaafel at a famous restaurant at Schevingen, the beach resort of The Hague - the locals think some dishes quite hot, but they are not to a British palate now used to curries and nothing near as hot as the equivalent I have had in Malaysia. Very nice experience all the same and good food.
We were taken by car to the Kirkenhof (excuse my spelling of these places!) - the famous tulip gardens. Fantastic! We had lunch there and all the chaps bought ties with tulips on! Seemed a good idea at the time! We then went by car over to Hengelo passing dykes and boats and general countryside. We stayed in friends homes and enjoyed speacial entertainment. We had a bicycle ride over the German border - good fun! My bike had no brakes but you had to peddle backwards to stop! Took a bit of getting used to! Eventually we said farewell and tookthe excellent train service back to Schipol.

The following trip I decided to go by car and this has given me an even better enjoyment of the country! We sailed from Harwich to
the Hook of Holland - good fast service. However, it does not sail sometimes in bad weather and you have to wait. People we met had been scheduled for the previous day. Do not ignore the Hook - turn off to the town for a small but pleasant shopping experience. Maybe somewhere to allow time for on the way back.
We stayed at the Vanderwalk hotel in Haarlem Sud - we always stay with this chain. They are excellent value and you can book the next one from the one you are at. This is just South of Amsterdam and a good stopping place for the evening to tie in with ferry times before heading to Amsterdam or the north. We went north via Aaltmark - the cheese town. Very pretty - a bit like a small Bruges. Then we crossed east to Enkhuisen, a pretty fishing port. It has a Zuidersee museum. It was market day when we were there - stall winding right through the streets. Excellent fish and Macedonian wine!
We crossed the dam to the other side of the Iselmeer - an experience in itself.
I had wanted to go to Emeloord. Our Dutch friends say nobody goes there. This is the last polder - area of sea reclaimed by dykes. It was populated by the government - by some lottery scheme I think - very recently. 1960 something. I was fascinated that this area had been seabed so recently! All the buildings are new and laid out carefully. There is one old place at Urk, which used to be an island fishing village. I think this area is worth a visit. All this area and largely north of Amsterdam there was little English spoken and we could not even get an English menu. We chose our food in the hotel through signs!! I can tellyou the sign for Dover sole - which was first class!
On through Appeldoorn - excellent shopping centre with parking right underneath the main square. Then to Hengelo and overnight with friends.

We then joined Rotarians from Germany and Hengelo in a bus trio to Groningen right in the north. The Dutch always ask the Germans if they have brough the bicycles
back - they took them during the war for the metal! A standing joke! I think! Groningen is a wonderful university city - markets, old buildings, great atmoshere. Well worth a visit. Nearby we visited: the dyke and looked out to the north; an old and rare star shaped medieval village - can't remember the name, but it was really interesting; some Chinese gardens - excellent; and the famous art gallery which you either love or hate - Gabrielle loved it!


Back to Hengelo for farewells and we drove back in our own car via Ablasserdam and the Kinderduik - umpteen windmills. A nice small Vanderwalk hotel right there. This is nearRotterdam and you can see the wide rivers and river traffic. A quick trip to The Hague for shopping, a stop at the Hook and there we were back on the ferry after a short but action-packed trip.

So forget Amsterdam. Go in your car and just explore! And enjoy! Have some Auld Jenever - neat - too!

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