The Netherlands. A country synonymous with windmills, greenery, wooden shoes, cheese and tulips.
Amsterdam, its capital, reflects all of that and more. And it’s easy to get to — it’s well connected by air (it’s the headquarters of KLM airline) and rail.
The TGV, the world’s fastest train, connects Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Koln and Luxembourg. Of course, luxury buses are also available from England or Paris, from where it’s just a six-hour drive.
Boat rides
Once there, you’ll find that Amsterdam is full of canals weaving their way through the city.
A boat ride on the river Amstel is just the thing to do between March and October, because in winter the river freezes and its ice-skating time!
While the ride by day is fascinating, Amsterdam by night on these boats is just as good and with some houseboats offering candlelight dinner on board, the evening has great romance potential.
Amsterdam is far more beautiful and lovely than the Dutch windows it is famous for. For those who like indulging in history, there are many museums in Amsterdam.
The Vincent Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum for modern art and Madame Tussaud's Museum are a few famous ones.
Walk your way
A good way of exploring the city is by walking. The heart of the city is called the Dam Square.
This is where the Dutch come out in great numbers to celebrate their Remembrance Day every year on May 4.
You’ll find some breathtaking monuments here as well — the 17th-century Royal Palace is a breathtaking monument.
Behind it is the main post office, an equally astonishing piece of architecture.
Windmills
About 10km from Amsterdam is a place called Zaanse Schans, a little green village along the river Zaan.
Earlier, there were many windmills in the Zaan area which were used for industrial purposes and many of them are still in working condition.
One of them is open to visitors and it is quite an experience to watch the gusts of wind make the fans rotate.
The Zaan area is actually an open-air museum. A unique feature of this museum is the many cottages surrounding the windmills with little gardens and wooden bridges.
There are several shops the wooden shoe shop (where a craftsman shows how these shoes are made and where one can also buy them), the cheese shop (yes, you get to see how cheese is made and preserved), and also a jewellery shop where one can buy souvenirs. Expensive? Yes but the experience is unforgettable.
Grand garden
The next must-see is Keukenhof, which means “kitchen garden”.
This was where herbs for the kitchen of the castle of Jacoba van Beieren were collected.
Later, however, this garden was converted to grow only bulbs.
The drive to Keukenhoff is also very beautiful and words fail to do justice when describing the wonderful feast of colour that meets the eye.
The actual garden is open only between March and May when the flowers are in full bloom.
The sprawling fields around the garden are filled with tulips in rich shades of red, white and yellow.
There are daffodils as well. Surprisingly, the wild beauty of those unkempt fields stays on in one’s memory rather than the well-maintained gardens.
If this extravaganza does not evoke romantic feelings in you, nothing can.
The garden itself is well maintained and there is a mind-boggling variety of tulips, amaryllis and daffodils.
Here too is another windmill and sometimes there are people who explain how they work.
From the windmill, the view of never-ending lanes of flowers is awesome.
The Dutch are a friendly lot and most of them speak English. Hence, communication is not a problem.
Most residents ride bicycles — a favourite mode of transportation.
There are separate lanes and signals for the cyclists so that they don’t hamper traffic.
It is good to know that they are doing their bit for a carbon-free environment.
— Sudha Subramanian is a freelance journalist based in the UAE
FOOT NOTE
Goody wooden shoes
The wooden shoes are quite interesting. These shoes are the very symbol of this beautiful country.
In the good old days, farmers working in the fields wore these shoes to protect their feet from the marshy land.
The shoes provide a firm grip on the ground and also prevent the feet from getting wet.
Today, only a handful of people wear these shoes. Compared to today’s leather shoes, these wooden ones provide better protection.
Also, they keep the feet warm in winter and cool in summer and are more hygienic.
For tourists, however, these wooden shoes are a must for their souvenir collection.
TRAVEL TIPS
Know better
- A three-day weekend tour to Amsterdam is recommended.
Driving through the countryside in a car is a breathtaking experience.
Make it a point to visit some of the remote villages where you can get to see and admire many windmills and canals.
In case there is a red light before a bridge, it means a boat has to pass underneath the bridge and vehicles will have to wait. It is quite a spectacle.
- There are many hotels, especially of the Accor Group and Best Western Group.
Expensive, though. However, decent accommodation can be found at reasonable rates (for about euros 45-50 euros or Dh259-Dh286) in the outskirts of the city.
Self check-in hotels such as etap are a good bet for budget travellers.
Then, village hotels offer clean rooms for a reasonable price though breakfast is not included.
- Small wooden shoes and wooden tulips are the best souvenirs to buy.
Maybe even a toy windmill, if you can manage to carry it home safely.
