Netherlands flag

The Netherlands : Introduction

[This section is in the earliest stages of development: 19 September 2003]

 I have lost count of the number of times I have visited the Netherlands . My arrival, usually at Schipol, always feels so matter of fact, that the country could just as well be home. I like the positive, can-do attitude that I have experienced so often in Amsaterdam. I like the fact that the transport infrastructure of both Amsterdam and other parts of the Netherlands appears to work so well. I enjoy cosmopolitan, world city, Amsterdam, with its mix of cultures. Much of my experience of the Netherlands is in Amsterdam, and have given the city a separate page. I should like to visit Den Haag some day.

 In the summer of 1983, inter-railing, I travelled by train from Šibenik in Croatia to Amsterdam, pausing only to change trains at places such as Zagreb, Wein and Brussels. I have fading photographs of a windswept visit to Zandvoort, a small, unpicturesque, sandy town beside the North Sea, beneath a huge uninspiring sea dyke on which it was possible to walk. Alkmaar was picturesque, but anti-climactic as its famous cheese market was being packed away on my arrival. At Den Helder, a boy, whose finger got stuck in a dyke some years before I arrived, had been transformed into a sculpture.

 Despite its fame on the tourist trail, I was only weakly impressed with Volendam, on the banks of the Ijselmeer.Getting there from Amsterdam was a drag of a journey. On arrival, the only interesting aspects are the quaintly-styled shops selling tat and restaurants selling dead fish dinners. Don't bother.

 Keukenhof Gardens are breathtaking, and worth a full day to visit this magical celebration of bulb and other flowers.Recommended for a revisit.

 The Kroller-Muller museum, situated in the middle of an excellent country park at Otterlo houses, amongst other works, a sustantial and awe-inspiring collection by Vincent van Gogh. It can be difficult to approach the most famous works by van Gogh with fresh, critical eyes. For any serious van Gogh enthusiast, this gallery is essential, for it demonstrates both van Gogh's skill and his humanity. The gallery also houses a massive collection of fine art and sculpture of the later nineteenth and earlier twentieth century. The gallery also has a substantial twentieth century sculpture garden. This visit was part of the reason for the trip to the Netherlands, and it was well worth it. From Amsterdam, travelling to Otterlo by public transport could be quite time consuming, requiring more than a day for the round trip, Alternatively, hiring a car makes a day trip possible. Recommended for a revisit.

 At Apenheul (Ape World), near Appeldoorn, the squirrel monkeys roam free, and climb on the visitors (including their wheelchairs). Bags such as rucksacks and handbags have to be sealed up to prevent the monkeys from filching one's possessions (or lunch). Other monkeys live in colonies fenced off from the visitors. The atmosphere in the place is very pleasant, and whilst not really worth travelling across the Netherlands to visit, is still worth a visit if one is in the area.

 

  p.g.h@btinternet.com