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Netherlands Travel Blogs

On a western edge of mainland Europe, this pristine trading country is as dotted with windmills and as laced with canals as one would expect. But on the changing face of the Netherlands, the windmills are restaurants, the canal barges are tourist tanks, the tulips are growing in the wooden clogs and the tiles are on the wall.

The Dutch being known or notorious for their openmindedness can do better than serve you a coffee in their coffee shops. They however discovered that openmindedness is not all it is cracked up to be, so some of the redlight ladies will soon be sitting behind the begonias.

With the landscape being as flat as the pancakes in its numerous pancake speciality restaurants, the Netherlands is a cyclists dream. So, on yer bike and make the Netherlands your first hop stop onto continental Europe.

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Netherlands

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Hostels in Netherlands
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By Deb Brad
November 22nd 2009

I've waited 7 years to taste vla again... Europe » Netherlands » South Holland » Dordrecht

I've been in the Netherlands since last Wednesday. It's now Sunday afternoon and I'm at my Tante Rite's house taking advantage of her internet since we don't have internet at my Oma's house. So much has happened this week already! It's great to be here again. 7 years is way too long to go without seeing my Dutch family but it honestly doesn't feel like 7 years in many ways since it's just like being at a second home. All of my family on my dad's side lives here. I flew to Amsterdam with a short stop in London. My fiirst [View Full Entry]

By Mags and Courtz
November 17th 2009

Amsterdam!!!!!!!! Europe » Netherlands » North Holland » Amsterdam

Our time in Amsterdam.... is a blurr.... but so much fun...... get on it!!!! wake up... eat... space cake... laugh ALOT... sleep....... repeat x 5 [View Full Entry]

By Mags and Courtz
November 14th 2009

Amsterdam Europe » Netherlands » North Holland » Amsterdam

Haha we love amsterdam!!!! Maggie is ggetting married to Walco from holland dunno what he says but he;s a cutie. We're gonna cagtch up with californian mike, he is nice hot hot hottie [View Full Entry]

By magschni
November 5th 2009

Butter on sandwiches/awkwardness is international Europe » Netherlands » South Holland

The Face
Thank God this wasn't the face I made, but it's what I felt like doing.

So, apparently, I believe it is a European thing, people put butter on sandwiches-regardless of what is on it. Sure, I've heard of a grilled cheese/not even grilled or toasted but just cheese and butter that makes sense. NO, not here no matter what is on the sandwich there is always a base layer of butter. Not that any of you are interested, but today I had a sandwich with, you guessed it, butter, cheese, salami, spinach leaves, and pesto-surprising good! But entirely random. So, while I am on my rant I also wanted to point out that awkwardness is an [View Full Entry]

By Liz and Ron
November 1st 2009

Parting Notes/Amsterdam Europe » Netherlands » North Holland » Amsterdam

canal at our doorstep

I am absolute crap at taking videos, so you can imagine my surprise at capturing this scene of the Concert-Gebouw at night. We were on our way home, looking for a tram, when we stumbled upon it. I hope it works on your computer, since it's worth viewing, it really is. An hour before, sitting at dinner, Ron and I were discussing what we felt were the "bests" of our month in Holland. For me, it was easy. I loved riding my bike, even in the rain, down the smaller canals beside Marianne's house. These weren't the glamourous canals of the [View Full Entry]

By Bike Tour Eurasia
October 31st 2009

Learning to Ride Europe » Netherlands » North Holland » Amsterdam

Supermarket in Nederland

Learning to ride with a loaded bike can be humbling. The first time you set out on a tour it is hard to fathom what the bike will feel like under the load of all your gear. The unsteadiness you feel that first time mixed with the thought of the task at hand makes the whole undertaking seem for a moment unimaginable and you are given the opportunity to either quit, go insane, or focus on what you can do for the moment and forget about the future. That process, forgetting about the future, is an ongoing meditation. When you start [View Full Entry]

By collinsfamily
October 31st 2009

Amsterdam Europe » Netherlands

The train to Amsterdam was good and easy. Cruised through France and Belgian all hooked to our iPods and arrived in this wonderful city late afternoon. Everyone was tired. No wifi but I discovered that the pub over the road has wifi so that is where I am. Very civilized sitting on the edge of a canal with a glass of Portugese red wine. Had dinner at the pub the first night as it was about as far as anyone could move (and I took Ken and Kates order and they came over when it was ready). Yesterday wanted in towards [View Full Entry]

By tunnie
October 26th 2009

Terug in de sleur Europe » Netherlands » South Holland » Rotterdam

Mooi plaatje :-)
Blijven toch je roots...

Is alweer tijdje geleden ondertussen, maar dan ook veel te drukke periode achter de rug... zou niet eens meer weten wat we psies gedaan hebben voordat we naar NL vertrokken... dus laat maar gewoon beginnen bij de reis!! Die begon al niet al te goed. Na instappen op Melbourne begon de ellende al... bijna anderhalf uur vertraging omdat er bepaalde passagiers door de douane waren aangehouden en niet mochten vertrekken... nou goed, was niet zo erg dachten we want hadden toch paar uur tussenstop op KL dus beter nu ff wachten als je nog neit zo moe bent dan wanneer je [View Full Entry]

By Liz and Ron
October 23rd 2009

Tumbleweed Stew Europe » Netherlands » North Holland » Amsterdam

Slaid Cleaves in Ottersum

When you travel with a Ron, you get to hear a lot of music. I could trot out all my favourite adjectives and tell you about Katarina Garcia, lilting her way through a set of Sefardic melodies, making us forget that we were sitting on hard chairs in a Dublin public library. Or Slaid Cleaves, who transformed a monastery kitchen on the Dutch side of the German border into a roadside bar on the dustiest patch of south Texas. Or I could confess to a moment of such intense identification during an Idan Raichel concert, where I sang at full throttle [View Full Entry]

By Jenny in Kenya
October 19th 2009

Lovely Amsterdam/ Nairobi Europe » Netherlands » North Holland » Amsterdam

I finally made it to Kenya! Wow, it has been a long weekend of traveling...and it's not over yet. Yesterday, Sidney (another student teacher from IU) and I had a 10 hour layover in Amsterdam! I was so excited about all the things we got to see/do. We got off at central station, which is right by the red light district. We walked around quite a bit and found a nice restaurant with outdoor seating. The weather was probably high 50s and nice. We had some lunch along with a beer of course. Then we walked around to see the sights. [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Europe » Netherlands