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Published: June 23rd 2013
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Let’s start with some geography lessons, shall we?
Holland = The Netherlands…..True.
The Netherlands does not equal Holland (necessarily). Don’t believe me? Check the link or ask your favorite Dutchman.
At any rate, it is one my favorite countries in the world to visit. The people are great, quality of life is envious, level of activity is uber-high, and everything just works. If we were asked to move there next week, I would think long and hard about it. But this entry isn’t about everyone’s favorite bachelor-party-destination of the Eastern Hemisphere. It’s about the rest of the country.
I was attending a conference in a beach town called Noordwijk, which is a pristine Dutch beach village. June isn’t the best time to go as it’s a bit early in the Euro-summer, but as it was over Jenn’s birthday and the start of her summer vacay, it made perfect sense.
If you want to go visit The Netherlands, do yourself a favor. Go see Amsterdam. You have to. It is fantastic.
BUT, get out of the shared-capitol, and go explore all of the rest that the country has to offer. I’ve spent time in Groningen
(if you’re in college, go. Huge college town).
However, if you want to go visit the Dutch beaches, go to Noordwijk. It’s an easy trip from Schiphol. And if they have availability, stay in the Huis Ter Duin hotel. There are so many wonderful things to rave about The Netherlands, but if you haven’t gone, the first thing you’ll notice is the ridiculous amount of bikes on the road. So, for Jenn’s birthday, I wanted to plan something very Dutch. So we rented bikes, and trekked inland to a picturesque city, Leiden. Of all the traveling I’ve found my way into, this was a quintessential Dutch experience. We rode bikes down the designated bike lanes from one city to another (20 km each way) and were rewarded with an amazing experience. We passed windmills, fields of sheep, and got that legit feeling of this is how you get from Point A to B. I could brag forever on Leiden, but it is such a beautiful town, with everything you could ask for….all we did was have a cold Dutch beer and sit on the patio on the banks of one of the many canals. Heaven. We then road back,
had a Michelin-starred dinner at sunset over the beach and loved the little beach town of Noorwijk. Wouldn’t change it for the world.
Long story short….even if you find yourself in Amsterdam with more than 12 hours, do yourself a favor, store your luggage in a locker, and get out to explore the country. The entire landscape is hardly bigger than the greater Houston metropolitan area, but the experience outside of AMS so rewarding.
Oh, please click the link above. You will learn more in 90 seconds than you imagined J
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