PICTURESQUE LANDSCAPES, RICH HISTORY AND VIBRANT CULTURE – THE NETHERLANDS (HOLLAND)

The Netherlands, also known as Holland, is a country located in northwestern Europe. It is renowned for its flat landscapes, windmills, and cycling routes. Through careful water management dating back to medieval times, approximately 2,500 square meters of land has been reclaimed. Coastal areas were reclaimed from the sea, while lakes and marshes were drained in the interior, often alongside rivers. These newly created lands, called polders, are typically surrounded by dikes. Initially, manual labor and horsepower were employed for land drainage, but they were later replaced by windmills. Our primary reason for visiting the Netherlands was to experience the beauty of the Tulip fields and to visit Keukenhof Gardens. Unfortunately, we were disappointed to learn that Keukenhof had closed a week prior and that there were no Tulips remaining in the fields around Amsterdam by May 20th.

Amsterdam, with its capital city and famous canals, is well-known for its charming canals and bicycles. The city center is a network of canals, lined with impressive canal houses. We arrived in this picturesque city at 1:00 in the afternoon and enjoyed a lunch at Kalverstraat after a short rest. Our next stop was Prinsengracht Street, where we planned to visit the Anne Frank House. However, we couldn't enter as the on-site ticket counter was closed and all slots were fully booked for the next six days. We learned that online advance booking is highly recommended.

As we walked back to our hotel, we stumbled upon countless beautiful streets with canals on one side and magnificent narrow houses on the other. With charming bridges adorned with bicycles and flower pots, the scenery was simply enchanting. In the evening, we hopped on a boat for a canal cruise. Apart from the captain, we were the only three passengers on the boat. The boat was incredibly comfortable, and its glass ceilings and windows provided us with a splendid view of Amsterdam's architectural highlights. Viewing the city from the boat added a touch of magic to everything we saw.

During the cruise, we passed by notable places such as Singel Flower Market, Nemo Science Museum, Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam Centraal, Damrak, and Lover’s Canal, before returning to our starting point. Along the way, we marveled at the many beautiful boat homes. Truly, a visit to Amsterdam would be incomplete without experiencing a canal cruise.

On Day 2, we had two places to visit: the Windmills and Madurodam. When it came to choosing which windmill to visit, Molen de Valk was the obvious choice. Not only was it easily accessible, but it also had an attached museum. In comparison, Kinderdijk was quite far and would have required a full day to cover.

We checked out of our hotel around 10:30 and headed straight to Amsterdam Centraal. We bought tickets to Rotterdam but decided to make stops in Leiden and The Hague for some sightseeing before finally reaching Rotterdam at 7 in the evening.

In Leiden, we visited the Windmill "Molen de Valk" (The Falcon). This windmill, constructed in 1785, was converted into a museum in 1966. Inside, we were able to see various objects used in the milling process, as well as kitchen, drawing room, and living room furnishings dating back to the 1900s. The grinding loft, stone loft, and hoisting loft were particularly impressive in their size. What amazed us even more was the fact that this 17th century windmill is still active and you can even purchase flour here.

While in The Hague, we had the pleasure of visiting Madurodam, a captivating miniature theme park that truly allows you to relive your childhood. The park boasts a wide array of buildings, impressively diverse models, including moving trains, cars, automated ships, and planes. For the younger visitors, there are also interactive elements to engage with. It's an experience that the entire family can enjoy together. Don't miss the opportunity to witness the miniature replicas of Mini Schiphol, complete with moving planes, and the Mini Port of Rotterdam with its bustling ships. In just two hours, you can explore the entirety of Holland within the park's charming confines.

We checked into Hotel Rotterdam and ventured into the city center for dinner. It was surprisingly bright, even at midnight. Along the way, we discovered numerous small ponds teeming with ducks and other water birds, surrounded by lush greenery. We felt fortunate to have booked a hotel on the outskirts, as it only took us 30 minutes to walk to the city center. In the Netherlands, if you have a ticket to travel from Point A to Point B, you can get on and off at any station in between as many times as you like within a 24-hour period. Each train station offers baggage storage facilities, but they only accept payment through debit/credit cards and not cash.

By 11, we were in a Taxi, heading to Rotterdam Centraal. The taxi fare was quite high, but we were eager to witness the remarkable transformation of Rotterdam after the devastating bombings in May 1940. The Dutch rebuilt the port city so beautifully that one would never guess that it had endured the dropping of almost 1,500 bombs by the Nazis (and unintentionally, by the Americans as well). The architecture, infrastructure, cleanliness, public transport, coexistence, and natural environment – Rotterdam has it all, making it a truly international city. Every street is well-connected with trams and metros, running with impressive frequency. It seems as though the Dutch took it upon themselves as a challenge to rebuild the city and show the Germans what they were capable of. We visited the Euromast Tower, the highest observation tower in the Netherlands at 185 meters, which was built for the 1960 Floriade, as well as the Cube Houses here.