Lovely Netherlands

You can reach it from the local airport from our neighbours (Austria) for a nice price (even as low as 50€). Many, however, take the train or bus, or even go there by car.

Amsterdam is famous city, with numerous tourists around the year. Some also call it the Venice of the north due to many canals. Tourists usually explore the city on foot or by boats. A nice and interesting way to know the city is also by bicycle, as Netherlands is the cyclist’s country, so the tourists join in on the fun. It’s so popular you’ll see people cycling in rain and snow, no matter the weather, as there are many cycling paths and cyclists have the right of way in traffic. As thefts of bicycles are often, there are cycle parkings under video surveillance. Amsterdam has a great collection of museums and other attractions. Among most famous ones is the museum of Ana Frank, the girl we’ve read about or even watched the film. To relax you can sit on the ground or a bench in the centre of the city in the Dam square, with the royal palace near the museum of wax figures. And there’s the famous red light district and coffee shops. And the latest are among most popular reasons the city is famous. Unfortunately even the most famous places for marihuana purchase and consumption are getting limited. A prohibition for selling marihuana with more than 15% of THC is coming soon and that will cause some change. With legalization of marihuana other (illegal) drugs started spreading there. But people are aware that tourism will suffer due to limitations.

 

Rotterdam is the second biggest city in Netherlands and is famous for its port, which is among busiest in the world. It was a merchant centre in the middle ages already and kept its status until today. Many old customs are connected to trade and the famous fajansa is still made according to the old patterns. Also the architecture is preserved and there’s a lot of heritage from the times when the delfet art school was active.

 

Both cities are full of places to sleep in, and most travellers can be seen in hostels, where you can exchange experience, so I suggest you to check them out: Hostel Stayokay Amsterdam Vondelpark, Hostel Stayokay Amsterdam Zeeburg, Hostel Stayokay Amsterdam Stadsdoelen and Youth Hostel Rotterdam. 

As the country is densely populated, with over 360 people per km2, the number of people in cities is huge. Many are coming to the cities, or have overpopulated the countryside, so the traditional way of living is disappearing. As it is along the coast, which effected the trade, the shipping traffic is well developed and many cities have grown together over time. But you can see farm land in the middle of cities every now and again. But because the country was running out of land, they started drying out the sea to gain farmlands. It’s one of famous features of the land. With their engineers, workers, farmers and all types of people, Netherlands has fought the sea for land, so they’ve dried out the marshes and made thousands of hectares of fertile land. As they realized they’re good at it, they just keep going and next to beaches you will always see dunes with grass and shrubs, making sure the land is not taken away with the tide. The polders as the man fields behind the dams are called, must have water level regulated the whole year through. They used wind-mills for that, but today they use electricity and the mills are mostly there for the tourists.

 

Travelling to Netherlands is a trend that is still popular with the younger generations. The country is also very photogenic. There are tulips in the fields and the monotony of them is interrupted by wind-mills and canals. The locals offer their cheese and homemade clogs, and the cities attract with their specialities… especially Amsterdam with the smell of marihuana coming from the coffee shops and naked girls in the windows of the red light district. There are no taboos in the country that’s well worth visiting.