Dieren. I have been member of NMLK, a Dutch organisation to meet new people. It is an activity site and there are many activities per week organized by its members. One of the activities I have been done is hiking. … Read More

IJmuiden beach. Since a long time, IJmuiden has been a special place to us. My wife and I met here. One Godfather still lives here and the second one has lived here, until he moved elsewhere. The beach in IJmuiden … Read More

Sint-Martinuskerk. Designed by Pierre Cuypers in 1872 this church is a real nice example of the revival of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. The church remained unfinished, because they did not have enough funds to realise the 70 meters … Read More

Egmond. The Netherlands are famous for its dikes and its battle against the water. The sea is a threath, but also very beautiful to see. There are many places where you can walk along the beach or  in the dunes. … Read More

s’-Hertogenbosch. s’-Hertogenbosch got city rights in 1184 and subsequently built her first walls. A few centuries later the city lowered these walls. It was not because they wanted a better view from their bedroom windows, but because it made them … Read More

Haaksbergen. In the forest of Haaksbergen stands an old water mill. This mill is medieval, but it was destroyed by fire a few times. Every time it has been restored in its old state, the last time in 1987. Because … Read More

Elburg. The battle against water is not new to the Dutch. According to one story Elburg, a small Hanseatic city near the Zuiderzee, had some serious floodings. The town was too important to surrender to the water. So in 1392 … Read More

Kaapse bossen. In 1750 Hendrik Swellengrebel bought these grounds, because they reminded him of South Afrika. One hill in this forest he named after his daughter, Helena Hendrik Swellengrebel. There also is an estate in the middle of the forest … Read More

Fort IJmuiden. If you ask my wife how we met, she will say that her eye fell on the only guy that tried to take photos of the birds. The Fort Island of IJmuiden is home to a large colony … Read More

Living in Edam. Edam is not only used to store cheese. You can also find some people and animals that actually live there. You can find a lot of cats. I believe Edam is a cat city because the cats … Read More

Central Station Amsterdam. For many tourist this is the gateway to Amsterdam. However, the building itself is not just Amsterdam’s main train station, but it is also a landmark. It has been designed in the 1880s by Pierre Cuypers, the … Read More

Fort IJmuiden. In the harbor of IJmuiden there is an old fort. These days it’s on an island but in the past this fort was situated on a peninsula. It was constructed to protect the harbor of Amsterdam and therefore it had huge … Read More