Kasteel Ruurlo. This former castle was already mentioned in the 15th century. In the 18th century they transformed it into an estate with a country house. In 20th century it became the City Hall of Ruurlo. Now it is a … Read More

Eelerberg. Eelerberg is a hill near Hellendoorn. Officially it is not part of National Park the Sallandse Heuvelrug, but it is in the same wooded area. You can hike using the signs put up by Natuurmonumenten (the Dutch Society for … Read More

Highway A6. Every country has them: parking places close to a highway. At most of them you do not want to stick around for longer than 10 minutes. When you drive along the A6 into Friesland, the first thing you … Read More

Drenthe. During the Stone and Iron Ages a civilization created burial chambers using big megaliths that came to our country with the glaciers. One stone alone can weigh a few tons. These days you can find most of these ‘hunnebedden’ … Read More

Rembrandtplein. From the Jewish quarter in Amsterdam it’s a short walk or a tram stop to a square with the name Rembrandtplein. It was named after the famous Dutch 17th century painter Rembrandt van Rijn. For 15 years this square … Read More

Royal Palace The Royal Palace in Amsterdam has not always been a Palace. During Amsterdam’s Golden Age Jacob van Campen constructed it as a City Hall. Amsterdam became rich from trading with the far east and transporting slaves to America. … Read More

Amsterdam. In the center of Amsterdam you will find a square with two national monuments. It’s called ‘Dam Square’ and usually it’s crowded with people. You can walk there from Central Station in about 5 minutes. The first monument is … Read More

Austerlitz. Everybody knows that Austerlitz is not really a Dutch name for a town. It is the place where Napoleon’s French forces made a stunning victory. Only 75,000 French soldiers defeated an army of 90,000. As a result the Netherlands … Read More

Atlantic Wall. During WWII the Germans built several defence works and fortifications to protect themselves from the Allied Forces. Battery Heerenduin and Battery Olmen belonged to this so-called ‘Atlantic Wall’. You can find them near the harbour city of IJmuiden … Read More

Twickel. Near the village of Delden there is an estate called Twickel. Part of this estate is a castle, but this part is not open for the public. However, you can walk for free through the estate. There is a … Read More

Naarden Vesting. In 2013 we visited this city during the internationally known Naarden Photo Festival. We fell in love with the old fortress city. When we got engaged I knew where our wedding should take place: Naarden Vestiging. During our … Read More

Utrecht Centraal. For many years the central railway station of Utrecht underwent major renovations to cope with the almost 60 million travelers per year. Finally in December 2016 they finished this enormous project. They transformed the old station ‘Centraal’ into … Read More