Tulips and Windmills in The Netherlands
Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands is famous for its cafes, canals and the Red light district, but what some people don't realise is the city and the surrounding towns offers so much more.
Keukenhof
One of the largest flower gardens in the world, you could easily spend the day here. Keukenhof is outside of Amsterdam in Lisse and there are direct buses to Keukenhof from Schipol train station. The best time to visit the gardens is during the tulip season from April to May. The gardens are beautifully landscaped and the pavilions contain collections of orchids, roses, lilies and more.
The Royal Palace
The Royal Palace was King Willem-Alexander's official reception place and is still used for state visits and events today. Wander around the rooms and admire the impressive architecture, sculptures and paintings. Each room had a special function and the sculptures around the entrances were symbolic to that room. Amongst the attractions is the Citizen's Hall where above the entrance is the Amsterdam Maiden who looks down at the large maps on the marble floor representing the world and the northern sky. There is a free audio guide which gives more information about the palace and its history.
Oude Kerk
Amsterdam's oldest building and parish church dating back to the 13th century. The building was originally built as a wooden chapel and was dedicated to St.Nicholas, the patron saint of fishermen, sailors and merchants. The harbour church was of great importance to seafarers and fisherman and you can still see miniature ships hanging in the church as a symbol of its heritage. Over time, the church has seen many renovations. Inside, there is the Vater-Müller baroque organ and the floor consists of enteirely gravestones due to the church being built on a cemetery. Its estimated over 10,000 Amsterdam citizens were buried under the Oude Kerk. There is also a museum which houses a collection of objects, paintings and prints from the 1500 and contemporary art exhibits are held throughout the year.
Anne Frank House
The museum is dedicated to Anne Frank, and was where she went into hiding with her family from the nazi's to escape persecution in 1942. The secret annex has been preserved and can be accessed. Anne had received a diary on her thirteenth birthday and she would write about life in the secret annex during the two years in hiding. She had wanted to become a writer and after her death, her father had published and printed her diary. There is an exhibition in the museum which tells of the suffering, treatment and hardship of the Jewish people during WWII. It was very sad and moving knowing what people had been through because of prejudice and discrimination.
Zaanse Schans
Located in the town of Zaandam, Zaanse Schans is a village famous for its windmills and workshops. During the 17th century, there were over 600 windmills constructed in Zaanse Schans and were used for all sorts of industries from grinding spices, producing coloured paints, peanut oil and sawing wood. You can step inside some of the windmills and climb to the top to see how these were made. Impressive! There are workshops held here such as the cheese factory and clogs workshops, along with souvenir shops. Overall, it was a really pretty place to wander around and it was interesting learning about the mechanics of the windmills. It was definitely a popular tourist attraction judging by the amount of people here.
Food, Food, Food
Stamppot
Boerenkoolstamppot (mashed potatoes, mixed with kale) served with a meatball and gravy.
Frites
Thick dutch fries with curry, ketchup, mayonnaise and onions.
Stroopwafel
Wafer cookie flavoured with gingerbread, and caramel sandwiched between.
