|
The Netherlands is renowned for being unrelentingly flat with traditional images of its canals, windmills and tulips complementing its new face as a modern European nation, so impressively demonstrated when the Netherlands co-hosted ‘Euro 2000' along with Belgium.
Book a ferry ticket to Holland
Its eclectic past reads like a ‘who's who' of European nations as everyone from the Romans and the Gaul 's, right through to the Hapsburgs and the Spanish influenced its destiny before the country finally emerged with its current borders in 1830. The Netherlands is a country partly reclaimed from the waters of the North Sea , and around half of it lies at or below sea level. Land reclamation has been the dominant motif of its history resulting in a country of unique images - flat, fertile landscapes punctuated by windmills and church spires; ornately gabled terraces flanking peaceful canals; and mile upon mile of grassy dunes, backing onto stretches of pristine sandy beach.
It however is easy to imagine The Netherlands as just Amsterdam . The nation's capital city is one of the most visually stunning in the world, where you can delve through centuries of history onboard a canal boat or explore the array of excellent museums. The Netherlands is far more than just its capital, though, with a string of impressive cities including Arnhem and Rotterdam . Rotterdam has picked itself up from almost total devastation in World War II to emerge as Europe 's (and indeed one of the world's) biggest port s and a leader in urban regeneration.
The rest of the country, despite its accessibility is comparatively untouched by tourism. The west of the Netherlands is the most populated and historically interesting region, home to a group of towns known collectively as the Randstad (literally "rim towns"). It's a good idea to forsake Amsterdam for a while and investigate places like Haarlem and Delft with their old canal-girded centres or The Hague (Den Haag) the stately home of the Dutch government with its fine museums and easy access to the North Sea coast.
Holland 's main natural attraction is its wide swathe of coastline, much of it peppered with artificial sea walls and inland seas, as the Netherlands fights its never-ending battle with the North Sea . The remote province of Zeeland , in the southwest, is unlikely to feature on anyone's tour itinerary and that's a shame as life moves more slowly amongst such stunning natural splendour.
|
