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Tourism

A Christmas Market in Maastricht

Posted on December 26, 2016

Christmas time is the best time for family and travel! This isn’t a problem if you enjoy seeing your family and enjoy traveling though. We headed down south to spend the holidays with Sander’s brother. Our new temporary home was a house built back in the 1830’s and looked like it came straight out of a Harry Potter book! Immediately we emerged into a winter wonderland. From what I’ve seen, most cities make the most of this time with Christmas…

Tourism

Sailing to Stavoren

Posted on November 14, 2016

Early in October, we received an invitation out to take a day trip to Stavoren. It’s a small coastal city which houses a population of around 1,000 people. Our hosts were Sander’s aunt and uncle and method of travel was something exciting! Sander’s uncle Renè owns a sailboat, complete with full mast and motor. The cabin can house up to 6 people and is pretty spacious down in the living quarters. Renè and Carla picke us up and together drove…

Tourism

A weekend in Oosterhout

Posted on November 7, 2016

The first family trip was down to Oosterhout in the southern area of the Netherlands. In simple terms, we stayed in a rental house park. A family rents an entire house with shared backyard space, where one can relax and enjoy the outdoors. Since we went early October, it was pretty cold and even a bit rainy at times. Still, it was cozy on the inside and there were plenty of snacks to have with tea. The park was impressive…

Tourism

A Haunted Tour of Amsterdam

Posted on October 31, 2016

“Life was hard in young Amsterdam, much harder than it is now. When you died, where were few religious rites to send off the dead. A small prayer, a sign of the cross, and the people who knew you, buried you deep in the ground. When those people died, your memory died with them. While most of the spirits moved on to afterlife, not all them did.” – Our Haunted Tour guide. It’s finally that time of the year again,…

Tourism

The Efteling

Posted on September 26, 2016

The Efteling is an enchanted place, older than Disneyland, and filled with unforgettable stories from our childhoods. The park opened in 1952 and only included a walk through a fairy-tale forest, but as popularity grew, the theme park flourished. Much of The Efteling remained dedicated to the original idea begin the forest walk. Fairy-tale lore is sprinkled throughout the theme park. Much of it focuses much on European tales, save for a few attractions. We walked past Rapunzel’s tower, saw…

Tourism

Franz Hals Museum

Posted on September 19, 2016

I jumped at the chance when Sander asked if I had wanted to first visit the Franz Hals Museum. Hals was an artist who lived in Haarlem and was most active active during the Golden Age of the Netherlands. We opted for a digital tour since we thought it would be fun. The tour began with a video detailing some of the history behind the painter. He was extremely detailed oriented and much of the film confirmed this. His fine…

Tourism

Sea Life at The Hague

Posted on September 4, 2016

Scheveningen is a popular oceanside location nestled in the western coast of The Hague and home to the aquarium, Sea Life. It was one of the many aquariums we had planned on visiting but the only one we had time to see during our holiday. It’s a small and well maintained aquarium that seems to be popular during the touristy months. Since we came when the weather was less and than ideal, we didn’t have to wait long before we…

Tourism

Madurodam at the Hague

Posted on August 15, 2016

Madurodam is a war memorial for George Maduro, erected by his family in 1952, as a tribute to their only son. Maduro was a Jewish law student who fought against the Nazis as a part of the Dutch resistance. He was unfortunately captured and met his end in at the Dachau Concentration Camp. Madurodam showcased over 700 buildings that found in various regions of the Netherlands. Each building has been miniaturized to about 25x their original size. There are a…

Living in North Holland Tourism

In Amsterdam for Europride

Posted on August 7, 2016

When one thinks of The Netherlands, Amsterdam is the first location that pops into mind. Of course it’s super touristy this time of the year. I’m new to the area and want to see it all! And of course, I’m a typical, starry eyed foreigner so Sander couldn’t say no. We live about 30 minutes away by car but parking around this time of the year is pretty difficult to find. Instead we opted to take the Sprinter train down…

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