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Holiday Essentials
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The Netherlands manages to be radical, sensible and quaintly staid.
The Dutch aren't bogged in their clichés, even though bikes, dykes, windmills and blazing flower fields are pretty much the norm outside the major cities. Do as the locals do - grab a bike and explore. It's a very big small country, and full of salutary surprises. One of the chief pleasures of the place is its lively contrast between pragmatic liberalism and the buttoned-up just-so primness of a culture founded on Calvinist principles. In Dutch society, ostentation is anathema and fuss of any kind is regarded as undignified. When to Go
Hordes of tourists snap their way around the Netherlands in
summer, but this is still the best time of year to sit
picnicking by the canals. August is a great month for all sorts
of events. Spring is a good time to visit for daffodils and
tulips. Easter is busy in Amsterdam, but if you can visit during
Koninginnedag it's worth fighting the crowds. Early October with
its Indian summer can be an excellent time to come. In winter
the museums are quiet, and if everything freezes over, there's
great ice skating on the canals and flood plains.
WeatherThe Netherlands has a temperate maritime climate with cool winters and mild summers. It can get pretty drizzly here, especially in autumn and spring when it can seem as though it's going to be grey forever. But because the Netherlands is so flat, changes sweep through quickly when the wind starts to blow. Precipitation (79cm a year) is spread rather evenly over the calendar, and spring is marked by short, violent showers. Winter can get bitingly cold
A cold January invites endless speculation about the
nation-stopping Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Race;
www.elfstedentocht.nl), a gruelling 200km (124mi) ice skating
marathon. The last one was held in 1997, and it could be decades
before it freezes over again. Carnaval in February is an excuse
for silly costumes and revelling celebrated mostly in the
Catholic south. Koninginnedag (Queen's Day), on April 30,
is a huge party day countrywide, but particularly in Amsterdam.
The whole central city becomes a massive street market/party
where anyone can sell whatever they like - it's a madhouse. On
the second Saturday in May nearly every working windmill in the
country (more than 600 in total) throws open its doors to
visitors. The event, known as Nationale Molendag
(National Mill Day), is a popular day for all and sundry. The
Holland Festival (www.hollandfestival.nl) in June is celebrated
mostly in Amsterdam and The Hague. It's often highbrow but there
are many fringe events. The Hague's North Sea Jazz Festival (www.northseajazz.nl)
each July is the world's biggest jazz junket.
Nijmegen attracts revellers from all over for the country's hugest walking festival. The Vierdaagse (Four Day March; www.4daagse.nl) is a major event for serious walkers and partygoers alike, starting on the third Tuesday in July. The event is ushered in and drawn to a close by the Zomerfeesten (Summer Festival), which begins on the Saturday before Vierdaagse. Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) is the white-bearded patron saint of children who arrives 'from Spain' in mid-November. He is accompanied by a host of mischievous servants called Zwarte Pieten (Black Peters). On the evening of 5 December, people give one another anonymous gifts accompanied by poems about the recipient, written by Sinterklaas. The Dutch sensibly have two Christmas Days (on 25 and 26 December). Fireworks are only allowed to be sold in the days preceding New Year's Eve - there are hundreds of injuries each drunken, crackin', bangin' 31 December. Van Gogh Museum
One of the best Impressionist galleries in the world, the Van Gogh Museum houses about 200 paintings, predominantly by the world's favourite tortured artist, including famous works like The Potato Eaters and The Yellow House in Arles . There are also works by some of his friends and peers, such as Gauguin and Monet. The museum houses the collection of Vincent's art dealer brother Theo. Japanese prints, which influenced the old ear-slicer, are also on display Keukenhof Gardens
The Keukenhof is the world's largest garden. It is seen by
800,000 people each year, but its beauty is something of an
enigma, unfurling for just two months each year. Nature's
talents are combined with Dutch precision to create a garden
where millions of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths bloom every
year, perfectly in place.
The gardens stretch on and on and there are greenhouses full of more delicate varieties of flowers besides the ephemeral tulips. You'll forgive the presence of thousands of other tourists - little can detract from the rainbow of natural beauty. Wandering about can easily take half a day. From the edges of the gardens, you can see the stark beauty of the commercial bulb fields stretching in all directions. Zuiderzeemuseum
The Zuiderzeemuseum consists of two parts: the
Buitenmuseum with 130-odd rebuilt dwellings and workshops, and
the Binnenmuseum devoted to farming, fishing and shipping. The
capitivating Buitenmuseum (open-air), opened in 1983, was
assembled from houses, farms and sheds trucked in from around
the region to show Zuiderzee life as it was from 1880 to 1932.
Every conceivable detail has been thought of, from the fencetop decorations and choice of shrubbery to the entire layout of villages, and the look and feel is certainly authentic. Inhabitants wear traditional dress, and there are real shops such as a bakery, chemist and sweet shop. For a special postmark drop your letters at the old post office from Den Oever. Walk 300m (984ft) to the Binnenmuseum, which occupies a museum complex adjoining the Peperhuis, the former home and warehouse of a Dutch shipping merchant. Here too are cultural artefacts such as regional costumes, porcelain, silver, and jewellery that indicate the extent of Holland's riches at the time. Getting There
The Netherlands' main international airport is Schiphol, but
Eurolines buses and international trains are also popular
methods for reaching the country. Highway connections to the
surrounding parts of Europe are extensive, and ferries link the
UK with a handful of ports in the Netherlands.
Getting Around
The horizontal nature of the countryside makes the humble
bicycle the ideal device for getting around, though there are
decent train and bus networks to transport those with
pedal-weary feet. You can also drive or motorcycle around, but
only if you have an impeccable sense of direction and a knack
for finding parking spaces
Pre-20th-Century HistoryThe Netherland's early history is linked with Belgium and Luxembourg; the three were known as the 'Low Countries' until the 16th century, when the present-day Netherlands' boundaries were roughly drawn. Originally the land was inhabited by tribal groups: the Germanic Batavi drained the sea lagoons while the Frisii lived on mounds in the remote north. In the late 16th century the region's northern provinces, inhabited by recent converts to Protestantism, united to fight the Catholic Spanish rulers. Philip II of Spain sent the cruel Inquisition to enforce Catholicism, and war broke out in 1568. The revolt of the Netherlands was led by Prince William of Orange, nicknamed William the Silent for his refusal to enter into religious arguments. After 80 years of conflict Holland and its allied provinces expelled the Spaniards in 1648, and Holland became synonymous with the independent country that emerged in this corner of Europe (a bit like saying England when you mean Britain). Amsterdam pranced onto the European stage in Holland's most glorified period, the Golden Age (from about 1580 to about 1740) after which the British began dominating the world's seas. The Golden Age's wealth was generated by the Dutch East India Company, which sent ships to the Far East in search of spices and other exotic goods, while colonising the Cape of Good Hope, Indonesia, Surinam, the Antilles and New Amsterdam (today's New York) and establishing trading posts throughout Asia. Meanwhile Amsterdam's bourgeoisie indulged in fine, gabled canal houses and paintings of themselves and the remains of last night's dinner. This in turn stimulated the arts and brought renown to painters such as Rembrandt. But it didn't last. In 1795 the French invaded and Napoleon appointed his younger brother Louis as king. When the largely unpopular French occupation came to an end, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands - incorporating Belgium and Luxembourg - was born. The first king, William I of Orange, was crowned in 1814, and the House of Orange rules to this day. In 1830 the Belgians rebelled and became independent; Luxembourg did the same soon after. Modern HistoryThe Netherlands' modern history saw the country lapsing from global prominence into comfortable obscurity; it began to put into place innovative social programs, many of which survive today. The Netherlands was able to stay neutral through WWI but couldn't exercise the same privilege in WWII. The Germans invaded in May 1940, obliterating much of the centre of Rotterdam in a bombing blitz four days later. Although a Dutch resistance movement formed, only a small minority of the country's substantial Jewish population survived the war. In 1949, despite military attempts to hold on to Indonesia, the colony won independence. Surinam followed with a peaceful handover of sovereignty in 1975. The Antilles, off the coast of Venezuela, are still a colony, but are largely self-ruled. The Netherlands is a staunch supporter of the European Union; it has adopted the euro, and further integration is taken for granted by most Dutch people. Recent HistoryIn 2001 same-sex marriage was approved and euthanasia was legalised, confirming the Netherlands' liberal and progressive approach to social issues. The usually tolerant and peaceful country was shaken in 2002, when right-wing politician and anti-immigration campaigner Pim Fortuyn was assassinated. Dutch liberality was once again rocked in 2004 with a further assassination, that of film-maker Theo van Gogh. His death at the hands of a Dutch-Moroccan Muslim raised doubts over the country's approach to immigration, and indirectly led to the collapse of the coalition government in June 2006. Immigration seems set to remain a hot topic on the national political agenda.
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