The Netherlands Experience

Chouchinciao Tours Ltd

Advantages: Relaxing, a variety of things to see and do
Disadvantages: No great wow factor

...devised this tour around the Markermeer in an attempt to find some cooler air and see a bit of non-urban Holland. Both aims were successfully met, so here is a bespoke, researched, guided tour, specially devised for newly arrived hot northern European summers. It is a full day trip of about 120 miles and obviously you can't stop to look at everything in every town. This is our particular selection, determined mainly by the prevailing heatwave. A ...
...Now you're seeing the Markermeer for the first time. This is the southern part of the old Zuiderzee (♫ How would you like to be … Down by the Zuiderzee ♫ - you can have a sing-a-long on the way home) now divided off from the North Sea by two dykes to create two freshwater lakes, the northerly one, the Ijsselmeer and this southerly one the Markermeer. The Dutch have of course been fighting for centuries to keep the water IN the sea and ...

Chouchinciao 31.07.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Markermeer and surroundings

SEA of SAND

Advantages: Well laid-out holiday resort, great beach, close to Amsterdam
Disadvantages: Freezing in January!

...Glad you asked. Zandvoort is a beach resort on the North Sea coast in the province of Noord-Holland. It's about 20km north of Amsterdam and about 5km east of Haarlem. It's not a huge place, in fact the original settlement is not much more than a village. However, over the years it has spread out a little with the arrival of large hotels, holiday apartment blocks and camp-sites so that these days, it's quite a sprawl. Obviously, the main attraction ...
...Culture? Well, there's the Zandvoort Museum which concerns itself with the local history. There's also the cutely-named Mu-ZEE-UM, which has displays detailing all the flotsam and jetsam that gets washed ashore. I liked the sound of that one, but my philistine of a son wasn't interested, and as mrs P wasn't there to tell me what to do, he unselfishly took over the mantle. Add to these a multitude of sports facilities, including golf course, cycle ...

proxam 13.04.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Zandvoort

UNDER VALKENBURG

Advantages: Historic town with great shopping
Disadvantages: It can be crowded

...is only 6km wide. VALKENBURG is only a 20-minute drive from Aachen and a further 10 minutes will take you, by way of Maastricht, into Belgium. Tourist information: http://www.vvvzuidlimburg.nl/index2en.asp Geography lesson over, we'll crack on with the review. South Limburg has a lovely landscape, quite different to what most people would associate with the Netherlands, with features such as the Vaalserberg, the highest point in the Netherlands ...
...give it its Sunday name, VALKENBURG AAN DE GEUL, is literally riddled with countless marlstone caves. For this reason, along with its small-scale 'mountainous' landscape, the nature reserves of Meinweg, De Groote Peel and De Hamert, the casino and the thermal baths make this the oldest tourist centre in the Netherlands. We arrived there quite early in the morning and were immediately surprised by how busy the town was. However, a quick coffee for ...

proxam 28.11.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Valkenburg

More than lakes.

Advantages: Not too big, nature, a lot to do
Disadvantages: Close to Tilburg

...about 30.000 people, called Oisterwijk. Oisterwijk is semi-surrounded by forrests and plains and has a lot of tourists all the time. What is to see in Oisterwijk? Quite a lot. Oisterwijk has several beautiful cathedrals, like the Petruskerk and the Johanneskerk. De Lint is the central street in the city. Oisterwijk is a city from the 13th century. Another important fact about Oisterwijk is that sport teams or individual sporters like to visit it. ...
...in Oisterwijk and Portugal visited it too. When the Tour de France started in Oisterwijk, 6(!) teams settled in Oisterwijk. Oisterwijk also has a couple of beautiful lakes in the woods. Het Staalbergven is the most famous of these. Oisterwijk is also famous by their industry. The small industry domain of Oisterwijk, Kerkhoven contains two international top factories. The Furniture factory and the best roof building company in the world, Opstalan. ...

SerraPaladin 29.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Oisterwijk (Netherlands)

Lovely old town!

Advantages: Easily accessible
Disadvantages: None

...are rumours that the name Deventer is derived from Daventry. In the Middle Ages the town was an important member of the Hanseatic League, the economic European Union of that time. Apart from the Grote Kerk (Big Church) near the townhall there is the Bergkerk area with its old cobblestone streets and restored houses. Enjoy the many antique shops in that area! The whole of Deventer is worth a daylong stroll. There is much to be seen! Don't forget ...
...lining the central square and sample a bite of the original Deventer Koek (mildly spiced cake). There are a couple of very good restaurants in Deventer. Oh, and have a look at the bridge crossing the river: this is the place where the movie 'A Bridge Too Far' was shot! ...

tuggy 24.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Deventer (Netherlands)