Our path through the Netherlands continued.
We may never be able to pronounce Nijmegen correctly, but we did enjoy the town very much. Nijmegen vies with Maastricht for the title of oldest city of the Netherlands, and we certainly saw signs of its history.
The streets were filled with charming spaces, whimsical art and delightful people. It was wonderful!
Having heard about the unique town of Giethoorn, we just had to drive to the northern Netherlands to see it for ourselves. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast. Our room was along a quiet canal, and every meal at the inn was spectacular.
Giethoorn was beyond amazing as we walked along strings of canals and over many small bridges. Time seems to have stood still in this town of thatch-roofed houses and unbelievable charm. We enjoyed every moment!
Haarlem – the namesake of Harlem in NYC – was a truly beautiful town, even on a rainy day. We stopped for spritzes to wait out some showers and then wandered the streets and saw lovely buildings, including the enormous St Bavo’s Church.
Haarlem also had interesting restaurants, including the exotic Toujours and the cutest McDonald’s in Europe! What a great town.
The last few days of our European adventure were in Amsterdam, so we revisited parts of the city we remembered from a visit years ago. The Flower Market is still pretty (even though all Kenton could focus on were the olive trees). The Oude Kerk (Old Church) was as impressive as ever. The Red Light District was still there (just checking), as were many bicyles and boats (though all Kathy could focus on were the little cars)!
River and Felix joined us once more and we explored the Foam photography museum and ran around the city some more. Too soon, it was time to say, “Vaarwel” (“Farewell” – I told you it sounds like they’re making up words!).
The expression, “Our Friends, the Dutch,” is a family joke from a trip to Italy many years ago when our children were young. Twice during that trip, people from the the Netherlands helped us problem-solve some travel glitches. It gave us a good impression about the genuinely friendly and helpful nature of the Dutch. This trip only reinforced that opinion. We truly enjoyed our visit!