Top 5 places in the Netherlands

Some months ago I wrote about my favourite places in Amsterdam, but this time I thought about revealing my favourite places out of the city - but still in this beautiful country.

1. Hoorn - although I have been there only once, this small and cute town left a big impact on me. I still remember strolling around almost empty streets, admiring old buildings from several centuries ago and falling in love with the yachts in the port. Around half an hour away from Amsterdam (by train), Hoorn feels like a different world without tourists and yet with its own beauty.

2. Maastricht - this city and me met several years ago, even before I knew that I will ever have a chance to live in the Netherlands. I went there to visit a friend of mine for the weekend and instantly felt that I like it, although it might be too small to live and work there. Since that I have been back to Maastricht several times, including three carnival editions when the city turns into a wild street party and seems so different from other, more peaceful times.

3. Leiden - I believe that AEGEE people (those who had a chance to participate in Spring Agora Leiden 2010) will object, but I really like this small student city. It has a special beauty and its canals remind me Amsterdam, but luckily there is no huge crowd of tourists. The special feature is the endless amount of poems on the walls and last time I even managed to find a Latvian one!

4. Naarden - thanks to another friend, I had a chance to visit the medieval Naarden. When I was there for the first time, it was a silent and empty afternoon with almost no people on the streets and we were wondering around the fortifications and exploring "almost forgotten town". My second visit was just the opposite - it was full of Dutch people, enjoying their sunny day, shopping and sitting outside. Nevertheless, it was possible to feel the special vibe of the small town.

5. Zaanse Schans - I hope that locals will forgive me for mentioning such a touristic place, but I can't help myself. Several working windmills in a raw and extremely cute and sweet houses from fairytales sell good, and I am one of their victims. Typical Netherlands in a nutshell!

Now you all know how much I love history and cities / towns which look like nothing would have changed in the last few centuries!

In love with the Netherlands

I never notice the moment I fall in love – it just comes and, bump, it’s just in my mind, without thinking about it. It simply announces, “You have fallen in love, now enjoy it!” It was exactly the same the day I fell in love with this amazing country called the Netherlands.

Regardless, whether I love or I hate, I do it from the bottom of my heart, and forever. I fell in love with sangria the first time I tried it and have never tired of it. I don’t even remember how it started, but I’m also a huge fan of liquorices - Finnish and Dutch sweet candies, which all other nations hate. Every time somebody mentions London or Malta, I feel like they are talking about my home and it deeply touches me, making me want to continue those conversations forever. I could goon…

The love story between me, and the Netherlands, is a similar one. I don’t know when it started, but I know that after a few weeks of living here, one day I woke up and suddenly realized I really love this country! Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it before, I was just exploring my first days and weeks here, before making any judgments, apart from complaining about different food and unpredictable weather (we, Latvians, always like to complain). But from that date, the moment I realized how much I like living here, the feeling inside me grew stronger and stronger.

People. A lot of foreigners don’t like Dutch people, and yet, I really enjoy being with, and around them, all the time. Maybe it’s because of the similar characters we have, maybe it’s because I have just met the best examples of this nation, or maybe it’s the “rose-colored glasses.” The result is the same – they are talkative, they are friendly, they keep their promises, they are fun, and I like them. They might complain (as do we, Latvians), they might love saving money (so do we), and they might be very direct (we just appreciate it), but what others see as a difficult mix, is for me, the perfect combination! Furthermore, the Netherlands is one of the most international countries in Europe I have seen – full of expats, immigrants and people who are just looking for ‘their’ place in the world, so spending free time amongst people from all over the world is a part of everyday life, which isn’t the case back home in Latvia.

Country. It’s wonderful, amazing, adventurous, diverse and simply incredible. There are not enough words to express how much I love the landscapes of the countryside, the old houses in Dutch towns, the canals both in and out of the cities, the seaside where the wind blows right into your face and you feel like it’s a magical place to be. There really aren’t enough words to describe my state of mind when I travel from one place to another within this small, no, tiny, country, and still get surprised every five meters.

I will always remember two particular places, which were unexpected surprises and are now considered as some of my favorites – Zaanse Schans and Hoorn: both very different, but both, incredibly beautiful. Traveling in Zaanse Schans, you feel like you have stepped into a fairytale from more than 100 years ago, and are walking in a dream where elves and fairies could appear in front of you at any minute. Hoorn, charms you with a rough sailor’s breeze, while slowly being taken over by yachts full of youngsters and dogs (apparently every yacht must have its own dog), but just a few steps back into the town, you find houses dating back to the 17^th century, and earlier - even a digital camera, with gigabytes of memory, wouldn’t be enough to capture all of the beauty they hide.

Atmosphere. All Dutch cities, particularly the capital Amsterdam, have a special relaxing atmosphere or ambience, which calms you down, stops you from running from point A to point B, and doesn’t just invite, but, demands, that you take it slowly. My first days here passed as in a dream, not because of the beauty around me, but because I didn’t truly take in anything, and was just running around trying to put the feelings together as if they were part of some kind of technical device. That’s not the right way to enjoy the Netherlands. No, you need to lose yourself in small streets and wander around aimlessly. You need to get out of the tourist places and find a local pub, where only Dutch is spoken, yet the waiter is more than willing to serve you in English. You need to forget about using city transport, and get a bike – it’s simply not possible to discover and understand the beauty of the Netherlands without it! A bike is not merely a means of transportation; it’s a way of living; it’s a thing to admire and take care of. Only then, slowly starting to notice the secret places, parts of cities tourist guidebooks don’t write so much about, and which you probably will never find for a second time, you start to feel why it’s such special place to be in. Green trees interchange with colorful houses, cows in the countryside turn into windmills and canals, and old ladies on the street stop you, letting you know that your shoes are in need of repair, and the next shoemaker is just around the corner.

I am falling in love with this country, more and more, with every second I spend here, every minute I breathe the Dutch air, and every day I discover something new. This love came to me without thinking about it, without expecting something spectacular and special, and I am so grateful for the day I chose to step into this adventure.

This article was written for a magazine in the summer of 2009, however, it was never published.

P.S. Sorry for no captions under the pictures, I couldn't figure out how to do it without looking stupid!