Archive For The “European Travel” Category

The Wood for the Trees at the Kröller-Müller Museum

The Wood for the Trees at the Kröller-Müller Museum

23 March to 15 September 2024.  No museum in the Netherlands is as intertwined with nature as the Kröller-Müller Museum. In the exhibition The Wood for the Trees, four artists examine the relationship between humans and nature in different ways through their work. In the sculpture garden, Circus Andersom creates two sensory walks to accompany…

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Gouda – a cheese for all seasons – travel review

Gouda – a cheese for all seasons – travel review

We have many cheese choices in specialist shops and even our local supermarket. Gouda can easily be overlooked. It seems to have been with us forever and we don’t even notice it anymore. The first mention of this cheese dates from 1184, making it one of the oldest recorded cheeses in the world still being…

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Portugal – A world of flavours – travel review

Portugal – A world of flavours – travel review

It’s true that many British tourists are regulars on the beaches of the Algarve and they will say they love the country. Yes, they enjoy that little corner of this amazing land; but far fewer visitors travel away from the resorts to discover the real personality of Portugal. The Portuguese are the product of a…

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Vermeer exhibition continues to smash audience records – in UK cinemas!

Vermeer exhibition continues to smash audience records – in UK cinemas!

Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition Exhibition On Screen, the celebrated art-film brand which brings major artists, exhibitions, and art institutions to cinema audiences worldwide, is thrilled to announce that its latest theatrical release – Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition – is not only the award-winning production company’s highest ever grossing release after just 2 days in cinemas,…

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Rijsttafel in The Hague – travel review

Rijsttafel in The Hague – travel review

I love The Netherlands and am an unashamed supporter. It’s an oft-disregarded tourist destination even though it’s easy to get to from London. Short breaks are more usually taken in Paris or Berlin. That’s a shame as Dutch cities offer history, architectural charm and delicious food. Yes, dear reader, that statement isn’t an affectation of…

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Bratislava – sculpture and urban art – travel review

Bratislava – sculpture and urban art – travel review

We have all heard of Bratislava but mostly with regard to iffy stag do’s. They are thankfully drifting into the mists of a former time, and there is so much more to this city than nightlife. The first known permanent settlement here was around 5000 BC. About 200 BC, the Celtic Boii tribe founded the…

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Nederlands Fotomuseum – Images In The Gallery Of Honour Of Dutch

Nederlands Fotomuseum – Images In The Gallery Of Honour Of Dutch

Nederlands Fotomuseum Reveals 99 Iconic Images In The Gallery Of Honour Of Dutch The development of 180 years of photography On 9 June, the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam opened the Gallery of Honour of Dutch Photography to the public and welcomed His Majesty the King for a visit to the museum. As one of the…

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Harley and the Holy Mountain: Through the Heart of Greece to its Soul

Harley and the Holy Mountain: Through the Heart of Greece to its Soul

What a wonderful read! It’s only May and I sense I have already found my ‘Book of the Year’! Harley and the Holy Mountain: Through the Heart of Greece to its Soul is both amusing and thought-provoking. It’s an exercise in the human condition as well as being a thoroughly absorbing travelogue. The author, John…

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Flowering Netherlands – More than Tulips

Flowering Netherlands – More than Tulips

We love those fresh Spring colours of tulips which are synonymous with the Netherlands.  It’s not a native of that small northern country but it does so very well there. Tulip mania reared its floral head in the Dutch Golden Age when the cost of some bulbs of the trendy tulip reached amazing heights. That…

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Mauritshuis Fleeting – Scents in Colour

Mauritshuis Fleeting – Scents in Colour

An exhibition of romantic perfumes and foul odours in the 17th century The 17th century saw Mauritshuis as a residence and hotel for VIP guests. This beautiful building is conveniently situated in the city centre of The Hague. Now Mauritshuis houses the celebrated museum for 17th and 18th century works of art. Its collections comprise…

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Zeeland, land of salt and sweet!

Zeeland, land of salt and sweet!

The Netherlands has so much to offer. Many of us think we know about this small but perfectly formed country. Well, we had that weekend away in Amsterdam, didn’t we? Yes, that city has a multitude of exciting facets, but travel outside and discover the real Netherlands – it’s a compact nation so it won’t…

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Nederlands Fotomuseum opens Gallery of Honour of Dutch Photograph

Nederlands Fotomuseum opens Gallery of Honour of Dutch Photograph

On 21 January 2021, the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam will open the Gallery of Honour of Dutch Photography, where 100 photographs will be on display. All the images have iconic value due to their social and artistic significance, and together they tell the story of photography in the Netherlands, from its beginnings to the present…

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Royal Delft – Living History

Royal Delft – Living History

Delftware or Delft pottery, also known as Delft Blue, is a term now widely used to describe the instantly recognisable Dutch earthenware. Most of it is blue and white, and the city of Delft in the Netherlands was the predominant production area in Europe. Four centuries ago the first Dutch East India Company ships returned…

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A Dog of Flanders in Antwerp – travel review

A Dog of Flanders in Antwerp – travel review

‘A Dog of Flanders’ is a novel by English-French author Marie Louise de la Ramée and was published under her pseudonym “Ouida” in 1872. It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog Patrasche, and is set in Antwerp, where there are numerous reminders of this popular literary work. I confess that I…

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Schiedam – a honey of a gin gem and more

Schiedam – a honey of a gin gem and more

The Netherlands has been an oft-overlooked destination for those vacationers from the UK. Amsterdam still has a massive draw but there is so much more to see in this fascinating and convenient country. Rotterdam offers many attractions and it’s easy to get there on public transport. But take a short trip outside that celebrated city…

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Closer to Vermeer and the Girl

Closer to Vermeer and the Girl

New discoveries and insights from the international scientific examination of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. The scientific examination of Johannes Vermeer’s world-famous painting, known as Girl with a Pearl Earring (c. 1665), has yielded new discoveries and insights. By employing multidisciplinary research, an international team of scientists has brought us closer to the artwork…

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Remelluri Organic Winery – travel review

Remelluri Organic Winery – travel review

The mountains have been here for 80 million years; humans have been using the mountains for a lot less time than that, but nevertheless for a long time, historically speaking. The Romans used one of the peaks as a military fort. Later, in the 14th century, a monastery was built that gave birth to this…

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Major Aelbert Cuyp Exhibition in the Netherlands – September 2020

Major Aelbert Cuyp Exhibition in the Netherlands – September 2020

Aelbert Cuyp Exhibition 27 September 2020 to 14 March 2021 To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the birth of Aelbert Cuyp (1620–1691) the Dordrechts Museum is organising a major exhibition to celebrate the Dutch artist and his impact on English landscape painters. In the light of Cuyp: Aelbert Cuyp & Gainsborough – Constable – Turner…

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Antwerp for a Belgian Break – Things to do! – travel review

Antwerp for a Belgian Break – Things to do! – travel review

Antwerp is the capital of the Belgian province of Flanders. It is one of the most populous cities in Belgium, although the old city centre gives the impression of a much smaller and more intimate town. It is about 40 kilometres north of Brussels, and only 15 kilometres from the border with The Netherlands. The…

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Africa Museum re-opens in Brussels

Africa Museum re-opens in Brussels

9 December 2019 – Tevuren – near Brussels. Originally inaugurated for the Brussels International Exhibition of 1897, Charles Girault, architect of the Petit Palais in Paris was called upon to design the Africa Museum , completed in 1910. In 2013, the Museum closed for an extensive renovation and rebuild. Some 5 years later, the building…

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