Posts Tagged “Netherlands”
Rotterdam is fast becoming known for food. It’s the Netherlands and it might be a bit of a cliché, but, yes there is cheese. Chef Jim De Jong was challenged to make a menu composed of Holland’s most iconic staple, and his creations were stunning. Jim has his culinary focus on seasonality, freshness, and vegetables,…
Gouda is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland. It’s an historic town which was granted city status in 1272 by Floris V, Count of Holland. Most tourists will know Gouda cheese but might not even realise that there really is a town of the same name, which has more to offer…
I have met François Geurds on a few occasions now. A couple of times at his eponymous FG Restaurant and also at the newer Food Lab. For once, the Michelin judges have awarded their coveted stars with logic and insight. But it wasn’t just the food that impressed me, it was also the man. I…
It’s attracting lots of gastronomic and architectural attention, and it does indeed offer a wealth of national and international food outlets. The new Markthal is a traditional market in Rotterdam with piles of fresh vegetables, meat and fish and, yes, cheese as well; but its attractive and striking environs are also garnished with a good…
I had visited Holland once before. That was Amsterdam and many years ago. I travelled by air and the flight was quick – Holland is nearer than one might think. But a trip to Rotterdam via Stena Line ferry from Harwich made that diverse and vibrant city even more accessible. Rotterdam is the second-largest city…
We are thinking about a pre-Christmas break, a rejuvenating Spring get-away, a Summer city break, and there are the familiar cries of ‘Let’s go to Rotterdam.’ OK, OK, so I am pulling the leg of my dear reader. It’s a shame that we don’t have Rotterdam as our first thought – and I can’t see…
Groningen isn’t the first destination in The Netherlands of which one might think. It’s invariably Amsterdam that gets that accolade, and a very fine city it is. But Groningen, in the north of this, one of my favourite countries in Europe, is like an accessible snapshot of all things Dutch. Groningen might be a distance…
I am a West London girl (OK, more accurately, mature woman of a certain age) and therefore ideally positioned for Heathrow. I have had reasonable travel experiences at Gatwick and Stansted which are equally described as ‘London’ airports even though the Oyster Card falls short of those marks. But Southend sounded a long way off…
I am, as regular readers will have noticed, an unapologetic supporter of The Netherlands. It’s a small country that not only welcomes the British tourist but embraces them. There are few language problems, yes the water is safe to drink, the little-known food is delicious, and there is history and landscape aplenty. 2014 is a…
2014 is a special year and after my recent visit to the Netherlands I am reminded that every year should be special. This year we remember the Liberation of parts of Europe, towards the end of the Second World War, and the heroism not only of servicemen but of civilians. This was a bitter-sweet trip….
The last year of World War II offered the hope of an end to hostilities, but they were, in fact, a long way from being over. France and Belgium were liberated and The Netherlands was the logical next step. The terrain is divided by waterways running from east to west but Allied forces would be…
The Hague is indeed a ‘Royal’ city. You might even come across one of the ‘Oranges’, as they are considered perhaps the most accessible royal family in Europe. The Hague has been home to the House of Orange for more than four hundred years; first they were Stadholders and later gained the title of monarchs….
Our links with The Netherlands have been long-standing. We shared a monarch in the guise of William III of England, known as William II in Scotland. He might be better known, to all but the most historically inclined, as the William of ‘William and Mary’ fame. The blood connection isn’t as strong now as then…
Holland might not be the first country springing to mind when one contemplates a gastronomic break, a food adventure. No, we muse on France, as their dishes are classic and the quality is legendary (some legends owe more to fantasy than fact); then there is New York with its perennial edgy vibe. Tempting, but one…
Well, here it was. My travel nemesis had arrived …or more accurately I was travelling to meet it. I have never been a good sailor and many ferry crossings between the UK and France had seriously put me off. I had lost count of the hours I had spent in overcrowded squalor bobbing about like…