If you’re a cycling fan like me, Valkenburg means one thing – the Cauberg. The most famous summit in one of the Spring Classics, the Amstel Gold Race which takes place every April (global pandemics permitting, it was cancelled in 2020). Yes, there are hills in the southern Dutch province of Limburg and they’re a…
Tag: The Netherlands
On the trail of Operation Market Garden: 70 years on
It’s 70 years since Operation Market Garden came to an unexpected end in Arnhem; the infamous Bridge Too Far. The events of that time have left a deep impression on the area, commemorated recently with memorial services and reenactments to mark the 70th anniversary. The plan was to take a number of bridges from Eindhoven up…
Hidden Holland: tips and highlights off the tourist track
Despite (maybe because of) being married to a Dutchie, I’ve never written much about the country here. A couple of recent trips have inspired me to put that right, so I’m starting an occasional series on hidden highlights that aren’t on the usual tourist route in Holland. There’s more to life/travel than just Amsterdam and…
Delft
You can’t go into a souvenir shop in Holland without falling over dozens of knick-knacks painted in blue and white. The traditional pottery comes from the town of Delft, a gezellig little place halfway between Den Haag and Leiden. So is Delft a tourist trap, or is it worth a visit? Like many southern Dutch…
Party by the river in the land van Cuijk
Isn’t it often the countries that you think you know the best, where strong visual images of the countryside come easily to mind, that can surprise you the most? Most people think of Holland as canals and windmills, but head south and the landscape changes completely. Just back from another week in Holland, enjoying the…
You’ll never walk alone: up to 40,000 hit the streets of Nijmegen for the Vierdaagse
Nijmegen, 4am. 40,000 people, awake at the crack of dawn, assemble on a city centre street. While the air still holds a certain chill, everyone’s dressed for the warm day ahead. As the starter gives the signal, tens of thousands of people spill out across the bridge over the Waal, silhouetted against the early morning…