Oranje Country

Windmills. Wooden shoes. Canals. Van Gogh. Beer.

Some of most extraordinary things in the world are owed to the Netherlands. And we were able to experience most on our one-day trip; getting the best of rural Holland and the modern Amsterdam.

We set off from Eindhoven to reach Madurodam, a miniature park in the Scheveningen district of The Hague. Although I found it a tad boring, we had to appreciate the intricacy with which the models were created – especially the port area, Schipol airport (which was complete with moving luggage conveyor belts) and several of the nation’s landmarks. What I did enjoy very much were the flowers – although not in their peak, but quite pleasant on the eyes.

After a couple of hours, we advanced to more pastoral areas – driving across the beautiful country spotting an expanse of green with cows and sheep happily grazing away. Every so often, we saw windmills – the old ones, with their blackened blades going around in circles while the shiny new ones looking proud to be the ultimate ‘green machines’! Soon we reached Simonchoeve where we were to tour a wooden shoe and cheese making factory.

A very nice Dutch gentleman who owns the establishment took us through how ‘Clogs’ – the wooden shoes Holland is so well known for are made, making an actual demonstration with a small log of wood. It was delightful to see how the art has been passed on through generations, while we took a stroll through the premises where all sizes and colours of clogs were arranged neatly. 

Next, we were shown how the Dutch cheese is made – leading to a tasting session, where I couldn’t stop salivating at the delicious varieties, washed down with fruit wine, which is also produced locally. In the meadow nearby, there was also an old windmill which was surrounded by a moat and made for an excellent Netherlands memoir picture!

The Netherlands is a geographically low-lying country, with most of its population located below sea level and 50% of its land lying less than one metre above sea level – hence they have had to pioneer the science of water management. It is brilliant to see the network of canals which connect the countryside, and then be in awe of a city that has been named the Venice of the north – with good reason. We passed fertile meadows which are said to be the home of blossoming tulips when the season is right and entered Amsterdam by afternoon.

Everywhere you looked, the city had advertisements for beer. The corporate office of Heineken breweries was on the bank of the river Amstel (Amstel-dam = Amsterdam, get it?), right next to the docks where were queueing to get into our open-top canal cruise boat. The rather annoying auto-recorded commentary (in three languages) told us a lot of interesting things about the city and its history. For example: in earlier years, taxes were based on the size of one’s front door, hence most homes in Amsterdam have really narrow door and hooks atop the buildings to haul in furniture!

An hour and a half of gliding through the many canals and seeing the scores of people whiz by on their bicycles – the carbon footprint of the city must be close to zero!, we disembarked and set off to our hotel for dinner and rest. I was hoping that we would have more time to explore it on foot and spend some time in beer gardens looking upon the river, perhaps visit the Rembrandt and Van Gogh museum or even sneak a peek into the much talked about red-light area of Amsterdam, but I guess they will have to wait till I get there next!

Wouldn’t you love to live in a city where you’re either on a bike or on a boat?