THE Netherlands, to me, has a different charm than other European countries I’ve been to. I notice it the moment our car drives past the German-Netherlands border at the Bundesautobahn 3 (A3).
The scenery gradually changes from farmhouses draped in monochromatic earth colours to vibrant, fun-coloured farmhouses. Even the architecture is prettier. Then, more and more canals start to appear too! It’s only logical that my family and I choose to stay outside Amsterdam.
It’s almost 1pm, yet the sky looks mostly cloudy. the weather has been unfavourable for the past few days. Finally, we arrive at our first destination after more than four hours on the road. Neither GPS, Waze nor Google Maps helped us find the exact location of the famous Giethoorn.
We did spot the “Giethoorn” road sign at the main road but nothing about it looked similar to what was portrayed in Google.
But we don’t give up. We drive around the narrow road village, to every corner, and stop at the roadside of every photogenic house — yet we couldn’t find the public parking space.
After a while, we finally find a free parking lot on Kerkweg street. This time, I know that we are at the right place when we catch sight of tourists.
QUAINT GIETHOORN
Known as the Venice of the North, Giethoorn is a quaint little village located in Overijssel. Founded in the 13th century by a group of settlers from the Mediterranean, it was built on peatland.
The villagers later dug canals to transport the peat and built their homes and farms on the smaller islands which can only be reached by bridges.
Today, there is an extensive network of canals around 180 bridges all over Giethoorn — oh, and the villagers are still actively using the canals as a mode of transportation!
You can spot small boats on the canal, but since it is the winter season, plus it’s drizzling, there are none operating at the moment.
It is a small village with a population of no more than 3,000. There are no roads — which means it is a car-free village. There are only pedestrian walks on the side of the canals as well as bicycle lanes. On the water, the villagers mostly use the flat bottom boats called punt which are designed to be used in smaller rivers.
Tourists can walk along the pedestrian walk and enjoy the scenic view of the thatched roof houses by the canals, go over the small wooden bridges and take as many photos as they like of this pretty village.
I really enjoy the peace and quiet of this place. All I can hear are birds chirping and ducks quacking, a harmonious symphony of nature. You can also visit the gemstone and mineral museums or have a cuppa at the quaint cafe by the canal. A few of the restaurants and cafes serve halal options too.
The best period to visit Giethoorn is during summer when the sun shines brightly and the flowers are blooming and visitors will be able to experience the punter cruise on the canal.
My family and I have a great time walking around the village even though it is drizzling.
After leaving Giethoorn, but before heading to our hotel, we stop at the small town of Lelystad which is just an hour from Giethoorn. Here you can do some retail therapy at Batavia Stad Fashion outlet, an outdoor outlet mall offering more than 250 international fashion and lifestyle brands such as Hugo Boss, Michael Kors, Levis and many more.
As I browse the dress rack at one of the shops, a nice lady greets me in the Malay language. She works at the shop and is an Indonesian. I chat with her for a while and ask her if there is any good Asian food around here. She suggests Toko Sindjaja which is just 15 minutes from the mall.
Toko Sindjaja is a small joint offering Indonesian cuisine and products. You can purchase not only fresh ingredients to cook, but already cooked meals including rendang, sambal petai, tauhu pedas and sambal goreng.
My family and I pack a few dishes and rice at Toko Sindjaja for dinner. Psst... the food won’t disappoint — it’s so good, and spicy and will definitely satisfy our Asian cravings.
PETIT VOLENDAM
Accommodation can be really expensive, especially in the city. Since we are on a self driving trip, my family and I book a stay away from the hectic city.
The town that we’re staying at is actually a tourist destination popular among the locals. In fact, tourists often come here for a day-tour to enjoy the scenic harbour view of Markermeer Lake.
Volendam, which means “filled dam”, was originally the location of the harbour of Edam because of its location which is by the mouth of IJ bay. But in 1357, the villagers of Edam dug a shorter canal to Zuiderzee with its own separate harbour, thus removing the need for the initial harbour which was later dammed.
The town then became a settlement for farmers and local fishemen. In the 20th century, it became famous among local artists such as Picasso and Renoir who came for a retreat and were inspired by its beauty.
Known as the Pearl of Zuiderzee, this “petit” fishing village is also famous for its colourful wooden houses. And we’re staying in one of these cute houses.
Not really a trendy choice for International tourists, Roompot Marinapark Volendam offers colourful wooden holiday bungalows for rent. The holiday resort is located just by the yacht harbour of Markermeer Lake, thus giving us a spectacular view from our little home.
Our V04 Bungalow is ideal for four persons. The home provides basic amenities, including free parking near the bungalow for one vehicle, free WiFi, functioning heaters; a working kitchen complete with stove, microwave, refrigerator; a living area with sofas and satelite TV as well as a balcony overlooking the harbour; one spacious bathroom upstairs and a toilet on the first level; and two bedrooms with two twinbeds in each room.
The bungalow is really homely, perfect for a long stay but we didn’t come prepared.
It does not include bed sheets, towels and bath amenities. You have the option of renting the essentials at the front desk but we choose to purchase everything at the nearby convenient store.
Despite that, we still enjoy our time here at Roompot Marinapark Volendam. While we’re here, we get to catch the stunning pinkish hues during sunrise from our bedroom window, take an evening walk by the harbour and enjoy family time at home in the evening.
While in Volendam, you can walk around the old town with its maze-like streets and discover the home of St Nicolas Church, some interesting museums exhibiting paintings from many artists that have been inspired by Volendam or one that has quirky artifacts and displays of traditional clothings.
For something more Dutch in taste, there’s a cheese factory in Volendam if you would like to do some tasting and purchase some souvenirs. There are also some fresh fisherman bites to try!
CHARMS OF ZAANSE SCHANS
Another unique characteristic of the Netherlands is the windmill, a charming symbol of Dutch tradition.
Fun fact: There are more than 10,000 fully operational windmills in the country! We spotted a few in Volendam, including one located nearby our bungalow.
But as we wanted to see more, we drive to Zaanse Schans for a day -tour at the iconic neighbourhood of Zaandam, located in the north part of Amsterdam. From Volendam, it takes about 25 minutes’ drive on a picturesque country road.
With the help of GPS installed in the MPV (Rentalcars.com), we find the place easily. However, the parking fee nearby the attraction is really expensive. For free parking, there’s one located nearby the Koog Zaandijk train station but you will have to walk for approximately 15 minutes to the open museum.
Luckily, it’s all sun and chilly today. So, my family and I leisurely stroll along the pavement of the little charming town.
Surprisingly, the town has unique characteristics with well-preserved cottages and we end up making a few stops to take some photographs.
As we walk along the pavement, we get the strong aroma of cocoa — looking to our left, we spot a chocolate factory. Oh, the smell! It really makes you want to stop and buy chocolates! There’s actually one little shop called Smells Like Chocolate just beside a huge windmill where one can taste and purchase local chocolates.
As we continue our walk, we have to cross a huge bridge. The view from up here is spectacular. Stand at the best vantage point in the middle of the bridge and take a panoramic shot of the place — the colourful town on the left side, dotted windmills across the river Zaan in the centre, and the stunning open-air museum on the other side.
Walking around the open-air museum is free and you can take as many pictures as you want. There are few photogenic spots but you’ll have to queue as the place is teeming with tourists.
Here you can explore the well-preserved historic windmills and learn about the construction and its use. Windmill is used to transfer wind energy to rotation energy — the movement created by the wings is then used for all sorts of industrial usage including grinding spices, sawing planks and more. You can actually view the mechanisms of the windmill.
Besides the open-air museum, you can also visit the In de Gecroonde Duyvekater Bakery Museum featuring authentic oven back in the 19th century, visit the very first Albert Heijn grocery store which is now a museum complete with the original furniture and fixtures from 1887, and, also if you love cheese, do head to the authentic 17th century Catharina Hoeve cheese farm and join a cheese making demonstration and tasting.
The Netherlands is also famous for wooden clogs. To see how it is made, there’s a wooden shoe workshop at Zaanse Schans where one can learn the history and experience walking on one!
WALK IN NOORD
On our last day, we finally get the chance to explore the capital city, Amsterdam. The city is known for the most expensive parking in Europe, but we manage to park at Centrum Oosterdok, which is said to be one of the cheapest parking centres in the city and it cost us €20 (RM95) per day.
The basement parking is located just a walk away from Amsterdam Centraal. Honestly, it isn’t bad walking in the cool weather as long as you are well-prepared.
It’s going to be a long-day today exploring the city. The must-see places when in Amsterdam includes the Rijksmuseum where one can see the works of Rembrandt and Vermeer, Van Gogh arts at the iconic Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank’s house, and many more.
Besides the typical touristic attractions, we also book the Airbnb Experience to go on the Street Art and Architecture tour with our host, Teresa. Booking an activity with Airbnb is great because we get to see hidden sites, something that tourists may not know about.
Teresa’s meeting place is at Stationplein 39, which is just around the corner of Amsterdam Centraal. If you’re comfortable going Dutch, Teresa is open to bring you on a bike tour and help you with the rent. That way, you will be able to see more sights— however, my parents want to take it slow, so yeah, we’re just going to do the walking tour.
Our journey begin at the Amsterdam Central pedestrian underpass tunnel, known as ”Cuyperspassage”, which is named after Pierre Cuypers the architect of the Central Station.
Inside the tunnel, there’s a stunning Delft Blue tile mural comprising 77,000 tiles locally made and hand painted in Makkum, the province of Friesland. It took two painters two years to transfer the design into the 13 x 13cm tiles.
It is a beautiful mural showing the view of the sea with a fleet of old Viking ships. According to Teresa, the mural is an adaptation of a painting by Cornelis Bouwmeester, a Dutch painter in the 17th century. The mural art was created by artist Imra Boom, but the new version is designed with the Amsterdam coat of arms instead of the Rotterdam crest.
The 110 metre-long tunnel is used only for cycling and walking, and it is estimated that more than 15,000 cyclists and 10,000 pedestrians use the tunnel daily. It connects Amsterdam centre to the ferry terminal.
Teresa then takes us on a free ferry ride to the Noord where the street art treasures are. The ferry ride is a brief way to see the architecture of Amsterdam, and among all, I am attracted to the iconic building by Felix Claus, known as the Paleis van Justitie (Palace of Justice) which is a modern architecture located by the IJ river — sleek and futuristic.
“We will be arriving at Nederlands Dok en Scheepsgebouw Maatschappij soon.
The place is better known as NDSM wharf (translated as the Dutch Dock and Shipbuilding Company). The place was formerly a shipyard but is now home to Amsterdam’s creative and artistic community,” says Teresa.
Arriving at NDSM wharf, my eyes are glued to the massive submarine partially submerged in the river and covered by mostly stand-out street art. Teresa tells me that it is a dysfunctional Russian submarine and has been docked in the harbour for ages.
As we get off the ferry, Teresa takes me to see more art at the area. According to her, the place used to be the largest shipyard in Europe but NDSM company went bankrupt in the 80s, and the dock was abandoned for a time. Among many buildings here are some abandoned warehouses which has now become a place for creative people to express their artistic ideas.
One of the best masterpieces here at the Noord that I really love is the huge painting of the famous Jew-diarist, Anne Frank by Brazilian artist Eduardo Cobra.
Teresa says people can freely do their artwork here, but sadly some of her favourite pieces (as shown in her Airbnb pages) have been covered by other art.
“The sight here at Noord is constantly changing. It could be a different art on these walls tomorrow,” says Teresa.
The walk takes more than two hours and the weather is cold, but it’s an exciting sight to see especially the interesting colours and comical art on the walls. Definitely a great place if you want to see some thing different from typical traditional architecture.