Apr 11th, 2012 at 10:30AM:
Forget flying around Europe. At 30,000 feet it's impossible to truly experience the continent's remarkable landscapes. Rather than being shuttled around in a plane that only allows a birds-eye view, train trips immerse travelers in the terrain. There's a reason why trains are often thought of as the most romantic mode of transportation: riding the rails makes you feel more connected and in ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Dutch posts
Six Of The Most Scenic Train Trips In Europe
Apr 11th, 2012 at 10:30AM:
Forget flying around Europe. At 30,000 feet it's impossible to truly experience the continent's remarkable landscapes. Rather than being shuttled around in a plane that only allows a birds-eye view, train trips immerse travelers in the terrain. There's a reason why trains are often thought of as the most romantic mode of transportation: riding the rails makes you feel more connected and in ...A Photo Tour Of Cape Town's Colorful Bo-Kaap
Apr 3rd, 2012 at 10:00AM:
Cape Town might be the world's most visually striking city, between its dramatic coastal setting perched precariously against the looming Table Mountain and the town's riotous collision of Europe and Africa, and from textiles to colonial Dutch architecture. Perhaps no Cape Town neighborhood better represents the sensory feast that is Cape Town than the Bo-Kaap, a wildly colorful enclave of ...10 things you probably didn't know about Holland
Mar 7th, 2012 at 6:00PM: While Holland is well known for its bright flowers, the canals of Amsterdam, and wooden shoes, there are still many surprises to discover about this region. To help expand your knowledge, here are some things you probably didn't know about Holland.
1. Rotterdam is the only Dutch city with a true skyline. In fact, it is so impressive the area is known as "Manhattan on the Meuse." In terms of ...Opinion: Dutch khat ban smacks of racism
Jan 16th, 2012 at 10:00AM:
The Dutch government recently announced that it will ban the use of khat, a narcotic leaf widely chewed in the Horn of Africa and Yemen.
I've written about khat before. I've spent four months in Ethiopia, especially Harar, a city in the eastern part of the country where chewing khat (pronounced "chat" in the local languages) is part of many people's daily lives. It's a mild drug that makes ...Down-home Dutch cooking in Amsterdam
Nov 24th, 2011 at 12:00PM: Dutch cooking isn't one of Europe's famous cuisines. Yet while it can't compete on the world stage with Italian or Spanish cuisine, Dutch cooking can been really good and travelers to The Netherlands shouldn't dismiss the culinary side of their trip. Here are three cheap to mid-priced restaurants that will make you appreciate Dutch cooking.
De Stadskantine
This "city canteen" at Van Woustraat ...Photo of the day - Under the Glow dome
Nov 10th, 2011 at 5:00PM:
Today's Photo of the Day is from the Dutch city of Eindhoven, where the GLOW festival of light is going on now through Saturday. Eindhoven is the hometown of electronics company Philips, made a multinational brand by Anton Philips who is the subject of the sculpture here. Each year, the town hosts a forum of light-based art and architecture installations, performances and events; in 2011, the ...Dutch government to ban skunk weed
Oct 9th, 2011 at 8:02AM: The Dutch government is planning on reclassifying skunk weed as a hard drug, the BBC reports.
All marijuana with more than 15% THC content will have to be removed from the country's coffee shops. The new rule will go into force next year and will affect about 80% of the pot sold in coffee shops.
The Dutch government has already announced plans to ban drug tourism by requiring customers to ...Are the Dutch building a fake mountain?
Sep 29th, 2011 at 9:00AM: The Netherlands are known for a lot of things (cheese, windmills, tulips!), but mountains aren't exactly one of them. In fact, the country is famously flat, with more than a quarter of its land falling below sea level. But there is a movement afoot to change all that, and the Dutch are seriously considering building an artificial mountain designed to attract skiers, climbers, and other outdoor ...US Comedian attempts to show that there's more to do in Holland than visit "coffee shops"
Aug 31st, 2011 at 1:30PM:
US Comedian Mark Malkoff is on a mission. After hearing a proposed Dutch law that would make it illegal for tourists to visit coffee shops in Holland, he embarked on a creative video mission: he would travel to the country and make a video series about 101 Other Things to Do In Holland. #65? Hang a painting in the Van Gogh Museum (and, apparently, visit the way cool museum restrooms).
...
Keukenhof 2011 season opens March 25
Mar 16th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
If you are visiting the Netherlands between March 25 and May 20, you may want to add the Keukenhof Gardens to your itinerary. The gardens are home the largest collection of tulips and other flowers in the world, and showcase the Dutch brilliance in horticulture.
The theme for this year is "Germany Land of Poets and Philosophers" and the opening will be performed by the wife of the German ...Teen sailor Laura Dekker completes first leg of solo circumnavigation
Dec 22nd, 2010 at 8:30AM: Dutch teenager Laura Dekker completed the first leg of her attempt to sail into the record books a few days back when she completed a solo sail across the Atlantic, reaching the island of St. Maarten in the process. The 15 year old is attempting to set a new record for the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
Dekker has been hoping to make this voyage since she was 13, but her ...Dutch coffee shops face crackdown
Nov 3rd, 2010 at 1:30PM: Is it the beginning of the end for Dutch tolerance of weed? The recently elected conservative coalition has promised a number of controversial measures, including curbs on immigration, banning Islamic face covering, and of more interest to travelers, cracking down on legal marijuana smoking.
The Netherlands has been a destination for pot smokers ever since marijuana was made legal in the 1970s. ...Curacao and St. Maarten become autonomous countries: what it means for travelers
Oct 15th, 2010 at 3:00PM: Get ready for two new passport stamps: the former Netherlands Antilles has dissolved, and Curaçao and St. Maarten are now autonomous countries. Smaller islands such as Bonaire will now become Dutch municipalities. Aruba, the biggest of the ABC islands, has been a similarly autonomous state since 1986. It's not a major status change for residents, as Curaçao has been self-governing ...14-year old granted permission to sail solo around the world
Jul 28th, 2010 at 8:00AM: 14-year old Laura Dekker has waited months for her opportunity to attempt a solo circumnavigation of the globe, and after being denied on several occasions by Dutch authorities, yesterday she finally received permission to set sail at long last. She now plans to begin the voyage, which could take upwards of two years to complete, sometime in the next couple of weeks. The teen hopes to set a new ...Tampons with parachutes being dropped on Dutch beaches
Jul 8th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Bet that headline grabbed your attention? Good. Imagine lying on the beach enjoying the summer sun, and watching thousands of tampons being thrown out of a plane. You watch in amazement as a huge pink cloud of parachutes descends on the sand.
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/07/08/tampons-with-parachutes-being-dropped-on-dutch-beaches/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
The PR stunt ...
Undiscovered New York - Going Dutch
Jun 10th, 2009 at 10:00AM: 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of New York's "discovery" by a Dutch expedition led by explorer Henry Hudson. Way back in 1609, Hudson (who was actually British) and a small crew of Dutch sailors steered their vessel through the small gap between Staten Island and Long Island and into New York Harbor. Before them laid a vast wilderness, thick with old-growth forests and teeming with wildlife ...A windmill and the wonderful way it works
Dec 7th, 2008 at 11:00AM:
While searching out Dutch facts for a post on Dutch facts, details about windmills caught my attention.
Did you know that there used to be 10,000 windmills in the Netherlands? That was 150 years ago. Today there are about 1,000. This lovely video is an ode of sorts to one of the windmills that is still working. This one is located in the southern part of the country.
I watched this video ...
The Dutch by numbers
Dec 7th, 2008 at 9:00AM: This month's issue of Holland Herald, KLM's in-flight magazine is devoted to a numbers theme. For example, California's Highway 1 is touted as being one of the world's most scenic drives in an article devoted to pointing out the highway's finer points.
Another article was perfect for in-flight reading. By browsing two pages filled with random statistics, I found out several interesting facts ...Naive Travelers Pay $200 for Snack in India
Nov 17th, 2008 at 11:30AM: It's one of those tricks you learn in "How to Rip off Travelers 101": act friendly, provide food or a service and then reveal that you are charging an exorbitant price. The traveler is at a disadvantage because they have already used the service or eaten the food. In general, they will pay all, or at least a major portion, of the price you are asking. This is what happened to a Dutch couple ...Learn Norwegian in an hour
Nov 4th, 2008 at 1:00PM: Misleading headline? Well, I just came upon a wonderfully detailed post arguing that Norwegian is the easiest language for English-speakers, to learn. This followed up on an equally fresh post from last week in which the poster explained why Persian/Farsi (two languages for which the CIA is desperately looking for translators) happen to be easier to learn than most people think. Anyways, back to ...
