The Netherlands: Tiny Country By The Sea

The Emmen Zoo is considered one of the finest zoos in Europe and has won several awards. It first opened in 1935 and was fully overhauled in 1970, when animal management became priority. Since 2002 the Zoo has a second annex where the visitor shares a path with Humboldt penguins.

In the Emmen Zoo, wherever possible, animals roam on large areas of land that have been designed to resemble places like the Africa Savanna (home of the giraffes, rhinoceroses, gazelles and other Savanna animals), or the Amazonian rain forest, and even a rat sewer system! This way, the visitor sees the animals in their natural environment, as much as such a thing is possible in a zoo in a crowded country like the Netherlands.

A large parking area within walking distance of the ticket offices and both sections of the zoo offers the visitors a convenient way to visit. Please do use the offered parking lot, as the main entrance of the old part of the zoo is located in the town center of Emmen, where cars are no longer allowed.

A visit to the zoo is not exactly cheap (from age 4 to age 64 the entrance fee is EUR 18.50) but it is worth the money for a full day of experience.

The first written mention of Groningen dates back to 1040. With over 180,000 inhabitants, the capital city of the similarly named Province of Groningen, is among the ten largest cities of the Netherlands.

Despite that, the city has managed to keep its small-town atmosphere, with its medieval town center full of narrow, winding streets and large central market square that in summer fills with streetside terraces, and on market day, with stalls selling everything from antiques to clothes to knicknacks.

Take a stroll through the city center; visit the historic, renovated Central Railway station; have a cup of relaxing tea in the Prinsentuin garden (free access), or climb the Martinitower (for a small fee; tickets are available at the tourist office across the street) for a grand view across the city and its surroundings.

As the Groninger people say, There's no place that tops Groningen.

The Netherlands is a small country, wedged between Germany and the North Sea. About half of it is actually beneath sea level, so the Dutch have a long history of fighting the waves. Actually, the country has a long history, period.

Historical accounts date back to the 1st century BC, when Roman forces conquered the local tribes. From the 12th century onward, Holland has been an important trade nation, with its Golden Years around the mid-17th century when Holland was a republic. When the Napoleonetic occupation ended early in the 19th century, Holland became a Kingdom.

The country's rich history is witnessed in the many monumental buildings and castles you can still find all around.

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The Netherlands has a good public transportation system. Trains and buses will take you just about anywhere. The country also has a vast system of roads and highways. The Dutch are a bicycling people, and you will be able to rent a bike in every major town.

'Borg' is another word for castle. The Fraeylemaborg was build on the foundations of a 13th century castle, the right wing is the oldest part. The left wing was added in the 17th century. Through the centuries the castle was owned by the families Fraeylema, Rengers, Piccardt and others. It's been a museum since 1975.

The borg has époque rooms (18th and 19th century) and an Orange-Nassau collection, work by Gerrit van Houten (1866-1934), his contemporaries, and a collection of Asian ceramics. Various exhibitions are organized in the right wing. A large park in English country style surrounds the 'borg'.

The museum is open from March 1 - January 1, Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 - 5:00, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 1:00 - 5:00pm. The park is open every day from sunup to sundown.

Entrance fees:

Borg including the park:

Adults € 4.50

Children 0 - 5 free

Children 6 - 12 € 2.00

A visit to just the park is free.

The Netherlands are renowned for their water: rivers, lakes, canals. Nowhere is this more visible than in the northern province of Friesland (or, as the locals spell it, Fryslân), and especially around the Snekermeer.

It is possible to rent many types of boats, from motor cruisers to sailing yachts in Friesland. But the most authentic experience comes when sailing on a so-called skûtsje. This type of boat dates back to the late 1800s/early 1900s, when the skûtsjes were used to transport dung, mud or other goods.

Of course nowadays the boats have been modified to include more modern comforts such as bunks, a tiny kitchen, a toilet, and an engine. But be prepared for the silence, when the engine dies down and the only sounds are the sail fluttering in the wind, the cries of birds and the splash of tiny waves against the boat.

Skûtsjes can be rent for half-days, weekends or weeks, and they come with a captain, or without if you are an experienced sailor. More info on the Skûtsje Verhuur Sneek company can be found on their website (Dutch only).

Distillery Sonnema brews its special liquor, named "Berenburg" since 1860, when innkeeper Fedde Sonnema created the drink, using 71 herbs and gin.

The drink, which can be drunk pure of mixed with orange juice, coke or even coffee, is famous all over the world now. The brewery can be visited in the summer months June, July, August, when guided tours are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 1:30pm and 3pm. Other days only on request with groups of at least 15 persons. After the tour, the drink can be tasted and bottles or gift-wrapped packages are available for sale. Admission is 1.00€ per person. More information: (0)515 572 949.

Since the brewery is located on the edge of the towncenter of Bolsward, make use of the opportunity to take a little stroll through this medieval city and admire the City Hall or the church ruins.

When the Dutch flower fields burst into bloom, displaying tapestries of red, blue, yellow, orange, purple, pink and any other bright color you can think of, we know that spring is in the air.

Nowhere is this more visible than in the Keukenhof, the flower park that draws over 650.000 visitors yearly. No small feat indeed, considering that the Keukenhof is only open during the blooming season, from March until May.

The park itself is beautifully landscaped, with patches of flowers, blooming trees, a windmill, a duck pond and many accessible walkways. Make sure you also take a look in various hothouses where orchids and even more species of tulips are grown.

Plenty of parking is available (parking fee € 4) and the Keukenhof is also easily reached by public transport, or by joining one of the many daytrips organizes from many tourist spots in the country.

Keukenhof is open in 2004 from 25 March until 20 May. Opening hours 8am-7:30pm (tickets until 6pm). More information in various languages can be found on the Keukenhof website.

"De Weerribben" is a national park slightly north of central Holland, in the province of Overijssel. Over many years, peat cutters took millions of blocks of peat from the area, leaving behind a network of dozens of kilometers of small canals. Nature recaptured the area after the cutters left. De Weerribben now boasts of over 450 species of plants, some 100 different species of birds and 23 kinds of fish.

You can traverse the many canals by canoe of kayak. If you are less physically inclined, consider renting a so-called "whispering boat" (fluisterboot), which is driven by an electromotor. It thus makes only a whispering sounds while it carries you through this area, enabling you to enjoy a silence only broken by the cries of birds or the slapping of waves against the bow.

The history of the zoo goes back to 1913. Over the decades, lots of changes have obviously been made, and Burgers' Zoo now features some wonderful free-roaming areas besides the obvious cages for predators.

There is the Burgers' Bush, a roofed part of the park that is build like a rain forest. Animals like birds are allowed to roam freely so keep your eyes open when wandering one of the many small paths!

Burgers' Desert is a miniature version of the Mexican desert, while Burgers' Ocean is a huge aquarium where you can wander across what appears to be the bottom of the sea while seeing several types of ocean floor.

Of course, Burgers Zoo wouldn't be a zoo if they didn't also have lions (in a large enclosure with a non-disturbing glass lookout point for visitors), elephants, and monkeys.

A "heemtuin" is the Dutch word for a garden with native wild flora and fauna. The heemtuin in Arnhem offers a varied display of local landscapes, like farmlands, dike landscapes, river forelands, a swamp, a brook and heather. Because cultivation happens only by natural means, wild flowers and native plants grow richly, drawing birdlife and small animals like polecats.

The center piece of the garden is a centuries' old oak tree. A postmarked route with information signs will lead you past all the landscapes, and benches are provided if you want to sit for a while and just enjoy the surroundings. Spring provides an abundance of wildflowers and a photographer's paradise.

The heemtuin is located a few minutes' walk from the train station Presikhaaf. There are no refreshments available on site. The heemtuin is a garden and as such not very large, but a very pleasant hour or two can be spent here.

Children will enjoy a subsequent visit to the adjacent animal farm.

Access to both the heemtuin and the animal farm is free. The heemtuin is open daily, except Saturdays, from 9 am to 4 pm.

Although Holland is one of the world's most densely populated countries, it is still possible to find stretches of endless land. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the province of Groningen, in the northern part of Holland.

The province borders on the Waddenzee, an inland sea that falls largely dry during low tide. Dikes protect the land from the waves during high tide, while large pumps will transport excess rain water into the seas to keep the land dry.

A vast net of small roads and cycling paths lie among the fields used for agriculture and animal husbandry. Don't expect forests or hills, Groningen is mostly flat and wide.

Zutphen is a small city in the center of Holland. It's one of the many old 'Hanze towns' and the history of the city dates back at least 1,000 years. About a million tourists visit Zutphen each year and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and the many historical monuments.

One of the nicest ways to explore this old town is from the water. The local tourist office (VVV) offers sightseeing trips by boat on the Berkel river, and a trip lasts about an hour and a half. The boats are propelled by a generator, so they are very quiet, and accommodate up to 14 passengers. A trip is about EUR 3 p.p. Phone for more info: +31 570-519335.

If you're interested in archeology, Zutphen is the place to be. The town's history dates back to Roman times and in the Middle Ages it was an important trade city. In Zutphen you can still find pieces of the old city walls that protected the city from attack. More on archeological finds in Zutphen can be discovered at the Stedelijk Museum.

If shopping is more your thing, you'll find that the center of Zutphen is small and filled with small stores for you to browse. Naturally, Zutphen has it's share of big chain stores, but among them are many quaint stores selling antiques or furnishings or toys or jewelery.

Tired and hungry from exploring? Have a High Tea at the Koffie and Theehuis De Pelikaan. It specializes in coffee and tea, and is both a store, where you can buy any kind of coffee or tea in existence, and a small café where you can enjoy the wares, and even order a full-blown High Tea with scones, sandwiches and, of course, tea. You can find De Pelikaan at Pelikaanstraat 9, in the center of town. Phone for more info: +31 575 - 51 20 24.

Deventer is one of the oldest towns in the Netherlands, and used to be a prominent member of the Hanseatic League of merchant cities (see also my Zutphen review for another city report of a Hanseatic town). It is a town rich in history and tradition.

In the heart of Deventer, many historic monuments have been conserved and renovated. Wandering the narrow city streets, whose street pattern is virtually unchanged since the Middle Ages, is taking a trip back in time. The local tourism office offers both guided city walks as well as guidebooks for self-guided tours.

And once you tire of wandering, or get a crook in your neck from looking up at the many historic fronts, you'll find many a hospitable cafe or terrace along the Brink, the old market square. Do not forget to enjoy a slice of Deventer cake along with your coffee!

Other things to see and do in Deventer are the History Museum (located in the Waag that was built in 1528), the Toy Museum, various churches (including the Bergkerk, which is no longer a functioning church), or one can climb the 220 steps of the Great Church's steeple.

Since Deventer is located on the banks of the river IJssel, you can also take boat trips on the river, stroll along the quays, or take the foot-ferry across to yet more scenic surroundings.

For more information, contact the tourism office: Keizerstraat 22, phone number: 0031-(0)570-691410, e-mail: vvvdeventer@anwb.nl.

Each year, Groningen celebrates Winter City in the lead-up to the holidays. Two weeks before Christmas, a large Christmas tree is erected on the Grote Markt (main market square) while an ice rink in the best New York tradition gets built around it. A small fun fair and strings of lights in the shopping streets complete the festive atmosphere that surrounds the holiday season.

Shoppers fill the streets for last minute Christmas shopping, youth (and older people!) take to their skates on the rink, whereas the little ones can enjoy a ride in the merry-go-round. Enjoying the sights and sounds is free, but using the rink or any of the rides costs a few euros. All that would be needed to complete the sense of winter cheer would be a nice layer of snow. Alas, in 2006 winter seems to be a thing of the past.

Nevertheless, Winter City is a lovely initiative to cheer up the town during the dark, dreary days of winter. My only complaint is that it never lasts and by mid-January tree, ice rink and fun fair have pulled up stakes, leaving us to pine for spring.