There's more to The Netherlands than Amsterdam

From Groningen to Maastricht, it’s a shame so many young tourists
never make it past the marijuana haze of Amsterdam to explore the rest
of the Netherlands. I did just that and loved every minute.

Travelling to Holland to see where my Oma and Opa came from all those
years ago had been a dream of mine from a very young age. I scrubbed
up on my Dutch and arrived at Schipol airport to be greeted by an
Aunty I’d not seen since I was three.

I knew people who had been to Holland, but all I had heard was of
Amsterdam, the Red Light district, and how it was legal to smoke
marijuana. I was hoping to get a little more out of Holland as the
place where my family began. After two weeks of windmills, trains, and
hagelslag, the following are my highlights.

I started in Utrecht, where my family came from, and where I was
staying with my Aunty (in Houten). I was immediately captured by the
beautiful city, with canals, streets and buildings to rival Amsterdam,
and a young university vibe about the place. I did the obligatory ‘Dom
climb’ which gave a great history of the town and an even better view,
and wandered the streets marvelling at the quaint houses and
ubiquitous bikes. Baskets of red and pink flowers hung from the
bridges striding the canals, as though it wasn’t beautiful enough
already.

Next on the list was Leiden where I cruised down the canals on an
idyllic boat ride, and visited De Valk windmill. It was here that I
first realised that windmills weren’t just tourist propaganda, but
actually had an important function in Dutch history in the production
of food and the relocation of water.

I also visited Rotterdam, the port at which my Oma and Opa departed
all those years ago, and was delighted by the amazing Museum Boijmans
Van Beuningen. Though I travelled all over Europe, I never found a
collection to rival this museum in terms of modern art. Then I hopped
on a boat and travelled to perhaps the most stunningly idyllic place
I’d seen thus far; kinderdijk. The only things in sight for miles
other than the waterways were windmills and flowers. Take your camera,
and wear your nicest outfit, these pictures will be going in a frame!
Rotterdam has a very urban and artistic vibe about it, not dissimilar
to Melbourne, and is, I feel, the most modern Dutch city.

Next on my list was the city I was most excited about, not because I’m
interested in international law, but because Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl
with a Pearl Earring” is my favourite painting and I had the chance to
see it here, in The Hague. The Mauritshuis in The Hague contains three
Vermeer works, including his most famous, which is often referred to
as the Dutch Mona Lisa. The museum isn’t huge, but it’s spectacular.
Also worth a look in The Hague is the Madurodam. If you don’t think
you’ll be able to travel the whole of Holland, just come here and
you’ll see it all in miniature!

Continuing on with my Vermeer quest I visited Delft, and here found my
favourite place of all. I found some amazing antique treasures in the
myriad of canal-side markets, and I pretended I was Vermeer as I
wandered the streets visiting the various buildings that once were his
home/studio/pub etc. I visited the Oude Kerk (Old church) where he is
buried, and the new church where I climbed the dizzying spire for a
magnificent view over the main square.

It was an amazing two weeks that shan’t be easily forgotten, and where
I learnt much about my ancestors and the culture from whence they
came. While I enjoyed the fact that there were few tourists and little
commercialisation, it’s a shame that others don’t get to experience
the Holland that I have seen as they bypass it all for Amsterdam.