Private tour Dutch greenhouse with family & friends
It's your mother's birthday. She's got green fingers, owns a plant nursery in the UK for over 35 years now. So what do you gift her? A private tour Dutch greenhouse in the area below The Hague! Read more
Will the real tulip tree please stand up?
The tulip tree was tree of the year 2019 Tree cultivars had to choose the best shade and shelter tree. The tulip tree won with 60% of the votes. Do you know what this tree looks like?
Spice up love life in holiday - nuts with Sinterklaas
November. The time to spice up love in holiday season. The time to find out the difference between Sinterklaas pepper and spiced nuts, get off that dating app and find your date offline!
What if it rains on the day of your bike tour Holland?
A Vermeer-like sky greets locals and visitors of Delft. A few cotton clouds float in an otherwise blue sky. Still, weather in the Netherlands is unpredictable. What if it rains on the day of your bike tour Holland?
3 beautiful villages Holland a daytrip away from Amsterdam
Small picturesque towns in the Netherlands, where locals are not used to tourists. Places where you sit on a terrace overlooking a cosy market square and take in typical Dutch daily scenes or see small sailing boats pass by. In these 3 beautiful villages Holland you still experience the authentic Dutch way of life.
Plan your stops on your bike ride through the Dutch countryside. It was one of my recommendations in my post on countryside cycling in Holland. The 5 beautiful villages in the Netherlands mentioned in this post definitely deserve a visit and offer great cafés and restaurants for a drink and a bite.
Dutch famous flower village
The first Dutch village is well known for the biggest tulip garden in Europe. Direct busses from Amsterdam airport Schiphol, Haarlem and Leiden drop millions of visitors right in front of the Keukenhof. They visit the flower park, get back on the bus and leave the cute flower village Lisse behind. It has a cosy town square, called De Vierkant, where different events are organised. From this square you can easily access bulb culture museum De Zwarte Tulp. The St Agatha church around the corner is worth seeing! Love Dutch pancakes or in for Italian pasta? Pick one of the small restaurants in this beautiful village in Holland.
On my flower field bike tours I regularly make a stop at Lisse or any of the other small flower towns near Keukenhof.
History of one of the most beautiful villages Holland
For me one of the most beautiful villages Holland, in the greenhouse area, is Naaldwijk. With close to 20.300 habitants it's actually a city, although its compact city centre feels like a village. Naaldwijk is in the heart of the Westland and is famous for its horticulture. You might know the place from Royal Flora Holland, the largest flower auction cooperation. You can find it right outside the city centre, next to a busy highway. The best kept secret in Naaldwijk is the Kerkstraat, a circular road around the main church. It's for pedestrians and cyclists. There's even a signposted cycle route through this small street. This historical street, decorated with flowers in summer, is very picturesque. Hidden in a corner is a 15th century courtyard with a unique small chapel. On the market square around the corner are plenty of options for food & drinks.
Village with tradition in local products
Flowers need to be transported. Many towns in the surroundings of Delft have a history in the production and transportation of products grown in the greenhouse area. Delft is just a daytrip away from Amsterdam. Not all visitors need a full day in the city of Vermeer, Prince William of Orange and Delftware. If you are visiting Delft and have some time on hands, my tip is to explore Holland by bike and head into the Delft countryside. Besides the typical Dutch landscapes like polders, windmills and canals you'll also pass through authentic and beautiful villages in this part of Holland. One of these pretty towns is Schipluiden. It's a place where many ships transporting goods such as flowers, vegetables and cheese went through. Nowadays you can still see boats on the canal that runs through the centre. The sight of the bridge which is still handdrawn is spectacular. Sit down on one of the terraces along the canal for a coffee or one of the exquisite dishes made from locally grown products.
You might also like:
Schipluiden on Bike Tour Delft Countryside
On a Bike to a Greenhouse in South Holland
Amsterdam Keukenhof Alternative Day Program
The Hague Highlights Holiday Edition
Take this ‘intelligent readers guide’ and explore the city. Do it virtually, just sitting at home in your comfortable chair or plan your route, get out and let The Hague tell its story. This is basically what The Hague Highlights tells you to do. It’s a down to earth guide, with short summaries on the historical background and fun facts of 100 places you must-see according to the authors. Authors Ineke Mahieu and Ad van Gaalen based their selection on: the connection of the places with the sea and the connection with the international character of the city.Read more
Team event Leiden
It was February when I received a request from the event manager of an international company. She was looking for a nice team event Leiden and had seen the Leidens Ontzet Treasure Hunt on the website of Verita's Visit Holland. Could I organise this group activity late March?
I smiled while I was reading the inquiry for the group event Leiden. The Leidens Ontzet, Relief of Leiden is festival celebrated on the 3rd of October. There's a great vibe and it's quite easy to connect with the locals. To organise an event in spring around a winter festival would be quite a challenge. I soon discovered that all the venues the teams would pass on the 3rd of October were closed or being renovated. So, the plans changed and I created a completely different team building activity. Same style, same adventure, same mix of creative challenges & intriguing questions, but with a different theme. Focus wasn't just on the Relief of Leiden, but on the history & culture of Leiden in general. Artists, monuments, symbols all played a part in this team event Leiden.
I do love using my creativity and organising such a custom-made group activity. At the end the 25 young professionals from the international company based in Leiden area had a great time. Well, see for yourself.
Thank you so much for your kind cooperation with the event! We had a blast!
Event manager international company Leiden area
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ico0Pzu5W7g&t=23s
Magical castles in South Holland
Tall, direct and often - extremely- extravert. The Dutch are not known for being refined, courteous or even humble. Dutch style is sober. In every day life you'll hardly ever find the ground covered with a red carpet in front of you . Fortunately we have a great Dutch tradition on Pentecost. On this bank holiday you can live your fairytale. See what it's like to live like a king. Several estates and a few magical castles in South Holland and in other Dutch regions open their doors to the public. A day to dive in a world of glamour and exciting history.
Visit to Gouda Cheese Farm
The Gouda city hall lights up in a golden glow. The few rays of sunlight passing the city hall direct all attention to the negotiation game of the cheese farmer and the buyer on this Thursday’s Gouda cheese market. After the deal has been sealed the farmer approaches me and asks:
“Would you like to try out different cheeses and make your own cheese in a cheese farm”?
There's a little spark inside me and I nodd my head. He makes a phone call, arranges a bike and….Read more