The Dutch royalty & the kingfisher
Are you a colorful bird with mythical powers: steadfast and calm in bad weather? Do your feathers happen to be orange, white and blue? Congratulations! You’ve been chosen as a national symbol. The Dutch royalty & the kingfisher go back a long way. For William of Orange it was love at first sight. In his opinion the bird represented everything he stood for.
Nickname William of Orange
Nicknames can be a man’s best friend. William of Orange went into history as De Zwijger - the man who doesn’t - want to- speak. In English he is referred to as ‘The Silent’. In tense political situations he would remain calm and say very little. His opposers would depict him as unable to choose a side, make decisions and being astute There is an anecdote before the start of the Eighty Years of War which nicely shows how these traits: "The King (of France) talked on thus to Orange in the full conviction that he was aware of the secret agreement recently made with the Duke of Alba for the extirpation of heresy. But the Prince, subtle and adroit as he was, answered the good King in such a way as to leave him still under the impression that he, the Prince, knew all about the scheme proposed by Alba; and on this understanding the King revealed all the details of the plan which had been arranged between the King of Spain and himself for the rooting out and rigorous punishment of the heretics, from the lowest to the highest rank, and in this service the Spanish troops were to be mainly employed."
I am a rock
William the Silent wanted to be seen as the rock people could hold on to in times of trouble.
In 1568 the Netherlands was ruled by the King of Spain. William saw the effect of the King’s oppression and the raise of taxes on the Dutch people. In 1568 he started the Dutch revolt. It led to the Eighty Years of War - The war ended in 1648- In 1581, that was even during the revolt!, William got many of the provinces of the Netherlands to sign the Act of Abjuration. This Act was a declaration of independence of the United States of the Netherlands. During these years of war William lived by the motto: ‘Saevis tranquilus in undis’, calm in stormy waters. And this motto is linked to the Kingfisher.
The character the Dutch royalty & the kingfisher have in common
The great traits of the kingfisher first appear in a Greek myth. The bird would build its nest on top of the waves, proud, persistent and not afraid for wind or storm. Centuries of myths and legends followed untill Basilius the Great thought it nice to connect the motto ‘tranquillum esse media bruma’ - to be calm in the middle of a storm- to a picture of a kingfisher calmly sitting on its nest on stormy waters. Centuries later this motto was slightly adjusted by humanist Alciatus. In his Emblemata he speaks of ‘tranquilli in marmoris unda’ - calm in the marmor wave. The bird he speaks of, unfortunately, is a falcon. Nevertheless his work may have been brought to the attention of the Prince of Orange, aka William the Silent.
The other link between the Dutch royal family & the kingfisher
It was at that time that the link between the Dutch royal family & the kingfisher was first made. It was the peace loving, steadfast character of the bird that attracted William. Moreover the metallic blue bird with his orange breast and white stripes, was a perfect match with the colors of the House of Orange.
The Queen mother is calm
The kingfisher was a loyal companion on William the Silent’s journey to independence. Then he was forgotten. Queen Wilhelmina started using the motto again and had a kingfisher on her desk. And then,then William Alexander came. At the time of his coronation, 30 April 2013 he thanked his mother, Beatrix for her hard work and for being ‘calm in stormy waters’.
Royal Delft blue pottery and the kingfisher
The link between the Dutch royal family & the kingfisher is immortalised in the Royal Delft Blue plates King William Alexander had made for his 50th birthday. The royal earthenware collection depicts the bird peacefully moving around in a sea of blue. See if you can find the motto, it encircles the stamp on the backside of the pottery.
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The anecdote of William of Orange & the King of France is taken from https://fampeople.com/cat-william-the-silent_6
For this article I used the website of Royal Delft & my contacts there and Wikipedia
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royal estate De horsten The Hague
Royal The Hague Estate De Horsten
Want to see a palace, castle or estate? At Royal The Hague estate De Horsten you might even see king Willem- Alexander, queen Maxima and their three beautiful daughters.
Dutch Parks Come With Castles
When you visit the Netherlands and all of a sudden find yourself surrounded by nature, keep your eyes open! You might find a Dutch castle, an estate or even catch a glimpse of the royal family of the Netherlands. Highest chances to see the Dutch king and queen is in The Hague area, province South Holland.
The Route of Dunes and Forest
The royal estate The Hague that is closest to the city centre is the Huis ten Bosch palace. You could start your walk or bike ride here. Cycling routes and walking trails take you from The Hague to Leiden on a route full of sandy dunes and lush green parks. In spring and summer at least. In autumn the parks are filled with golden, brown, red and orange leaves fallen from the oaks and chestnut trees. Winding paths take you to the pièce the resistance of every estate: a 17th or 18th mansion.
Where the Dutch King lives
In Wassenaar, a cosy village right between The Hague and Leiden the royal The Hague estate De Horsten is located. The Dutch word 'horst' means: a higher sandy ground with trees or surrounded by trees. The three estates Raaphorst, Ter Horst and Eikenhorst were bought by the royal family in the 1800's and together now form royal The Hague estate De Horsten. Dutch king Willem-Alexander, queen Maxima and their daughters Alexia, Amalia and Ariane lived in Villa Eikenhorst. In 2019 the royal family moved to Huis ten Bosch palace.
Royal Estate The Hague
Highlights of this royal estate The Hague are the Seringenberg and the tea pavilion. The Seringenberg, hill of lilacs, blooms with purple flowers beginning of May. When you climb up the twirling hill path beginning of June, you'll be captivated by the richly scented mock orange - Philadelphus coronarius-. On top you can rest in a small pavilion. From here you see the typical winding paths, meadows and the clear borders off grassland and trees created by 19th century landscape designer Zocher jr.
Cycling and Coffee, Hike & High Tea
The tea pavilion De Horsten is a cosy place that from the inside still reminds of the time it was used as hunting lodge by Prince Frederik in the 19th century. The tea room is decorated with hunting trophees. The entrance to the tea pavilion is magical and so is the view on the terrace. A great place to enjoy a lovely cup of tea or have a coffee break on your cycling tour.
Useful info:
- Cycling is not allowed inside De Horsten. There are signed walking trails of different distances.
- Royal The Hague estate De Horsten entrance fee is: €1.00 per adult, for seniors and children between 4-14 years old €0.50
You can buy the entrance tickets at the entrance.
- The easiest entrance is at:
- Opening hours
Family Bike Tour Delft Countryside
It was a warm and sunny Friday afternoon. I was waiting for my participants at Delft station. We would do a family bike tour Delft and surroundings. I looked at the big digital clock on the busplatform. They were late.
From Europe trip to daytrip Delft
The family of four was on a Europe trip and was staying in Amsterdam for five days. Dad wanted to make a daytrip to Delft, where he had studied when he was young. Back then he mostly stayed in Delft so he thought it would be a nice idea to explore the surroundings of Delft a bit. Besides, they had already been in the city for some time so a day outdoors would be nice. Mum and dad were quite looking forward to doing something which was relaxing and active at the same time. Their girls were excited, it was one big adventure for them.
"Sorry we're late, I was just amazed by the interior of Delft station. So much has changed here in Delft!"
The family bike tour Delft went downhill
"Sorry we're late, I was just amazed by the interior of Delft station. So much has changed here in Delft!" Dad said with a broad smile on his face. While he was still taking in all the changes, we walked over to the bikes. It took a while to get started; the girls felt a bit uncomfortable on bikes which were not their own. As soon as they were used to them and got a good cycling speed we were flying! Especially downhill. We get to that later ;)
Holland bridges & windmills
We reached Schipluiden right in time to see the draw bridge being opened. Manually. The whole family was impressed and even I have to say I was quite surprised that this bridge is still drawn manually. Mum quickly slipped into a shop selling only local products. Her interest inspired me to show the big greenhouse behind restaurant Indigo. Everything produced here is used in their dishes.
We went through the Schipluiden village. Through the 'ohs' and the 'ahs' I could make out the family bike tour Delft & surroundings was a success. Mum was clearly enjoying the houses, the water and the girls happily pointed out all the flowers and young birds. When we reached the river Gaag I told them the story of the flour mill De Korpershoek. The train bridge once used for transporting fruit & vegetable is now part of the cycle route. The 10-year old threw her legs in the air when she went downhill. This train bridge is a big hit!
I promised the girls a farmers' ice-cream which they rapidly finished. When mum saw the special swing on the playground she gets the whole family together. That swing is quite an attraction every time I have a family on tour in Delft.
The famous Delft bike ferry
We continued out family bike tour Delft area with polders on one side, the water on the other. When we reached my favourite bike ferry the girls look a tad bit scared. "Do we have to cross with that, mum?", they ask. Dad took the lead, giving the wheel with the chain a good swing. We jumped onto the ferry and mum, dad and the girls had a good exercise bringing us across. - I always take the pictures of the whole activity which in itself needs a lot of concentration :P -
After drinks & bites on the terrace boats with view on the wetlands & sailing boats at restaurant Vlietzicht it was time to head back and end our family bike tour Delft.
What the family said:
We had such a nice time with you. Thank you for a fun day!
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Team building event in Gouda area
The 7th of June was going to be the day. The team building event in Gouda area. I was going to meet a group of 17 people from an international company at their office in Bodegraven for a bike- & boat tour with game elements. And then it started to rain. Windspeed 6. The long predicted storm happened on the day I was most looking forward to. Emma, who managed the event from client's side, emailed me the day before and suggested to move this team building event to the 20th of June. For this event we quickly made other arrangements.
Brewing a company outing
It was great to organise two team building events in Gouda area for the same international company. I was in close contact with Emma and kept communicating with the other organisations. The bike- and boat tour was a dream event and even when everything had to be changed lastminute for the event on the 7th my heart was beating faster. I have so many ideas and at the moment I have the change to use my creativity and get a green light I just let myself go. Emma suggested a brewery tour for the 7th, which I had in mind as well. After that she thought a city walk through Gouda would be nice as the rain would clear in the late afternoon/ early evening. So, very lastminute I made the arrangements and they had a fun and informative company outing.
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Video made by participant
Building a team in the Dutch Wetlands
Then the 20th of June came. Together with Lisette, the event planner and jack-of-all-trade at Watersnip, I had planned out the team building activity on the water. The 33 participants of the international company would be doing a rowing competition and if they had some sailing experience do some sailing game as well. The teams had all be given colourful shirts by my client and soon showed their practical, social and/ or leadership skills. As images speak a thousand words, here is a selection of the pictures I took of the team building event in Gouda area.
Dear participants, dear Lisette, Emma & Kellie, thank you all for this colourful day!
Top places to see heather in the Netherlands
Sometimes I get so excited, I’m near to obsessed. The last weeks I’ve been checking different websites, social media almost every hour to see the updates. Updates of what, you might ask. Well, you know how in winter some Dutch are glued to the weather forecast hoping for the Eleven Cities Tour to happen? And you also know how in spring some Dutch and many tourists check sites like bloemenradar to see if and where the tulips in Holland are blooming? Well, then you should also know about the spectacular sight Dutch nature offers in August.
When is the best time to see heather in bloom?
These days I can just check on sites like Staatsbosbeheer or Natuurmonumenten if and where the heather is blooming. People living in the different Dutch regions where the heather flowers can be enjoyed now compete with each other to get the best pictures of the purple fields. A few years ago I still had to go and search the best places for heather myself. There even were years in which I went to one particular spot to find out the heather beetle had already eaten all the beautiful flowers, a day later I would go to another place to discover the heather was already gone. This year, seeing the pictures on the websites mentioned above it is an exceptional good year for the heather. One piece of advice: if you want to see the heather fields, go now. They only bloom a couple of weeks.
Top places to see heather in the netherlands
Three of my top places to see heather in the Netherlands this year are:
De Posbank, Gelderland. A beautiful hilly area with fantastic view points over the purple heather fields. I’ve cycled this area in Veluwezoom so many times, I can almost dream it. You can even spot deers and of course many sheep J It’s amazing!
Schoorlse Duinen, Noord-Holland. This is where I went to this year. With the whiteness of the dunes, the fantastic blue skies and the purple fields it is truly breathtaking. In Schoorl itself is a beautiful dune right in the middle of the town, which you really should visit. Around it there are several bars and restaurants and just around the corner is a Pinoccio where you can get a delicious ice-cream.
Dwingelerveld, Drenthe. This Dutch province is known for its dolmens, the prehistoric burial chambers. The cycle route through this area is diverse and quite surprising. You find different types of landscapes and these dolmens are scattered through the beautiful scenery of purple heather flowers.
Cycle routes and walking trails through nature parks the Netherlands
In this blog I have, as a true cycle fan, said I cycled these areas. There are of course also many walking trails through these nature parks in the Netherlands. The most beautiful walking trails are explained on https://www.natuurmonumenten.nl/routes/de-mooiste-routes-over-de-heide
I do wish you a marvellous time in the midst of nature and heather. Please share your pictures of the purple field of heather in the comments or on facebook . In case you need any help in finding the best route, where to rent a bike or accommodation, you know where to find me.
Enjoy!
