Holland
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The Hague – informally
Hague called in Dutch Den Haag was formerly called des Graven hage or for short s-Gravenhage which means “the hedge of the count/earl”. That name dated back to the 13th century when Hague was a settlement with hunting castle which is now known as Binnehof. That little hamlet has developed into main administrative center in the Netherlands. There are the most important authorities including parliament and royal residence. The most surprising is the fact that Hague is only an administrative capital of the Netherlands. The constitutional capital is Amsterdam. Hague is also an internationally significant city. It’s main symbol is International Court of Justice. The initiative to establish this institution…
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Rotterdam – the unreal city
Rotterdam, called also the „Gateway to Europe/World” is mainly associated with the biggest port in Europe and the third – biggest in the world (just after the Singapore and Shanghai). Another famous symbol of this city is Erasmus of Rotterdam. This famous philosopher matches perfectly to the multicultural character of this cosmopolitan city. During our visit there, we had an impression that in this second – largest city in the Netherlands, the Dutch are in the minority. It is said that there’re at least 160 nationalities in Rotterdam. But not only the biggest port and cultural diversity make this city an unique place. Nowhere in the Netherlands you will find such interesting…
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„Khowda” also called Gouda…
As a great cheese aficionado, I couldn’t forgo visit famous Gouda. We didn’t have much time so we caught hastily the first possible train. We felt really confused when we’re told that chosen train was going to Khowda instead of Gouda. After a fast analysis of our hopeless situation and possible ways of escape from the speeding train, I passed very timidly our “voucher” for the most expensive trip of a lifetime. Fortunately Khowda turned out to be Gouda and I took my tickets with a poker face from a train conductor. When we came to our destination and saw thousands of cheese decorations, we knew that it was the…
