Holland -

The Hague – informally

Gosia — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 09:43:00 +0000

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 was put forward by Tsar Nikolai II Romanov. He wanted to create the court which would be responsible for resolving military conflicts without bloodshed. Unfortunately this utopia was quickly dispelled. Ironically only one year after the erection of the Peace Palace (Vredespaleis), First World War broke out. On the other hand, the originator with his all family were executed Bolsheviks, just before the end of the war. Vredespaleis is a very surprising building because it looks like a church. International institutions located in Hague create its multicultural character. But not only officials live in Hague but also a lot of Turks, Moroccans, Nigerians, Chinese and Poles. Numerous people are from Indonesia which formerly was a part of the Dutch East Indies. This amazing cosmopolitan character is visible in diverse architecture and city atmosphere. Here you can find Gothic buildings which co-occur with Chinese gates. Before our trip, I imagined Hague as a grandiose city which is visited only by officials from numerous international institutions. In fact Hague tuned out to be very colorful, lively city. Admittedly we arrived there on 26th June known as a date of famous shopping night. The streets were very crowded, let alone pubs and restaurants. It seemed that every Dutch decided to spend his weekend in Hague. Some of them went on a shopping spree but majority were partying on the streets where live concerts were played outside the shops. It was an ideal occasion to party in unique atmosphere. After hard night you can rest in exclusive resort Scheveningen, located only 20 minute tram ride from city center. Here you can find beautiful wide and long beach and go for a walk along the boulevard where you can visit oceanarium and museum called Sprookjes Beelden-aan-Zee. Additional attraction is also a famous pier. Water – sports enthusiasts will certainly find here something for themselves such as surfing or jet ski riding. After a busy day you can rest at restaurants eating delicious seafood. ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

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Rotterdam – the unreal city

Gosia — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 07:26:10 +0000

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 places like here! Before all, Rotterdam is famous for its architecture. It’s an only place in the “land of cheese” where you can admire beautiful landscapes from higher than 4-floor level because only here are skyscrapers. One can admire this beautiful architecture from Erasmus Bridge which is the most popular spot in Rotterdam. It connects the north and the south side of Rotterdam and it’s called “swan” in view of its characteristic span, resembling this bird. Rotterdam is also a testing ground for indefinite architects’ fantasy. One of the most interesting architectonic landmarks is a subdivision called Kubuswoningen. It consists of houses which resemble cubes. But the most surprising is the fact that in these not so normal houses, normal people live! Surprisingly, they look quite “conventionally” inside. One thing’s for sure: nobody sleeps here on the wall or eat on the ceiling but space optimization is definitely an interior designer’s nightmare.Close to the “Rubik’s cubes” you can see another strange building which shape resembles a tube decorated with colorful panels. It’s very hard to say what it is exactly. But when you come closer it turns out to be nothing else than a market place and a simple apartment complex! Residents don’t have problem with buying fresh fruit or vegetables. They only need to look out of the window to check if fresh delivery has come and just go down to buy it. Just behind this modern market place you can find the biggest and the most famous market in the Netherlands. Stalls with electronics, clothes, bike accessories, flowers or cheese wind along Binnenrotte street. Another Rotterdam attraction are numerous drawbridges. During our visit we had an opportunity to see an operation of “folding” them. The impression is amazing, it moves to the surrealistic world of the “Inception” movie. Rotterdam it’s not only a concrete city. Popular place to relax is Het Park which is located in the city center. The Dutch call it just The Park and they like to spend their spare time here, in the surroundings of rivers and ponds. At the end of this park you can find 186 m high tower – Euromast. From the top of it you can admire beautiful Rotterdam panorama. There’s also a very famous district Delfshaven, which is located very close to the Het Park. In was a port of the city Delft. This place moves to another world of Rotterdam. Colorful townhouses located along picturesque canal with an old windmill create unique atmosphere of the old Netherlands. Rotterdam is famous for its diversity, amazing architecture which connects modernity with cosmopolitan ambience. It’s no wonder that in 2014, this city was ranked by the Rough Guides, as a one of the most interesting cities in the world. ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

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„Khowda” also called Gouda…

Gosia — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 02:50:12 +0000

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 right place. Gouda the most popular product of “Khowda” is one of the oldest cheese produced untill now. Recipe was well known in 1184. What is rather surprising is the fact that this the world’s most valuable cheese isn’t made in Gouda but in surrounding villages. All products of this farms are called Gouda in view of their trade place. In former times, merchants came to the city and spread out their products on the Old Market Square. Quality of cheese was evaluated before selling it. Buyers were tasting it and prices were negotiated by something similar to giving a five. When products were priced, they went to Cheese Weighing House (so called Waage – Bouw) where cheese was weighed and sold. This little building built in 1669 is the main symbol of the town. Its facade is decorated with Goudas’ coat of arms and relief presenting the tradition of weighing cheese. Even nowadays every real Dutch cheese is signed with special label which indicates the method of its production. So what’s the difference between cheese sold in supermarkets and real Dutch product? The secret is the main ingredient – milk. Typical Dutch cheese is made of natural, unpasteurized milk. The mature time is also very important. The youngest, delicate cheese, known from supermarkets, matures from 4 to 6 weeks. However the most delicious is high cheese. Its mature time lasts at least 12 months and can reach up to 18 months, like famous brand Old Amsterdam. Unfortunately cheese made like this is a Hing of the past. Nowadays only 300 Dutch farms use traditional methods of production. Additionally name Gouda doesn’t indicate Dutch origin. The proper name of original Dutch cheese is “Noord-Hollandse Gouda” or “Boerenkaas”. Buying cheese marked with this label, we can be sure that it’s from the Netherlands. Gouda which lies on the Gouwe de Hollandse Ijssel river is the main tourist destination in view of its picturesque canals surrounded by beautifully decorated townhouses and windmills. It’s worth going side street, far away from touristic center. You can feel there authentic atmosphere of this “cheese empire”. Townhouses decorated with flowers, picturesque settled along canals and unimaginable amount or bikes, in a word – The Netherlands. ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

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