Delft Blue Windmill

16 Nov, 2008 in art pottery by admin

Delft Blue Windmill

Eight Ways to Vacation in Holland

What can you see when you're on vacation in Holland? Is there anything of interest that is fun to do? Some of the things that Holland is known for include tulips, cheese, the paintings of Rembrandt and Van Gogh, windmills, clogs, diamond cutting, quaint buildings, pottery, bicycles and the canals of Amsterdam. You will learn about eight places you can go to see some of them right here. Find out about some of the cities, towns and villages that you'll see when you're on vacation in Holland, a small European country, part of The Netherlands, bordering Germany and Belgium, a little larger than the State of Maryland.

In Amsterdam you can take one of 110 glass-topped cruise boats along some of the 165 canals and see the world's narrowest house – only one metre wide; or visit Coster Diamonds to see how these jewels are cut and polished; walk across a few of the 1,281 bridges in the city; drop by the Anne Frank House, or take in the Rijksmuseum and feast on Rembrandt's masterpieces including the "Nightwatch".

If you prefer tulips instead, impose on the Bulb Fields in the "Garden of Europe" at Keukenhof, the world's largest flower garden. Indubitably a sight to behold! Certainly a must-see when on vacation in Holland.

How about wildlife and nature trails? – A short drive will take you to Holland's largest park: de Hoge Veluwe, 5,500 hectares of woodland, heathland, lakes and driftsand; and breeze into the Kröller-Müller Museum, which houses some of Van Gogh's most famous works.

Something cheesy? – See how the famous "Edamer" cheese, as it is known, is made in the village of Edam. It has a very mild taste, slightly salty or nutty and almost no smell when compared to other cheeses. It also has a significantly lower fat content than many other traditional cheeses.

Why not check out the Zaanse Schans? – A delightful old hamlet on the banks of the River Zaan, with characteristic green wooden houses, charming stylized gardens, small hump-backed bridges, tradesmen's workshops, historic windmills, engaging little shops and discover the art of clog making too when you're on vacation in Holland.

Palatial settings? – Hang around the 17th century Het Loo, previously a royal palace with its formal gardens, at Apeldoorn. In the 18th century, William III's baroque garden was swept away for a landscape park in the English taste.

Always wondered how ornaments are made? – Frequent the pottery factory in Delft. Delftware is a blue and white pottery, part of the "tin glaze" style, in which tin-based white glaze is first applied, then metal oxide decoration and finally a lead-based clear glaze overcoat to make the surface glossy.

Want to see a village where life has hardly changed over the last 400 years? – Visit Staphorst, famous for many of its residents wearing traditional dutch clothing. It also happens to be one of the most religious villages of the Netherlands.

As you can see you will have your favourite places to see when you're on vacation in Holland but why not plan your trip so that you can see them all? The Netherlands is not that large a country so distances are short and you can cover a lot of ground in a day when you're on vacation in Holland; the dutch are friendly and they will make you feel welcome no matter which sights you decide to visit.

Keith J. Valentine has been traveling throughout the UK, Europe and North America for years. For more on travel, tips and a free e-zine, please visit 101 Easy Articles at http://www.EasyArticles4u.com

About the Author

Royal Delft Blue and other Delft Blue?

I have a few pieces of Royal Delft Blue. Mine is the floral rather than the windmills. I like the floral better. Is the Royal Delft Blue worth more or is there any other brands that are good? It's hard because I want more but some are just marked Delft Blue Holland on the bottom and I want to know that it is authentic.

What should I look for? Mine actually has a date on the bottom but most I find does not.

I collect Delft pottery. (I am American, but my family is from the Netherlands) I've visited 2 actual Delft porcelain factories in the town of Delft. I've visited De Candelaer and De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles. Those 2 places create real, true Delft hand painted pottery. You will find on the bottom of pieces from either of those places a special symbol denoting where the piece was made (each factory has its own symbol), the initials of the artist, the code that denotes the year it was made, and an article number.

The site I cite below is in Dutch. However if you put it through a translator, it verifies what I just said about what you find at the bottom of a piece.

Thai Blue