Monique AngI spent six days in Amsterdam and as much as I loved the city, I had to move on to see what else the Netherlands had to offer. Here are three more places that left me enchanted during my trip there.
Kinderdijk: Netherlandsa�� iconic windmills
You cana��t go to the Netherlands without seeing their iconic windmills. Kinderijk is a one of the best sites in the Netherlands where you can find lovely brick houses, farms, and windmills. This area is accessible by car or bus, and on arrival, you will be greeted by picturesque views that are postcard-worthy.
I really wanted to enter a windmill and luckily one is open as a museum! OnA�the first level of the windmill there are poles, gears, and mills that generate the movement of the fan.A�I learnt that windmills used to double as homes for farmers so inside I also found aA�kitchen, a small living room, and even bedding. This was a rather challenging trip as the stairs and the ladders in the windmill were terrifyingly steep!
Rotterdam: aA�city saved by modern art
Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands and is quite strikingly different from the other cities. Unlike Amsterdam, I could hardly see any old and narrow buildings, nor did I see any gothic architecture around. Instead, modern buildings and art noveau architecture surrounded me.
Like most modern cities, Rotterdam inherited a dynamic and vibrant ambience, with no lack of trendy shopping malls, business centres and modern colleges. However, behind this modernity lies a darker past. According to a local friend, Rotterdam was badly demolished during the World War II. It was after the war and with the arrival of modern art that the city of Rotterdam came to achieve this new, polished look.A�Today, the city is hip and their people lead a sophisticated lifestyle.
I had learnt about art movements during my time in college but to see for myself how art had brought new life into this city was an experience on a whole different level. The shapes, colours, and patterns I saw left me in awe of the city.
I got to try Surinameese food a�� a rare hybrid of Chinese, Indonesian, and South American cuisine. The cuisine originated from Suriname, which was previously colonised by the Dutch. I had a Vegetarian Roti dish, which is a large portion of stir-fried vegetables in spices, accompanied with a flatbread.
A�Giethoorn: Venice of the Netherlands
If you love the countryside and river canals, you need to go to Giethorn. It is a small village surrounded by canals and here, each house has a dock instead of a garage! Some call this the little Venice of the north, just without the gondola rides and lavish buildings.
You can rent a motorboat with a guide and a map for three hours. Each boat can take up to four passengers and you can manoeuvre it with just one knob on the boat! It is pretty simple and you will get the hang of it in a while. When it was my turn to play the captain of the boat, I collided with several boats but thank goodness no one scolded me for that!
The town is essentially a water village, with country houses and their beautiful gardens, all connected by their 180 bridges. The scenery here was so surreal for a person like me who spent my entire life living in a concrete jungle.
My boat trip ended with a super alcoholic picked-raisin pancake at panakoek house!
There is much more to explore in the Netherlands besides the places that I visited during my trip there. Therea��s Volendaam, The Hague, Keukenhoff and so much more! I am blessed to have had such a memorable trip and this experience is one that I will not forget in many years to come.
Inspired? Start planning your trip to the NetherlandsA�withA�TripZilla Travel Packages!
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