the turnip

Greeting oh wise and well traveled Fodorites! <BR> <BR>Once again I come to drink at the fountain of your knowledge. We are in the early planning stages of a two week spring trip to the Netherlands and Belgium. If you would, please weigh in with your thoughts on both “must sees” as well as personal favorites. If you’re visiting Paris you just have to see the Eiffel Tower, in Bavaria it’s Ludwig’s castles. But what about the Netherlands and Belgium? <BR> <BR>Another question is what language do we brush up on? I’m a firm believer that before you show up on someone’s doorstep you had better know at least a little of the language. <BR> <BR>Finally if you had two weeks how would you spend them? We’re small town people who enjoy seeing the sights and the museums but after a few days feel the need to see the county side for a little hiking or some small town cafes and antique shopping. <BR> <BR>Many thanks in advance for your sage advice and opinions. <BR> <BR>the turnip <BR>

Art

IMO the Ann Frank house, Rembrants Museum(don't remember if this is the name), a canal tour, if you get to Der Hague a miniature village by the name of Murodam(I was just reviewing some of my slides of Europe this weekend and saw some of the Netherlands), possible the delft factery, a drive along the dikes of Holland, the Tulip festival if your there at the right time, the fields of tulips are gorgeous rows after rows of color, a side trip to Belgium, The castle of De Haar (have dutch pancakes in the small village next to it.) It is a beautiful country especially for one so flat. Its so clean. Watch for homes who have planted flowers in there front lawns that when blomming form pictures, the Windmills, the Cheese auctions and markets.

wes fowler

Turnip (I think you should rename yourself "Tulip" in anticipation of your trip to the Low Countries!) <BR> <BR>Springtime in the Low Countries is undoubtedly the ideal time to visit with the National Floral Exhibition in Keukenhof, the Netherlands from late March to mid-May, the adjoining bulb fields ablaze with color, religious and historic festivals abounding in Belgium and the Netherlands, particularly Belgium, where residents seem to look for any excuse to don garish costumes, climb on stilts and parade through villages. <BR> <BR>Absolute "must sees" in the Netherlands are Amsterdam's canal side mansions, its Rijksmuseum and Anne Frank house, the Kroller-Muller Museum in the Nationaal Park de Hoge Veluwe near Arnhem, where you can hike or bicycle through a magnificent 13,000 acre preserve, the villages of Staphorst and Rouveen where traditional costumes are still worn, 16th century Calvinism is still much in evidence (photos of residents are fiercely frowned upon), Kinderdijk with its nineteen working windmills canalside, the amazing engineering feat of the Delta project in Zeeland and any number of small fishing villages surrounding the remnants of the Zuider Zee. <BR> <BR>In Belgium, Bruges offers a journey back to one of 16th century Europe's richest cities, little changed since then; Brussels offers the Grand 'Place, one of Europe's most imposing squares, on a par with Venice's St. Mark's, Rome's St. Peter's, Paris' Place de la Concorde; Ghent with its imposing Gravensteen castle and Van Eyck's altarpiece the "Adoration of the Lamb of God", one of the precursors of magnificent Flemish painting; the architecturally stunning stadhuis of Louvain (Leuven); the forests of the Ardennes; unsurpassed dining experiences throughout the country; over 400 varieties of beer; festivals on end, ranging from the Holy Blood Procession in Bruges and the Cats' Festival in Ypres to the Golden Egg Festival in Kruishoutem. <BR> <BR>Regarding language proficiency: over 78% of Netherlanders speak English (primarily because no one else speaks Dutch!). Learn to pronounce "Please" in Netherlandish: "Als't u blieft", "thank you": "Dank u wel", "Good morning": "Goede morgen" and you'll do fine. <BR> <BR>In Belgium in the eastern Ardennes, you'll encounter the German language, in northern and western Flanders, Flemish, much like Dutch and in southern Wallonia, French. One bit of confusion you'll encounter with maps and road and street signs is that they'll indicate city,town and street names in two languages, Flemish and Walloon. Bruges in Walloon becomes Brugge in Flemish, Leuven and Louvain, Brussel and Bruxelles, Liege and Luik, Antwerpen and Anvers can give a navigator fits! <BR> <BR>If you feel I can be of any help in your planning, feel free to Email me directly. I do have a wealth of suggestions.

Dee

Dear Turnip, <BR> You need to brush up on Dutch. In Belgium, half the country speaks Flemish, a Dutch dialect. In Brussels, you will need your French. I live outside Amsterdam. In the Netherlands, I would visit the Anne Frank Huis , the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum, the flower market, the delft store in the Munt tower, and ride a canal boat. For windmills, klompen (wooden shoes) and cheese, head to Zaanse Schaans, twenty minutes out of Amsterdam. Way better yet is the outdoor museum in Enkhuisen. There are old Dutch houses arranged into villages. They even have traditional toys and dress up for kids (our best Dutch moment was seeing our kids run around in klompen and costume!). The town is beautiful. For more tastes of rural life, see the island of Marken, a fishing town on an island with traditional wooden houses. It is acessible by ferry from Volendam. Feel free to email! <BR> <BR>

Parag

Dear Turnip, <BR> Zaanse shans is a lovely place to spend a day.You can visit inside of a working windmill producing mustard oil,Buy a lot of souveniers. <BR>Going to Haarlem & riding a bicycle till Lisse(Kukenhof) Thro' tulip fields would be an experience of a lifetime ,exploring the real Holland.(it must be around 20 km one way).If you like beaches,try Zandvoort,20 km from Amst.&8 km from a small beautiful town of Haarlem.Last week of April is the overlapping season betn.tulips & Daffodils.You can cover Kukenhof in 1st half & Madurodam in the 2nd as it is open till late & looks good with lights on. Try mini Europe in Belgium.All the best.

the turnip

Excellent suggestions! Anymore out there?

Sjoerd

If you like hiking why not try "wadlopen" which is mud-walking across the Wadden Sea (at low-tide) to one of the Frisian Wadden Islands. An experience you won't have in many countries. Have a look at: http://home.wxs.nl/~chrsovdv/ <BR>for details.

Steph

Amsterdam - food try the chips and sate sauce <BR> <BR>Brussels its got to be mussles and chips

Bill

Go on a full-day bike tour in Holland. The countryside is very flat, the geography is very compact, and the trip is very rewarding. We went with a small outfit called "Let's Go". Their website is http://www.letsgo-amsterdam.com/index.htm The owner/guide (Fredrick) is very friendly, knowlegable, and accommodating. We were a week too late for the tour of the tulip fields, but did a very nice route called "castles and windmills". You meet the guide at the Amsterdam Centraal Station and take the train to a station in the countryside, walking half a block to a bike shop to pick up one-speed bikes (you don't need gears in Holland). Highly recommended!

cathy

We spent 10 days in Belgium and Netherlands. Highlight for us was Ieper and the In Flanders Fields Musuem and Last Post ceremony. Very moving and well done. Highly recommend this museum. In the Netherlands we enjoyed Waterland Neeltje Jans which did an excellent job explaining the Delta Project. (www.waterland.net/neeltje-jans)

cathy

I forgot to add that we never had a problem with language. English is widely spoken. Those times when the other person did not speak English and my rusty high school French wasn't working, people were gracious and forgiving! I found maps and signs sometimes hard to read because town names are posted in the native language of where you are (not where you're going). This made quick decisions difficut. You'll love the country and people.

Jeff

In Netherlands, of course Amsterdam. I loved the Anne Frank Haus, the Begijnhof, and canal cruise. Zaanse Shaans (sp) in Zaandam is a must-see. Lots of windmills, cheese shops, and shoemakers etc. I didn't find it too touristy even though it sounds like it is. In Belgium, I loved Brussels. a lot of people don't, but I did. I would recommend visiting Grand Place, the Galerie St. Hubert, Mannekin Pis and the Parc du Cinquantennaire. Bruge is also a wonderful place to visit. The canals and the archetecture are beautiful.

Ann

I second all the recommendations for the Rijksmuseum and hasten to add the nearby Van Gogh museum as a not-to-be-missed. Also, Kinderdijk (look for Alblasserdam) is a must, especially since you mention you like to get get out and do some walking. You can stay at a little hotel that backs up to the windmills and walk along the canals for a close-up view of each. One is open to the public and an interesting look at life inside a mill a few centuries ago. Delft is the town you expect Amsterdam to be because it has picturesque, CLEAN canals (and beautiful delftware being handpainted in front of you)and Gouda has an equally picturesque and bustling town square with glockenspiel. Don't miss the lacemakers with seemingly hundreds of bobbins flying between their fingers in Brugge, and DO find somewhere to have mussels beside a canal while there. Finally, for antiques go to the area of Spa and Francorchamps, where the Belgian Grand Prix is run... you'll get to drive through part of the course and pretend you're racing as you pass the grandstands and huge billboards, and the antique stores that line both sides of the road in Theux are open on Sundays! Definitely the time to go is in the spring, and definitely you should plan to buy a garland of daffodils or hyacinths or tulips to string across your car's windshield (the blooms are the by-products of the crop, after all). I'm already jealous thinking of this wonderful trip...

Al

Write me direct. We just returned from a month in the Low Countries and didn't go near crowded, dirty Amsterdam. Other than to go out via Schipol Airport. Belgium and the Netherlands are a veritable treasurehouse of things to see and do. And with the strong dollar, what a bargain!

ttt

Any other suggestions?

antwerp

Antwerp, Belgium - by all means.<BR>The Cathedral, Market Place, Rubens House, Steen and many other places, all within a radius of half a mile.<BR>

Susan

If you are "small town people", like I am, one of my favourite spots was a picturesque small town called "Brook in Waterland" or as the Dutch say "Broek in Waterland". It's close to Amsterdam and probably would be best to get there by rental car. I fell in love with Holland this August when we were there and even though I love the country and small villages, Amsterdam was incredibly vibrant and exciting.<BR>

Danna

Spring? Netherlands?... you must visit Keukenhof Gardens, outside of Lisse. If you find pictures on the web, please keep in mind that the reality is even more amazing. An easy trip from Centraal Station and absolutely amazing. Have a grand time!