2 weeks 4 cities in the Netherlands: Part 2
Alison Laycock
The 2nd part of my month in the Netherlands took me to The Hague, Utrecht, Arnhem and then to Maastricht, my last stop. So many things to see and experience which have all left me with wonderful memories.
The Hague: I’m so glad I opted for 4 nights in The Hague as it gave me chance to take my name walking around this beautiful city. Looking back the Peace Palace still stands out as a wonderful experience and I’m so glad I was able to book a tour whilst I was there. The only thing, I wish I’d seen was the beach, however the only day I could have gone was also the day Sinterklaas arrived at the beach to start his way through the streets to the centre of The Hague. Therefore, it wouldn’t have given me the peaceful walk along the beach I would have wanted. Slowing down in The Hague
Utrecht: 3 nights was enough for me in Utrecht. I would love to return in warmer times when I can make the most of sitting in a café along the 2 level canals. I did enjoy visiting the Working class museum which I wrote about in the post District C in Utrecht . I stayed in Badhu, a hotel which used to be a bath house and they have now decorated it in Arabian style. That was another highlight of my time in Utrecht. If I do go again then I think it is a place which can be visited whilst staying somewhere else such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam or The Hague as it is so close to them. I’m glad I stayed over this time for the 3 nights so I could visit the museum.
Arnhem: I arranged to stay for 4 nights as I knew I would be meeting up with Gerry (a Camino friend) and his family for dinner one evening and I wanted to make sure we had enough options to arrange something Arnhem, where my 2 Caminos meet. 4 nights were also necessary as it allowed me to spend a day at De Hoge Veluwe and the Kröller-Müller museum which I’ve already posted about For the love of Art and more at the De Hoge Veluwe National Park . Another highlight was park Sonbeek, a park close to the city centre which offers a peaceful walk as you can walk around the lake, go up into the other park or take a hot drink in the visitors centre. There were many options to occupy my time and although I’m not a shopper whilst travelling I did find myself walking the streets at dusk on Black Friday.
Maastricht: I stayed 4 nights which was enough at this time, however if I was visiting during summer, I imagine I could use more time. Christmas was clearly on it’s way and the main square was preparing for that so I didn’t get to sit at a cafe and enjoy people watching. For me, Maastricht brings a lot of cultures together which is clear on the street when you hear people talking different languages and also in the architecture. Walking down some streets, I had to stop and ask myself which country I was in as I could have easily have been in Holland, Germany, Belgium or France. This is a city I can imagine returning to at some point, perhaps as an add-on to time in Belgium. It all comes together in Maastricht
This concludes my month in the Netherlands and another great thing about Maastricht is it’s links to other places. I was able to take an overnight bus from Maastricht to Dusseldorf and then another to Copenhagen. Taking an overnight bus allowed me to travel cheaply and also meant I didn’t need to pay for a hotel. Flixbus is a great way of getting around cheaply.