A few days have passed since I arrived in Netherlands and by now, as mentioned in my previous post, I am exploring the country with my car and bicycle. From visiting beautiful Amsterdam to cycling the countryside in Netherlands, this is so much fun!
I instantly fell in love with this country. The green surroundings, the dark red brick houses, the big windows and clean gardens, the little towns and the simplicity of just riding a bicycle.
Zwolle
Zwolle was the first town I stopped at and I was ready to move here straight away. Or at least spend a bit of time shopping and dining at all the great spots. The historical city homes are tiny and cute and the streets are filled with people as well as lots of parked bicycles. Definitely make a stop here if you can. You will love it!
Amsterdam
I have wanted to come back to Amsterdam since my first visit 10 years ago. Back then I fell in love with the city and the lively vibe. It was great to be back!
Expect to see artistic heritage buildings, lots of canals as well as narrow houses with gabled facades and crooked walls. Not to mention all the small food shops, where burger and fries are definitely the preferred cuisine. (Unfortunately a little bit too many fried options for my liking).
Furthermore, the streets of Amsterdam are filled with bicycles and I wonder if there is ever a big cleanout of all the ‚forgotten‘ bikes. Because there seems to be a few of them.
The Museums stock various art pieces from Van Goth, Rembrandt to Vermeer, who are all Dutch artists. It was raining while I was here so hiding in museums seemed like a great idea. I went to the Rijksmuseum and the World Press Photo Exhibition 2019 and both were very interesting to see.
Rijksmuseum 
World Press Photo Exhibition 2019
After the rain I continued to explore the city by foot. Why not bicycle you ask? Well, because, instead of driving to Amsterdam, I rode 70km on my bicycle. As mentioned cycling in Netherlands is a must and it was definitely an amazing and very satisfying ride. I just followed the canals… as I did with the Main River in Germany. (Read here)
Cycling in Netherlands
The country, whether it is Holland or Netherlands (because they are not the same but different), are made for cycling. There is barely a road without a bike path along it. It seems everybody is on the bike. From young to old, it is the preferred way to get from A to B.
I tend to park my car a few kilometers away from a town and take a leisurely ride into the city centre. It is definitely less hassle than trying to find a car park otherwise. Alternatively I just cruise along the bike path through the countryside of Netherlands from where I am staying. Love it!
The weather is looking a bit cloudy but I have a few more days left here and much more cycling to do. After all, there are no hills to worry about and lots more little towns of Netherlands to explore.
And so, before I finally head further west towards the coast of Holland, let me tell you about one more little town that is worth stopping at.
The town ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
I stopped here because I read it was an old historical City…
Although it didn‘t have as much of the historical charm as Zwolle, I would definitely make a stop here. ‘s-Hertogenbosch has plenty of cute streets with excellent shops and restaurants. So while you‘re nearby…
