Typical Dutch?"

Is there such a thing as "Typical Dutch”? (I am talking about landscapes). Outside Europe the land of the Dutch is known as Holland, but for the Dutch themselves the name Holland refers to only 2 of the 12 provinces of the Netherlands. The provinces of North and South Holland are the most prominent; the larger cities are located there - Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. In earlier times Holland was the more affluent part of the country as it was the base of the Dutch East India Company which roamed the world and became rich with the spice trade (and let's be honest - the slave trade).

But back to the landscape. Holland is flat and below sea level. In the past, windmills would keep the land from drowning. Today it is the pumping stations which dispose of excess water through 1000’s of canals and drains.

Holland is basically a swamp with a hard crust, and, as the place is waterlogged, nearly all buildings and major highways are built on poles which are driven six meters down until they hit solid ground. When you see the pile drivers at work, it creates an interesting sight. These days they vibrate concrete poles down into the ground like a spike into a tub of soft butter until they hit solid ground six meters below the surface.

In the towns you find many old buildings often dated from around the 16-17th century. Because they were built using wooden poles which may have partly rotted away, they often lean forward, backward or sideways.

Viewed from above, you can still see that nearly all older towns were built like a fortress in a star shaped pattern - this is called “vesting stad” or fortified city. I have included a few (ex internet) aerial shots to give you an idea what they look like from above.

Nearly all cities have expanded outside the original city walls (if they weren’t demolished). However in many cities the star shape is still very prominent along the old ring canals. Current maps show where the original shape of the fortified city is still visible and forms part of the old centre.

In the east of the country near the German border there is a place called Bourtange. This is one of the few places where things are exactly as they were hundreds of years ago. Expansion of the town is done further outside the old centre and is not attached to it. Visiting Bourtange provides a true feeling of stepping back into the 1600’s.

I have included some pictures of the city of Amersfoort and Haarlem where I visited a museum with paintings of the Old Masters. I used to be totally disinterested in looking at these things but now see them as having a look into the past where cameras did not exist - the only way to really see what life was like - with real faces - are the old paintings. Rembrandt, Vermeer, Vincent van Gogh etc are world famous. The painter Frans Hals is listed in the museum also as “world famous” but the reality is that outside Haarlem he is not so well known. However, his paintings are just as good.

Okay - on to Belgium to have a look at Bruges and Ghent and see what they have to offer.

I saw my friend Gert a few days ago and he is on the mend and still ready to go to Australia in November. Just as well there is some time for recovery in the meanwhile. He enjoyed the ride along the back roads of Belgium and Germany tremendously - pity it ended so quickly. Perhaps we can still do something together – let’s see.