HOLLAND (THE NETHERLANDS)

The Dutch say that God created the rest of the world but that they created the Netherlands. The country is, indeed, a feat of engineering, and since most of it is below sea level, vigorous pumping and a series of dikes have created thousands of square kilometers of land (including Amsterdam) that were once under water. What was once inhabited by seaweed and cod is now littered with cows, cheese, windmills, and the occasional city. The Holland is a country where freedom has come with responsibility and hard work. It is a country where the word "land" means something special valuable resource won from the sea. For, in literal terms, when you walk on dry land in The Netherlands, your head is barely above sea level in some places, and well below it in others. Amsterdam itself is 10 feet below sea level.

To the outside world, the enduring image of The Netherlands is of a land unremittingly flat, criss crossed by canals and dotted with windmills. Popular imagination conjures up pictures of clogs, cheese and swaths of brightly colored tulips. Then there is Amsterdam, the lively, lovely and evocative capital, seen by many as a slightly wicked city.
The Kingdom of The Netherlands is, of course, a far more complex and fascinating entity than such assumptions imply. Although the country is often known as Holland, this name actually only relates to the country's heavily populated western provinces of Noord (North) and Zuid (South) Holland. These provinces contain the main cities, such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague (Den Haag), known collectively as the Randstad, or "Ring Town." Compared with this heavily urbanized area, The Netherlands' other provinces offer the visitor a remarkably diverse landscape and regional cultures that will correct any misconception that the country is homogeneous.

Land from the Sea

The Netherlands is a small country, just under 15,500 square miles in area. Its eastern neighbor, Germany, is nine times larger. To the south lies Belgium, once part of the United Provinces of The Netherlands but an independent nation since 1830. To the north and west of The Netherlands lies the North Sea, and it is with this near neighbor that the Dutch have their most pressing relationship. You will not be too aware of the sea in Amsterdam or The Hague. You need to go north to Noord Holland and Friesland, or south to Zeeland, to f . uliv appreciate the astonishing control over their watery environment that the Dutch have engineered.
For the definitive story of land reclamation, visit the fascinating Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen or travel across the Afsluitdijk, a 20 mile dam that seals the great inland lake of lisselmeer and connects Noord Holland to Friesland. You could go south to Zeeland, a glittering mosaic of water within a vast web of land. There you 11 want to visit the WaterLand Neeltje OF Jans in Burgh Haamstede in Zeeland to learn about the Delta Plan. This system of huge dams and movable barriers was built after the storm driven North Sea breached the existing dykes in 1953, killed more than 1,800 people and devastated the countryside.

Exploring Inland

Beyond these water lands beyond the great dunes and beaches of the North Sea coast, and the red, white and neonbright lights of Amsterdam lie the delights of the landlocked Netherlands. In the south, Limburg is known as the Dutch "hill country." In the province of Noord Brabant, the De Kempen region's landscape of sandy heath and woodland is a very different image than that of the "flat" Holland most people envision. You can explore Gelderland meadows and orchards; the serene villages and waterways of Overijssel , and the moorlands and flower filled bogs of Drenthe, so beloved by Vincent van Gogh. They all add to the variety of rural Netherlands. In the north country, in Groningen, the quintessential Dutch images of windmills, clogs and flat green landscapes reassert themselves.
In neighboring Friesland you will find another country altogether, a province with its own language and distinctive cultural heritage.
Reaching these fascinating districts is not difficult. Public transportation in The Netherlands is efficient and generally inexpensive. Virtually every place is within a three hour train ride from Amsterdam. Excellent bus services run between cities, and there is an extensive bus network linking towns and villages in the provinces. Driving in rural areas is convenient and reasonably straightforward, but in urban areas it can be stressful.

Holland Canal in Autumn

The Obelisk monument

The sights of Amsterdam after dark