Voyage to The Netherlands Part 1

Hello Gardening Friends!

I am back from my first trip to Europe. I went to The Netherlands to visit my extended family, and oh my goodness, it was such a wonderful trip!

My mother was born in The Netherlands and immigrated with her family, first to Ontario, Canada and then to the USA, where they finally settled in the Willamette valley. I've always been very proud of my Dutch heritage and it has been important to me to connect with my family living there and to retain my Dutch roots.

We were graciously hosted by my cousin Christien and her husband, Dirk. We visited historically rich cities, toured the Port of Rotterdam, walked along the heritage site of 19 windmills called Kinderdijke and traveled north to the island region called Ameland. It was a jam packed tour with family bbq's and sentimental visits to the childhood homes of my grandparents in the city of Nunspeet.

Today, let's look at some of the highlights of my amazing trip.

Windmill at Kinderdijke, Holland

Open Air Market in Nunspeet, Gelderland

One of the fascinating things to me, was not just how small the country was, but how it still retains distinctive regions inside the country. For example, here in the states, when we refer to The Netherlands, we often say 'Holland', but Holland is a region in The Netherlands. It happens to be the region where most of the tulip bulbs are produced and the famous windmills at Kinderdijke rest. But, it is a farming region, slightly to the north of Rotterdam.

These regions may only be 30+ mins apart from each other, traveling by freeway, but they have different dialects and customs, special to their area. My family hails from the region of Gelderland. The city of Nunspeet is a tourist destination for both the native Dutch and neighboring countries.

Port of Rotterdam

The Port of Rotterdam is the industrial core of The Netherlands. I was told the port was large, but I had no idea. It is bigger than the nearest large city to me, Portland, Oregon.

Kampen, Overijssel

We visited several cities, rich in history. Above is the entrance to the city of Kampen, located on the banks of the river IJssel. This entrance was used in medieval times.The city was walled and was an important trading post on the river. The city has one of the most 'intact' historic city centers in The Netherlands.

Dutch style parking lot, Kampen, Overijssel

Yes, the Dutch drive cars, lot's of cute compact cars that get excellent gas mileage, as the price per gallon there is near $9.50. But, the Dutch, famous for the bikes, do tend to make journeys about town by bike. Above is a bike parking center used by those taking the train.

Gardens at Kijktuinen, Nunspeet

I also toured gardens designed by Dutch garden and landscaping firm, L.J. Goedegebuure, located in my families hometown of Nunspeet.

I'll explore these topics in more detail in future blog posts. I had such an incredible time. The best part was visiting and getting to know better, my family in The Netherlands. I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life. I hope you'll enjoy my posts about this important journey for me to further explore my Dutch roots.

Cheers, Jenni

Find Part 2 of my Voyage here and Part 3 here