Netherlands
A great example of modern day liberalism as well as prosperity is the region in Europe known as the Netherlands. This country that is also a monarchy that lies to the northwest of Europe is modern and has more than the tulips, windmills as also cheese and wooden shoes with which it is most closely associated. It lies in an area that falls between the North Sea and Belgium and also Germany. It is a prosperous nation that once enjoyed a golden period during the seventeenth century with an empire that extended to a few regions in India, and also touched New York along with the many Indonesian colonies besides which the Dutch also had a presence in Africa.
It continually expanded its presence overseas and in the nineteenth century the Dutch made some outstanding contributions to architecture with Amsterdam (its present capital) and Leiden having many baroque mansions from a couple of centuries earlier (17th to be precise) that were the property of its many rich merchants who often commanded the Dutch fleet as well.
No mention of the Netherlands would be complete without a reminder of its outstanding contribution to the world of art, and painters and paintings from Netherlands are some of its most prized and also famous possessions. The Dutch can rightly take pride in the many renowned painters from their country including Rembrandt, the great van Gogh, Frans Hals and not to forget Johannes Vermeer, all of whose exclusive paintings of their time is the subject of much tourist activity to the Netherlands today.
No doubt the seventeenth century saw Netherlands at its best; but, there is still today a very open and invigorating international atmosphere one senses when one comes to modern day Netherlands and tourists feel very much at home and take great pleasure and interest in viewing the many museums and monuments of historical importance that make most Dutch cities different from the rest of their European counterparts.
When in the Netherlands, you would do well to visit cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam and also Maastricht. You can enjoy the largest seaport in the world called Rotterdam and other appealing places to visit include Arnhem, Zwolle and Den Bosch. For the cyclist there are many exciting opportunities and exploring the Netherlands on cycle is another great adventure thanks to the flat terrain and wonderful highways and roads. You can also find plenty of commodious hotels in Netherlands that are well equipped to handle diverse tourist needs.
The cool weather of the Netherlands is also something special and living in this wonderful country is quite unique and not like any other European country. There is also not as pressing a need to own a car in the Netherlands as the public transport is excellent. No doubt, most tourists are attracted to Amsterdam which is the country’s cultural capital; however, there are many other exciting places to visit and a road trip in the country will throw up many exciting experiences.
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