I have set up a NEW WEBSITE! https://ibecomingdutch.com/ I shall be relocating each and every blogposts from this site to my new website bit by bit; rewriting and revisiting and updating relevant information first! Eventually, this site will be closed. New blogposts are in the making and will be posted regularly as well. I hope you will stick around and continue to follow my local touristic journeys. Hit the subscribe button below to get notify. I look forward to share my experiences with you. Thank you. Best Regards, Liz ..read more

As I stepped out of the immigration checkpoint at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, I was greeted by this three-meter-high performance art clock. This Real Time hanging clock is a 12-hour recording of performances indicating the time. Which means it will take you 12 hours to watch it completely! Created by none other than the Dutch designer, Maarten Baas. He combines theatre, art, film and design in a series of clock designs. Schiphol Clock for the Schiphol Amsterdam Airport was launched in July 2016. Another that I have seen was the “Sweepers Clock” at the Erasmus MC, in Rotterdam ..read more

It was about time … Sightseeing The Hague city from the water level seems like a long overdue experience. I got my ticket (€13.50) last minute via online and just went for it. Website: https://www.canalcruisethehague.com The 90-minute English tour started at 3 pm on an open boat. The guide was very enthusiastic, funny and provided us with lots of backstories on many of the highlights along the way. To be honest, I was not paying that much attention. I brought along my snack and drink and  enjoyed the cruise on a beautiful sunny day. There were many times when I had to duck my head going ..read more

A star-shaped fort-village for a walk under the rain. Worth it! It was not the best day to visit an interesting star-shaped fort-village for a walk due to rain. But it was a planned road trip and we came 250 km too far for us to do something else. So, we made the best of it! Because … In 1580, Prince William of Orange (or William the Silent) gave the order to build an entrenchment with five bastions on a sand ridge, in a swamp area, on the border with Germany. This particular sand ridge, or “tange”, ran the only road connecting Germany and the city of Groningen. Thus, the building of this pen ..read more

An interesting sculpture of a very tall man placed in the neighborhood park of the Oude Westen, in Rotterdam. It got me curious. This is Rigardus Rijnhout (Rotterdam, 21 April 1922 – Leiden, 13 April 1959). He was known as the Giant of Rotterdam due to his height of 2 meters and 37 centimetres! According to the local news blog, Rigardus was born on 21 April 1922 and weighed eight kilos at birth! Rigardus had a growth disorder due to a tumour in his head. At his peak, he measured 2.37 meters tall and weighed 230 kilos. Truly a giant!! Rigardus required about 5x as much food as most men. His po ..read more

For a century and a half, the elite of ‘Amsterdammers’ have been riding horses at this manège. The Hollandsche Manege is the oldest riding school in the Netherlands, dating back to 1744. It is located right in the center of Amsterdam, a stone’s throw from Leidseplein, adjacent to Vondelpark and somewhat hidden behind an inconspicuous entrance gate. In 2020, the building was fully restored and the manège is now open to everyone. The public has the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes and discover all the glorious history as it is a museum as well. Since I know nothing about horses, I wa ..read more

So, I stumbled on another bridge with a story … This time, I stood here across the Amstel overlooking the Schaduwkade (Shadow Wall) Monument on my left. A monument to two hundred Jewish residents of the Nieuwe Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, who were deported and murdered during the Second World War. Two hundred metal plates on the ground bear the names of the residents, grouped around the house number of the house where they lived across the water. The Schaduwkade Monument was unveiled on 26 May 2013. Nieuwe Keizersgracht, Amsterdam. (next to Hermitage Amsterdam) Website: www.schaduwkade.nl ..read more

In the Dommel tunnel, between the TU and the Effenaar in Eindhoven, you can find the underpass decorated with street art depicting the ‘Silly Walks’. This refers to the crazy walks and bizarre movements that John Cleese made in his famous Monty Python sketch. The images of the Minister of Silly Walks in 48 steps, spreading on one side of this entire 130-metre-long bicycle path and pedestrian tunnel. Do try to mimic his movements! The mural was created by graffiti artists Niels van Swaemen and Kaspar van Leek from Studio Giftig in Veldhoven, in 2016. The British comedian Cleese himself visite ..read more

For years and years, the construction in front of the Amsterdam Central Station went on and on like a never-ending situation. The water in the Open Havenfront was pumped out, the site was rebuilt, reconstructed and transformed. Something about the excavated pit with anchored sheet piling walls and micropiles (anchor piles) that served as a foundation for the newly constructed bicycle parking garage. I know nothing about civil engineering. This time-lapse video will give you an idea. Link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=747526772962330 So when the construction ended, the city of Amsterdam i ..read more

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands immortalized on a cast-iron manhole cover (bottom left-hand corner on this pic!), outside the Royal Palace Amsterdam. This Coronation Cover was designed by Aquafix Milieu for the occasion of the enthronement on April 30th 2013. Originally, the year and the crown were embossed in gold colour. This is the second of such that I found. The first one was on Sint Agathaplein, in Delft ..read more