The North of the Netherlands, a Scandinavian feel

The Dutch combine two character traits that are rarely compatible: on one hand, they are decidedly modern, and on the other, they are determined to preserve their heritage. Indeed, while the polder system is ingenious, the inhabitants of the Netherlands are more exposed than others to rising sea levels. Consequently, they have erected superstructures - types of blades that activate automatically in case of flooding to protect their dikes. Additionally, they perpetuate their way of life with the brown cafes where they like to gather in the evening over a beer and to the sound of a live band... Let us go to northern Holland and more specifically to the Wadden archipelago, then we will cross the North dike to reach Friesland which Lonely Planet has ranked among the hidden gems in Europe…

After a brief crossing from Den Helder, you will land on Texel Island. What a picture-postcard scene the northern island's red lighthouse makes, and what a lunar landscape the endless Stranglag beach offers with its white-painted cabins. However, Texel has other attractions such as unusual museums, historic villages, or nature reserves.

The Dutch combine two rarely compatible character traits: on one hand, they are resolutely modern, on the other, they are keen to preserve their heritage.

Here, the museums are open-air, lively, interactive… The one dedicated to beachcombers will definitely entertain you. The most curious thing is that this activity has continued over time! At the Flora Museum, Jan Uitgeest, a professional beachcomber, will personally show you the treasures he has collected, ranging from message-in-a-bottle to distress flares. By the way, what does the island's regulations say about washed-up goods? If they are of value, then they must be entrusted to the wreck master who searches for the owner. Once he is unable to locate them, he must hand them over to the municipality, thin! Regarding treasure hunting, the museum actually offers one for your dear little ones, they can also fish for real or learn to make a marine knot.

The Kaap Skil museum in Oudeschild traces, for its part, the maritime history of the Island through models of ships that can be manipulated. For example, you will learn that Texel's roadstead was an important anchorage for the Dutch fleet between the 17^th and the 19^th century. Finally, thanks to the underwater archaeology section, you will learn more about the wrecks that lie on the seabed; they have long been protected by the sands before the currents changed and then uncovered them, still intact. It goes without saying that divers are fond of this coast!

More so than Den Burg, the main town of Texel where you can go shopping, I recommend the historical villages of Oosterend and De Waal. It’s as if time has stood still there. The villages are full of drawbridges, canals, and dollhouses. The sense of aesthetics is reflected in the homes: polished paintings, ancient maritime objects, not to mention the flowers…  

By the way, have you noticed that bay windows often have no curtains? Eager to let in light, the Dutch are nonetheless Protestant and as such would have nothing to hide... You will hear the chime of the belfries, these towers that symbolized the privileges enjoyed by the municipalities. On this note, the mayor of a village here is called the burgomaster and it is not a question of a town hall but of a city hall.

Stop by a restaurant to enjoy a locally brewed beer: Skuumkoppe unless you prefer the liquor with the unpronounceable name of "Jutterte"! The Dutch are multilingual and they will come to your aid! Finally, in Den Hoorn you will be charmed by the romantic church and perhaps you will have the opportunity to attend artistic events or catch a glimpse in the spring of the tulip fields with their multicolored stripes.

 I hope you have brought your binoculars because the Wadden Archipelago is a paradise for nature lovers. Due to the terrain mixing beaches, lakes, meadows, and canals, a diverse flora and fauna have established themselves there. To familiarize yourself with the species, visit Ecomare in the town of De Koog.

Natural reserves for wildlife and flora enthusiasts.

It is highly likely that your children will cry when it's time to leave. Everything has been designed for them to observe the animals up close. They will wander around the tanks and see, among other creatures, porpoises, seals, small whales and even... sharks !

Moreover, the island has natural reserves such as De Slufter. It corresponds to a natural area flooded by a tidal wave where sea lavender flourishes. As for De Muy, it contains wild orchids. On this matter, how can you not confuse them? You know their aerial flowers, so observe the leaves carefully. Those of an orchid are always flat on the ground, they are narrow and their stripes are perfectly parallel. Furthermore, you will come across white waders that you will easily identify as spoonbills due to their long flat-tipped black beak.

Let's now cross the 32 km long Northern Enclosure Dike (Afsluitsdijk) to reach Friesland. It took a flood in 1912 to undertake this construction, creating an inland sea sheltered from the swell, which is fed with fresh water by the Amstel, the river that flows through Amsterdam.

Let's head to Leeuwarden, the starting point of the Eleven Cities Tour of Friesland. When winter is harsh and the canals are frozen, the Eleven Cities skating competition takes place. The most recent one—in 1997—drew 2 million spectators and 15,000 participants. However, originally in 1890, there were only about a hundred skaters who took up the challenge: to connect all the cities in a single day! Why not take inspiration from this route to discover Friesland?

We will logically take the road from Leeuwarden, whose history is marked by acts of piracy and which was the birthplace of... Mata Hari. The Dutch dancer and courtesan, falsely accused of espionage, was executed during World War I; you can indeed admire her statue not far from her birth house! Another personality from Leeuwarden is the painter Escher. This 20th-century artist had a passion for mathematics. He created paintings with geometric patterns, canvases where stairs intertwine, and checkerboards intersect... Art is everywhere in this city with its quaint center, marked by monumental sculptures scattered throughout. Keep an eye out for the statue of the Frisian cow, the emblem of the province!

Renowned for its brick water gate flanked by two turrets and for its boat races, here is Sneek. Take the opportunity to enjoy a coffee with a speculoos at a café situated at the foot of the small bridge. Then take a ferry to Enkhuizen, a fortress dating back to the Golden Age of the Netherlands. This port town once thrived due to the Dutch East India Company. On the shores of Lake Ijsselmeer (an inland sea), I highly recommend visiting Hindeloopen, an ancient sailors' village that JATA has voted among the most beautiful in Europe. The village features streets lined with low houses, hollyhocks, art galleries, and marine craft shops. 

Now head to Harlingen, formerly a whaling port from which shrimp are fished nowadays. There you might have the chance to see a naval review or participate in fishing days. At the very least, you will contemplate the klippers - flat-bottomed sailing ships or schooners on board of which you can very well stay. The last stop on our tour is Franeker, famous in the past for its university and which holds a fountain signed by Othoniel and a sculpture by Plensa guarding the entrance to the station. However, the quiet town has an even more beautiful gem. It is its ancient Eise Eisinga planetarium, within which the stars move thanks to a clockwork system.

Now reach Harlingen, once a whaling port from which shrimp fishing is conducted today.

From the invention of the Franeker planetarium...

In 1774, a Frisian priest made an alarming prophecy: according to the trajectories of the stars, the Earth was going to collide with the sun and be consumed. To contradict this absurd theory, a scientist from Franeker had the idea to build a planetarium in his house where the sky would be represented and set in motion, and that is how this animated planetarium was constructed!