Text and photo: Anna Nilsson Lace
A secret trip... With my work friend Kristel we were going on a full-day trip, I didn't have the faintest idea where we were going, a surprise in other words.
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A first stop in Arnhem
The first stop was in Arnhem, a city with history dating back to the 9th century, but we weren't going to look at historical buildings, we were going to have a coffee and not just any coffee.
At My Piece of Paris you can enjoy handmade pastries and classic macaroons, a good coffee in a pleasant French-inspired environment.
Believe me, those pastries were worth every mile we drove. They melted in your mouth, a taste sensation from heaven.
A short stroll through the town gave me the appetite for more, stately churches, cozy alleys and hip shops, I'll be back here.
Giethoorn – the village where you get around by boat
Giethoorn in the Netherlands is a popular tourist destination, I have said many times that I would like to see the village where you can get there by boat. That was our next destination on the secret trip!
No cars are allowed here, only boats or apostle horses. And of course bicycles, the Dutch love bicycles!
There are many options for getting around the narrow canals. We made it easy for ourselves and jumped on a larger boat with a guide, 10 euros for an hour, you can also rent your own small boat or get around on a SUP or by canoe.
Punters are something typical of this village, they are a smaller flat-bottomed wooden boat that was once used for transportation, fishing and hunting.
Many who rented their own boat had probably never driven a floating craft before, there were crashes here and there, and the fact that some channels are one-way probably hadn't been understood either.
Oh my God, I'm just saying... So many tourists, from all corners of the world, who would share the space on the narrow canals...
So what attracts a million visitors a year? Giethoorn is unique precisely for its narrow canals where even the permanent residents get around in boats.
There are 2630 permanent residents here who probably patiently endure the tourist invasion. Many historic buildings and beautiful old farmhouses. The village is popularly called the Venice of Holland or the Venice of the North and of course there are similarities.
The village consists of many small islands that are connected to each other and the mainland by 176 piers.
The houses and farmhouses date back to the 19th and 20th centuries and have the typical reed roofs. Giethoorn as a settlement dates back to the 13th century.
Along the canal arena there are many tourist shops, everything from really horrible knick-knacks to beautiful crafts. A cheese shop caught our fancy, as cheese lovers it was pure paradise.
Other Dutch specialties like the chewy syrup waffles.
And then you can do a photoshoot, with traditional clothes, which of course we have to do. So I got to become Dutch for a quarter of an hour, Kristel has been since birth!
Dutch wooden shoes are almost a national symbol, dating back to the 12th century. Authentic clogs are handmade from willow or poplar and painted (or not) depending on the region you are from. Decorated clogs are used for special occasions, while unpainted ones are for everyday use.
In Giethoorn you definitely don't have to go hungry... Lots of restaurants and cafes to choose from.
Thus the secret journey was over, a fine day to put in the archives of memory.
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