THE HAGUE/DEN HAAG The Hague is the administrative capital of the Netherlands and the seat of the Dutch government. I f you l ike pretty views and eating in the sky, consider visiting The Penthouse. This 135-meter-high skyscraper is home to the highest restaurant in the Netherlands. A couple of f loors down you can f ind the Sky bar, which serves cocktai ls. I f you do not feel l ike eating but sti l l want to enjoy the view over the city you can always buy a ticket (with a student discount) and take the elevator up. The Hague is located close to the ocean, it only takes about 15 minutes by publ ic transport to Scheveningen. This beach is perfect for long walks and picnics and some lunch at the many beach bars. You can also have lunch in one of the restaurants along the promenade. Furthermore, there is a ferris wheel and a sculpture museum cal led Beelden aan Zee. The miniature park Madurodam, holding smal l repl icas of many Dutch landmarks, is also close by. ROTTERDAM In May 1940 Rotterdam was bombed, leaving vast parts of the city destroyed. This incident, known as the Rotterdam Bl itz, them are unique architectural is the reason why contemporary Rotterdam looks very di fferent from most other Dutch cities. Bui ldings are more modern and many of structures. The Kubuswoningen (Cube Houses) are especial ly famous and def initely worth looking at. One of the cubes contains a museum (Ki jk-Kubus) in which you can learn more about the concept. Close by you can f ind the picturesque Old Harbour. The Erasmusbrug, which crosses the river Nieuwe Maas, is the second largest bridge of the Netherlands. It connects the north and south part of the city. I f you l ike walking you should consider crossing this 802-meter- long structure! The bridge was named after one of the most famous historical f igures from Rotterdam: the humanist Desiderius Erasmus. MAASTRICHT Maastricht is the capital city of the province of Limburg. As it is located close to the German border you wi l l f ind many German-speaking people in this city. In 1992 the original members of the European Union united in Maastricht to sign the treaty that founded the EU. I f you love books, you need to pay a visit to the Boekhandel Dominicanen. This is an old Dominican church that got converted into a bookstore. You can skim the books, have a coffee in the l ittle café inside the shop, and look at the preserved sacral decorations. The St. Peter’s Caves are an 80km long tunnel system running through Saint Peter’s Mount which is located close to Maastricht. The excavation of these tunnels began around a 1000 years ago. You can take a guided tour through the tunnels and discover their fascinating history. OTHER SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS Have you ever scrol led through Instagram and seen pictures of people posing by tul ip f ields? Would you l ike to be one of those people and make al l your friends jealous? Visit Keukenhof! Keukenhof is one of the world’s largest f lower gardens and is also known as the ‘Garden of Europe’ . Most people associate the Netherlands with bicycles, tul ips, and windmi l ls! Consisting of 19 windmi l ls, the windmi l ls at Kinderdi jk are the largest col lection of old windmi l ls in the Netherlands. They are so special that they have become an UNESCO world heritage site. Three of the mi l ls have been turned into museums in which you can learn more about the functioning and history of windmi l ls. PAGE 33
34 Publizr Home