It is late August 2022 when I decided to take you on a journey across some iconic and special locations.

Spaarndam

I visit Spaarndam, the picturesque village built on a dyke, with a small harbour and several locks still in use nowadays. It is here that you can find the statue of Hansje Brinker. The boy that stuck his finger in the dyke to prevent the town and Haarlem from flooding. This fellow was called the “hero of Haarlem” in an america novel. If you want to know more about this here, you can read a wiki about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Brinker,_or_The_Silver_Skates.
Theres als more to read about the old (it goes back to the 1300s) village Spaarndam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaarndam. (The dutch version has more information, maybe you can goolge translate the page: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaarndam)

Haarlem

The capital city of North-Holland, Haarlem has many visitors every year. Situated so close to Amsterdam but not being overcrowded, attracts people that want something else than the common dutch city. Haarlem is smaller than Amsterdam and therefore a more pitoresque vibe. If one could express such detail about a city. Most people know the city for its museum of Frans Hals, the world famous dutch painter. But there’s more to see in Haarlem. Take a boatride along the canals, or visit the Grote Markt (the big market) in the city center. These buildings that surround the market are from the old days and are preserved well. Want to get to know Haarlem even more? Have a look here: https://www.visithaarlem.com/en/wat-te-doen/vvv-haarlem/.
Want to visit the attractive windmill “De Adriaan” or dine at the ajacent restaurant “Zuidam”?
Please follow these links: https://www.molenadriaan.nl/en/ – or – https://www.restaurantzuidam.nl/

Zandvoort

This seaside village is well known for it’s beaches located at the North sea. During summer time, this village is mostly visited by german sunbathers. But nowadays Zandvoort has manage to attract more international visitors due to the fact it has a Formula 1 race track only minutes away form town center and 100 meters from beaches and other recreation. If you are interested, please read more about the Grand Prix Formula 1 race track at: https://www.circuitzandvoort.nl/en/