The Dutch take great pride in their country, in part because they effectively created vast stretches of it, claiming land from the ocean using an extensive system of dikes and canals. With most of their country’s land area below sea level, the task of keeping their iconic tulips and windmills on dry ground has become something of a national pastime. Over the centuries, planners built dikes higher and higher to hold back the sea, culminating in a new “flexible coast” policy that depends on spillways and reservoirs to contain potentially disastrous floods. For a people whose land constantly threatens to become ocean, the staunch Dutch have a deeply grounded culture and a down-to-earth friendliness. Time-tested art, ambitious architecture, and dynamic nightlife make the Netherlands one of the most popular travel destinations in Western Europe.
From Romans To Habsburgs (100 Bc To Ad 1579). Romans under Julius Caesar invaded the region in the first century BC, displacing Celtic and Germanic tribes. The native Germanic tribes had the last laugh ...more
Official Name: Kingdom of the Netherlands. Capital: Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government. Major Cities: The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht. Population: 16,645,000. ...more
Flights: Schiphol Airport ( AMS; ☎ 0800 72 447 465, flight info ☎ 0900 724 4746; www.schiphol.nl). Sneltraihen connects the airport to Centraal Station (20min., €3.80). Trains: Centraal Station ...more
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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