One of my awesome brothers lives in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and we hadn’t seen each other in almost 2 years because of Covid 19! 😓

I read online that Holland may restrict international visitors who had their 2nd covid vaccine over 270 days ago. Being lucky enough to have gotten my covid vaccines early in the process, I am getting pretty close to this number, so I knew I wanted to make a stop in Rotterdam now to avoid any conflicts in the future.

It has been SO lovely being able to visit family on this leg of the journey! I was able to explore Amsterdam, Rotterdam and a little town called Haarlem. I got to cycle in the designated bike lanes around Rotterdam, visit several really neat fresh produce markets, meet some of my brother’s friends, explore the green space around the city and bike/ride a water taxi to an area called Kinderdijk to see windmills.

Rotterdam

This city is a really interesting mix of unique architecture, biking lanes, fresh markets, canals and green space.

Amsterdam

We took a train to Amsterdam to tour the Anne Frank Museum. It was a somber visit, but very well done and definitely worth seeing.

We also had a chance to explore around the city center and check out the canals and narrowed streets. We made a stop at the Red Light District, but it was daytime, so no one was in the windows. 😉

Haarlem

Earlier this year, I read a book called The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom. It is about a Dutch Christian family who owned and ran a watch shop in Haarlem in the early 1900s. During the German occupation of Holland in WWII, the Ten Booms housed and protected Jewish people in an underground network around the Netherlands. They secretly constructed a false wall in Corrie’s bedroom to hide Jews. Eventually the family was outed and arrested. Six people were saved by hiding in the secret space behind the wall during the family’s arrest. Corrie’s father and sister died in Nazi camps, but she survived and went on to travel the world, sharing her story. When I realized that the Ten Boom Museum in Haarlem was only an hour train ride away from Rotterdam, I knew I wanted to visit.

The little town of Haarlem was quite pleasant to explore as well.

Netherlands Bike Culture

The infrastructure in the Netherlands is built around cycling and it is very impressive! Not only are there designated and protected bike lanes throughout the city, but everything seems to be built around encouraging residents to avoid car use. Streets are narrow and parking a car is expensive and can be challenging. I saw bikes with all manner of baskets and bags, children in different bike carriers and lots of motor scooters. It was fun but also a bit intimidating riding in these lanes at first.

Kinderdijk

This area of windmills is a bike and water taxi ride away from Rotterdam and a perfect way to spend my last day in Holland. It was beautiful weather and so much fun to explore!

Huge thanks to my brother, Tanner, for hosting me this last week! I had the best time exploring his home city and meeting his friends, eating delicious (and healthy) home cooked meals, sleeping in, watching old movies, laughing and feeling very happy!

Next up, Ireland!