In the space of a century a lot of things have changed for Marken. What used to be an island is now a peninsula, joined to North Holland by a dike in 1957. Before that, the surrounding Zuiderzee became a freshwater lake when the Afsluitdijk dam was completed in 1932, ending Marken’s fishing trade. This …
On the Belgian border in Limburg, the origins of the white village of Thorn go back to the last quarter of the 10th century when it was founded as a Benedictine abbey. This was a monastery for noble women, but also its own principality with all kinds of privileges. For 500 years Thorn was able …
One of a long string of shorefront communities along SR A1A in Brevard County, Indian Harbour Beach is in a wonderful spot. First, there’s the Atlantic shore, with public beach parks here and in neighboring cities. You can come to swim, surf, unwind on the sand, or watch the sun come up, which is an …
In the 17th and 18th century the shipping industry made a fortune for the people of Hindeloopen. At that time this town, with a fleet of 100 ships, even developed its own style of dress and interior design. Where Hindeloopen was once on a bay of the North Sea (the Zuiderzee), in the early-1930s the …
A city of 30,000 in Friesland, Heerenveen has a sporting prowess that belies its modest size. Thialf, the Netherlands’ top speed skating arena is here, and this is big news in a nation that leaves all competition trailing on the ice. The local football team , SC Heerenveen will forever be synonymous with the famed …
This ever-growing city is the largest urban centre in Gelderland’s Achterhoek region. Doetinchem’s streetscape is modern, after devastating bombing raids by Allied forces at the close of the Second World War. The central Sint-Catherinakerk was quickly rebuilt and has some historic furnishings and a Medieval font discovered during the restoration. The Stadsmuseum is an excellent …
This ever-expanding city in Central Florida is on the eastern shore of the lake of the same name. Lake Minneola is in the Clermont Chain of Lakes, stretching down to Lake Louisa where there’s a spellbinding state park to visit. Until the second half of the 20th century much of the landscape was made up …
South of Brussels and just on the Flemish side of the boundary between Flanders and Wallonia, Halle is an endearing city around a white Gothic church. For a few short weeks around April people flock here when the Hallerbos forest is bedded with bluebells as far as the eye can see. You need to be …
Even older than Amsterdam, Doesburg is a fortified city where the Oude IJssel flows into Gelderse IJssel, a branch of the Rhine. In Medieval times trade on the IJssel was booming, and during this period Doesburg was the economic capital of a region called the Doesburg Quarter, part of the larger Zutphen Quarter. The IJssel …
Anchored on both banks of the Dyle River, Wavre is a small city in Walloon Brabant not far from the boundary with Flanders. In the 1970s Wavre was put on the tourist map with the opening of Walibi Belgium, an amusement park bursting with innovative rides, complete with a water park. Wavre is often known …