It’s been a while since we talked about travel here! Since I got back from my world tour, I haven’t posted any more articles about my travels… And yet it’s not for lack of having continued to travel: Germany, Mexico, London, Baie de Somme, Morocco, Belgium, Andalusia… But I don’t know, maybe the desire to share on this subject was no longer there at the time!
So here I am back with a new article about our first road trip outside of France with Ysé, our daughter born at the end of August and who was 2 1/2 months old during this trip.
This time we decided to discover the Netherlands by trying to go a little outside the classic Amsterdam, already because we had done it in 2015 , but especially also because of the price of accommodation! Crazy…
So we decided to explore other places instead: Rotterdam, The Hague and some very characteristic cities of the Netherlands ( #clichés ).
BABY GEAR
A little baby gear update is not expensive and it could perhaps help parents looking for an escape but panicked by the baby suitcase, by the fear of missing something. I assure you, even as minimalists, we did not lack anything and at worst we had everything on site!
Over 5 days and 4 nights, this is what we took for Ysé:
– a Yoyo stroller
– a cozy car seat
– a travel cot (which was only useful for the last 2 nights because there was no cot available in the second accommodation, so we could have done without it if we had found another accommodation)
– 5 bodysuits / 2 pajamas / 5 outfits / 1 pair of slippers / 3 pairs of socks / 1 hat / 1 pilot suit / 1 sleeping bag / 1 bib
– a diaper bag with essentials when you are outside
– diapers / liniment / physiological serum / washable cottons / washing gel
– 2 boxes of milk / 4 bottles
– the baby carrier (which has never been used)
We didn’t take her deckchair or any toys because she wouldn’t lack stimulation with everything we were going to discover.
In the end, all his stuff fit into Raphael’s suitcase and we were able to fit everything into the trunk of the Fiat 500 we had rented. A life-size Tetris!
KID’S DAY
What a great discovery! We knew that a place full of mills and classified as a UNESCO world heritage site was not going to be the quietest in the Netherlands… And yet! Since the visit to the mills ends at 4 p.m., many people think that the site closes at 4 p.m., but not at all! The site is open all the time!
So we disembarked at 3:30 p.m., we visited the mills straight away and there were only 10 of us left on the whole site. We then witnessed an absolutely magnificent sunset over the mills!
The visit to the mills is super cool because everything is preserved inside and you can easily imagine the daily life of the families living there. When I think that this magnificent site, considered old-fashioned decades ago, was preserved because the Queen of the Netherlands said no way for its destruction. God save the queen!
FYI it’s only 1 hour from Amsterdam.
▶︎ MY ADVICE: disembark at 3:30 p.m., visit the two mills first, then stroll along the walking path to the sound of the wind in the reeds.
GOUDA
Ok, this couldn’t be more cliché!
And to really experience it to the fullest you have to go on Wednesday morning during the market: it’s the Gouda fiesta! And I had no idea there were so many kinds!! It’s crazy: with tomato, pesto, honey, fig, rum…
We tasted some 3 year old standard and I have to say it’s much better than I imagined.
Beyond the “we come here to eat cheese” aspect, the city is really superb. Lots of little canals everywhere, pretty little houses, everyone on bikes…it’s very reminiscent of a mini Amsterdam.
▶︎ MY ADVICE: go there on Wednesday morning to really experience the local folklore, which is certainly very touristy.
▶︎ THE RIGHT ADDRESS: a very cute vegan restaurant, in a quiet area where you can eat very well; also offers a small grocery store with vegan products and utensils/zero waste products.
Your Foodprint
Long Trail 44
2801 KJ Gouda
ROTTERDAM
This is not what I liked most about our stay because unfortunately, the city having been almost completely razed during the Second World War, it is very modern and only a very small old quarter has survived.
However, there are still some things to see, including the Market Hall, a huge hall filled with food stands from all over the world (obviously I liked it); and the port of Rotterdam, the largest in Europe, which we visited by boat. Super impressive and scary at the same time. It is 45 km long (no but 45 what!!) and it is one of the most polluted places in the Netherlands. There were cargo ships everywhere, hangars as far as the eye could see… It made me want to consume local products even more and limit my purchases from globalization.
▶︎ MY ADVICE: even if you are not a fan of industrial places and if you have a little time, go take a look at the port of Rotterdam: it is unique and it puts your ideas back in place!
▶︎ THE RIGHT ADDRESS: as usual we like to stay in apartments rather than hotels and with our baby it allows us to have a certain organization like at home; here is a good address that allows you to go shopping in zero waste mode at the Market Hall located right next door and cook in your apartment while having a splendid view of the city (moreover they provide a baby bed for free).
Urban Residence
Hennekijnstraat 104
3012 EB Rotterdam
DELFT
The world famous blue and white porcelain is made here!
In truth, they mostly copied what they had seen in the Asian colonies in the 18th century in order to reduce shipping costs and adapted it to their own style with mills and clogs as illustrations. But it remains a meticulous and magical work to watch.
I loved visiting this place, the Royal Delft Manufactory and discovering each step of this handmade work. It’s not really the decoration that I would put in my home, but it made me think about the importance of putting people back at the heart of our purchases. When I saw the prices in the store I almost fainted (€150 for a coaster …), but just after I remembered that the problem is not the high estimated price, but the fact that we are so used to buying objects without flavor or history for nothing and which we will get rid of without qualms (thank you IKEA), that paying for something durable at the “right price” and which rewards a long work seems impossible to us…
The city of Delft is very pretty to visit with its canals and small streets and all these pretty blue and white shops.
▶︎ MY ADVICE: we missed the big sale of Delft porcelain at knockdown prices at the Royal Manufactory by 1 day! If you have the opportunity, don’t hesitate to inquire to fall right on the weekend when the party is taking place at the factory and thus allow you to access some pretty pieces at a tiny price.
▶︎ THE RIGHT ADDRESS: a pretty restaurant on the edge of the canals where all the decor is made from recycled furniture and objects; on the menu some vegan/gluten-free options including a sandwich/burger so good that I thought I was going to fall head over heels!
‘T Post Office
Hippolytus Street 14
2611 HN Delft
THE HAGUE
Truly a very nice city to discover, very soft and cozy, with pretty library cafés, small alleys and above all just a few minutes by car or bike from the seaside resort of Scheveningen.
We stayed in an apartment in the hipster, bohemian Zeeheldenkwartier neighborhood. I recommend this area because it has some nice places to eat, some alternative shops (I stumbled upon a local Emmaus with so many cool things to find!) and old houses to admire.
The Hague is also home to the Mauritshius Museum, where Vermeer’s famous painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring” is exhibited. I have to say that it’s quite something to see it in real life. Although I’m not a huge fan of Flemish painting, the rest of the museum is magnificent and the paintings leave no one indifferent.
We also came across a great restaurant that only offers dishes made from unsold food from the city’s stores. When we arrived, one of the restaurant employees was returning from her recycling tour with her fully loaded cargo bike! This place also organizes workshops to teach children how to cook healthily and not waste food. Top top top!
▶︎ MY ADVICE: go for a walk to the seaside resort of Scheveningen on Sundays, because it’s the meeting place for the local Dutch and if you’re like me there’s plenty to observe and get an idea of what life is like here!
▶︎ THE RIGHT ADDRESS: the great 100% zero waste restaurant where everything is cooked from the city’s unsold food.
In Stock
Buitenhof 36
2513 AH The Hague
And you, have you already visited the Netherlands?
Do you have any other good tips or addresses to share?
