daytrip

A Magnificent Museum and the Enchanted City of Cuenca, Spain

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A Magnificent Museum and the Enchanted City of Cuenca, Spain

In between Madrid in the centre of Spain and Valencia on the East coast lies Cuenca, an eagle’s nest between 2 rivers.

There are just a few tourist highlights in Cuenca to be seen, for instance, the Cathedral and the so-called Hanging Houses, but the old city as a whole is fantastic. It is stuck on a mountaintop, sandwiched between 2 gorges carved out by the rivers Huécar and Júcar.

That and our favourite Spanish museum, Museo de Arte Abstracto Español, make a visit more than valuable for us. All the more now we have heard of yet another touristic highlight: The Enchanted City.

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What to See in Antwerp, Belgium, Including Unknown Hot Spots

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What to See in Antwerp, Belgium, Including Unknown Hot Spots

In the Netherlands, we lived 5 miles from the Belgium border. Crossing the border really meant crossing a frontier, despite that small distance.

As soon as you are in the neighbourhood of the border you can see that the street is different (ask any professional cyclist – Belgian cobblestone roads are famous), the houses are built with materials we don’t use in the Netherlands and on a back road it even shows that nature looks different. In the Netherlands everything is clean-cut, Belgium is cozier.

For Tom and me, Antwerp was closer than Amsterdam, so if we wanted to sniff some culture we usually went there. What to see in Antwerp? There is a lot of variety and the terraces are great!

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7 Beautiful and Photogenic Places of Interest in Murcia, Spain

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7 Beautiful and Photogenic Places of Interest in Murcia, Spain

On a first superficial look at the province of Murcia in Spain, you might judge this as a place of little significance. Some parts are even ugly and I sure have mixed feelings about the area where I live.

If you are able to see the beauty in ugly things, there are a lot of places of interest in Murcia. If I look with my photographic eye, I see the beauty of the blossoms and (almost) forget about the poison that is sprayed on them.

No way to forget the ugliness of the chemical industry in the neighbourhood of Cartagena but still I can enjoy the lines and colours of the machinery.

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National Park Hoge Veluwe, the Netherlands, Definitely Worth a Visit

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National Park Hoge Veluwe, the Netherlands, Definitely Worth a Visit

Years ago my husband and I were finally able to take a day off (we had the worst bosses ever – we were both solo entrepreneurs) and decided we wanted to have a combination of culture, nature, exercise and fun. Preferably all in one place.

We could have gone to Insel Hombroich just across the border of Germany, but another great place where you can have it all is National Park Hoge Veluwe. It’s located in the east of the Netherlands and even on that winter’s day it was beautiful.

Cars are allowed in the park but are strongly discouraged by an additional charge on the entrance fee. If you have no difficulty moving, it is better to park the car at one of the entrances and continue on foot or by bicycle. This way you save nature and you see more details of the park.

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Is the Remote Situated Kröller-Müller Museum Worth Visiting?

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Is the Remote Situated Kröller-Müller Museum Worth Visiting?

Most tourists visit Amsterdam or the Randstad region when they go to the Netherlands. There is nothing wrong with that because both the city and the area have a lot to show.

Personally, I don’t like crowds much myself, so when I still lived in the Netherlands I usually went to other parts of the country.

I have always found the Hoge Veluwe National Park and the Kröller-Müller Museum worth visiting. In every season, although we were longer inside the museum in the winter and spent more time outdoors in the summer.

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Zollverein Essen and More Industrial Heritage in the Crammed Ruhr Area

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Zollverein Essen and More Industrial Heritage in the Crammed Ruhr Area

Despite the industrialization of the area my favourite place to go was the Ruhr area in Germany. When I still lived in the Netherlands, it was a car journey of 1,5 hours from our house. 

The area became the “European Capital of Culture” in 2010. This meant a facelift for a region that had been a dirty, neglected orphan since the mines and steel industry slowly came to a halt.

There are a lot of interesting places nowadays, but my favourites are Insel Hombroich and Zollverein Essen.

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Insel Hombroich, a Stunning Place of Art, Architecture and Nature 

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Insel Hombroich, a Stunning Place of Art, Architecture and Nature

When I still lived in the Netherlands, Insel Hombroich was a car journey of 1,5 hours from our house. I have visited the location often with friends and family and it was a favourite day out for my staff and me.

An average museum visit lasts between one and two hours. Visiting Insel Hombroich can easily take up a whole day. One of the reasons why it is perfect for a short getaway.

The area is a breathtaking landscape full of little buildings, beautiful vegetation, and most of all a lot of art in all disciplines and genres.

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