Travelling Simply

Travel recommendations, ideas and observations from two simple travellers

Tag: driving holidays (Page 3 of 3)

Four fantastic cities to visit in The Netherlands

29/09/2019 / / 2 Comments

Our driving route in The Netherlands was inspired by a river cruise route

We are not ready for a river cruise and we want to see some of the smaller towns in Holland so we decided to drive part of the route on our way to Luxemburg parallel to the river route.

Our arrival was through Belgium. We had collected our car in Paris and made our way through northwestern France, Belgium and into The Netherlands for six days.

Not wanting to spend all our time in the bigger cities, we had researched some smaller towns to stop and spend time in:

  • Kinderdijk
  • Amersfoort
  • Thorn; and
  • Maastricht

Kinderdijk

Kinderdijk arrived on our list while we were deciding our first stop on the way to Amsterdam. A dull day was instantly brightened by the pretty towns and villages of southern Holland. Doorsteps were brimming pots filled with colourful flowers, as were the gardens.

Cyclists were ambling along the bicycle paths along the banks of waterways and along trails among the dykes. A small space in between some houses gave us our first glimpse. Not one, but half a dozen traditional windmills dotted around the countryside.

Rounding the corner past the village that we saw the extent of the complex. Nineteen working windmills set a typical postcard scene of the Dutch countryside.

On a cloudy afternoon, there were many visitors like us at the UNESCO World Heritage site. There are now pathways to walk or cycle for a close up look at the windmills and learn how the Netherlands has used them to drain their soil for habitation and cultivation for over a thousand years and the important part they still play today in a country where so much of the land is below sea level.

We recommend a visit to see these icons whether it be a day trip from Amsterdam or Rotterdam. Kinderdijk is 100km from Amsterdam and 25km from Rotterdam.

Kinderdijk windmills

Amersfoort

Amersfoort in central Holland has a quaint Old Town. Surrounded by a circular network of canals, we found the Old Town full of medieval buildings, small canals and alleyways opening into squares. It was easy to walk around and relatively people free during our visit. After the maddening crowds of Amsterdam, it was pleasant to take ourselves away from the tourist track and step back in time. There are several significant museums in the city, however, we were happy to wander and take in the atmosphere of the Old Town at our leisure.

Make a stop if you are driving from Amsterdam to Utrecht or further on.

Amersfoort

Thorn

Located in southern Holland, many come to see the extraordinary little “white town” of Thorn and to bicycle along the canals and around the town’s countryside. It was a sunny day, which made the whitewashed houses of Thorn even more impressive.

Most of the visitors were Dutch which made it even more special for us. Not a tour bus or group in sight. We were chuffed to have found this exclusive place which wasn’t overcrowded with tourists.

The town is not just scenic. It has a rich history back to the 10th century and, there is a story about why the houses are white. A beautiful abbey, established as a monastery for noblewomen is a centre point for the town and a wander down a tree-lined path at the end of the town takes you past country homes to a waterway lookout.

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Maastricht

We added Maastricht to our itinerary in the early stages of planning. The city appears on a number of river cruise itineraries.

Not only does the city have a history which dates back to the Neanderthals, but it also holds a place in modern history; the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in the city in 1992 lead to the creation of the European Union.

We put aside a couple of full days to stay and explore. The city was easy to walk around, we did not see any tour buses or groups during our stay and, not a riverboat came into sight on our walks along the riverbanks. We strolled through the town, along the narrow streets and squares on both sides of the Maas River while locals went about the daily business. There was plenty of people-watching and a walking tour with a local Greeter provided us with an insight into the history behind the churches, historic buildings and life in one of the oldest cities in Holland.

It was definitely worth stopping to stay than merely passing through on a day visit.

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Interested in including one or more of these cities on your itinerary? Look for more in-depth blogs on each city with our recommendations on what to see and do. Coming soon.

Visiting Croatia? Be sure to include Zagreb in your itinerary

14/07/2019 / / 0 Comments

We clear Croatian border control and follow our trusty GPS, acres of fields and pastures flanking us on both sides of the road. The signage is clear and we continue our leisurely pace enjoying the scenery.

We know we are close to the city as the traffic becomes heavier but are surprised when the GPS suddenly comes to life, reminding us that our turn is up ahead. Why are we surprised? We have booked to stay in the centre of the city and there is no sign of city life even though the GPS tells us we are only a couple of kilometres from our destination!

“You have arrived at your destination on your right”, says the confident voice of the GPS as we pull up in front of a small farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. The address list is retrieved from the bag. Yes, we have plugged in the right address! If all else fails, enter the GPS coordinates and this confirms our suspicions; we are still another 30 minutes from our destination!

The Croatian capital city, Zagreb, is often bypassed by travellers who are lured to the popular cities of Split and Dubrovnik and an island or two off the coast for the ultimate Croatian experience.

We second guess ourselves as we drive into the city passing row upon row of utilitarian apartment buildings from the communist era. The roads are wide and easy to navigate but there doesn’t seem to be any old-world charm in sight.

Early impressions are quickly dispelled when a turn or two later, we are in the heart of Donji Grad, Zagreb’s historic Lower Town. Our host, “call me Porchca” is waiting to guide us into the no access area and into the apartment’s private parking area. We are not disappointed by our choice of accommodation, it is a spacious and cosy apartment just metres away from cafes and restaurants and beautiful green spaces. Bustling Jelacic Square is only a few hundred metres further.

Our highlights (in no particular order):

  • Enjoying outdoor music and activity in Park Zrinjevac, a beautiful green space in the Lower Town and just metres from our apartment which has been transformed into a night festival with food stalls and live music. No crowds and very family-friendly.
Park Zrinjevac

Summer festival in Park Zrinjevac

  • Watching international performers entertain larger audiences with classical concerts and dancing on the main stage in Jelacic Square.
Jelacic Square, Zagreb, Croatia

Evening entertainment in Jelacic Square

  • A morning walk to the expansive Maksimir Park in the middle of Zagreb through the streets and local markets peeking into doorways and shops along the way. An opportunity to observe the people of Zagreb go about their daily business. We remember a lovely older woman stopping to make sure we were okay as we tried to reorientate ourselves in a marketplace. She spoke no English and us, no Croatian.
  • An afternoon exploring Gornji Grad (Upper Town), strolling along the almost empty cobblestone streets and similarly empty St Mark’s Square allowing us to appreciate the beautiful St Mark’s Church and its multi-coloured tiled roof.
St Mark's Church, St Mark's Square, Gornji Grad, Zagreb,Croatia

St Mark’s Church with its distinctive tiled roof

  • People watching around the vibrant Dolac fruit and vegetable market.
Dolac Markets, Zagreb

The wonderful array of fresh produce at the markets

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  • A visit to the Museum of Broken Relationships. Set in a baroque palace in the Upper Town. The brainchild of a couple who remained friends after their own relationship had broken down, the couple started collecting anonymous donations of relics from Zagreb residents whose relationships had suffered a similar fate and created this interesting concept. Sounds a little quirky but well worth a visit.

Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb, Croatia

For a capital city, Zagreb still maintains a small-town feel and without the usual summer crush of tourists, we were able to wander about the Lower and Upper Towns freely.

All in all our time in Zagreb was a greater pleasure than Split or Dubrovnik.

P.S. – Our recommendations:

Located in the heart of the Lower Town, Apartment Atrium Plaza was the perfect place to stay. Newly renovated, clean and spacious, within walking distance of all attractions, numerous dining options outside the secure compound and superb hosts.

Exploring the streets a short distance from Park Zrinjevac, we found a wonderful place to have dinner. Heritage serves traditional Croatian food in the form of street food. Their menu offers the opportunity to try dishes from all the regions in Croatians accompanied by local wines and craft beers.

Have a spare day to kill? Take a day trip to the charming city of Ljubljana in Slovenia only two hours away by car and about the same by train. Explore the old city known for its beautiful bridges, green spaces, lively marketplace and Romanesque architecture. Then, take a leisurely drive back to Zagreb on the back roads which wind through some of the most picturesque scenery we have seen in Europe.

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Why we love to drive. Are you ready to join us on the journey?

19/06/2018 / / 4 Comments

Preparations for our next travel and driving adventure are almost complete.

Setting our plan some months ago, we researched our destinations and thought we had come up with a pretty good driving route. We made sure our driving days would be leisurely and not too long. Most importantly, we must arrive at our destination before nightfall.

Over the months we have dedicated a great deal of time to read about our destinations, thought a little more about where we would like to dedicate more time (a hard decision to make as we would like to stay a little longer everywhere) and have made tweaks to our driving route. Our plan is now firm.

All this time and effort and we haven’t taken off yet! We could just sit back and enjoy the journey gazing through a coach or train window or let a tour operator determine our itinerary.

  • Pretty Calabrian village
    Lunch stop: a pretty Calabrian village

Here are 10 reasons why we choose to self-drive:

  1. We enjoy learning about where we are travelling to and when tailoring our own itinerary, we learn much more about everywhere we are going to.
  2. We decide when to leave. Unless it’s going to be a long driving day, we can still enjoy a morning walk to have a last look around the city or town before we hit the road. There is no 7am bags outside the hotel room, breakfast and on the coach at 8am for us.
  3. The backroads are more interesting to drive along than aiming to get from point A to B on a busy motorway. Just driving through little villages which lie off the beaten track can be enlightening.
  4. We get to pick where to stop for a coffee or lunch break. There are so many beautiful towns to pass through when we take the “toll-free” route. No stopping at a busy service area on the side of a motorway to line up at the restrooms, grab a quick bite to eat and gulp down a drink for us.
  5. There is always the opportunity for unplanned and spontaneous diversions. Sometimes someone we’ve met in the previous town has recommended an attraction devoid of tourists. How often we see something from the road then turn off the road to have a look.
  6. We love to turn on the radio and listen to local music. It’s an opportunity to move out of our comfort zone and listen to something new even if we can’t understand a word.
  7. We can randomly stop at the side of the road to enjoy a stunning view or taste grapes straight off the grapevine – the vineyards are often not fenced off!
  8. There’s no drifting off to sleep by the gentle roll of a coach or the clacking of a train on the tracks. We’re wide awake, there is so much to see.
  9. We have the pleasure of interacting with local people; even if it’s just to see the fear in their eyes when they realise you are unused to driving on the wrong side of the road. A smile, nod and a wave are sometimes all it takes.
  10. We get to drive a brand new car – a make which we have no intention to buy at home.

And so, for us, the first day on the road will be a little daunting. We’ll have to familiarise ourselves with driving on the “wrong” side of the road again. There is no doubt, we will be the slowest car in the “slow” lane. And, as much as we would like to, we won’t always be able to reach our destinations by the back roads.

We’ll get used to drivers honking their car horns at us! But we know that, unlike our drivers at home who honk and gesticulate loudly to show their displeasure when a driver makes an unintentional driving error, their European counterparts are just letting us know that they are coming up behind us ready to overtake. It’s not road rage, it’s part of the driving culture in Europe. Honk honk. “Hi, it’s Tony. I’m just about to overtake you on this blind corner. Wish me luck!”

And, even though we will have instructed our trusty GPS to avoid “no vehicle” and inner-city congestion charge zones, we’ll still somehow end up driving straight down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace!

  • arcdetriumph
    Driving yourself means you can drive around the Arc de Triumph as many times as you want!

Driving yourself means you can drive around the Arc de Triumph as many times as you want!

Travel is an adventure. We could just sit back and let someone else do the driving but there is no adventure in that!

We’ll be sharing our journey on Facebook and Instagram if you’d like to join us on our driving adventure. Follow us via the links above to make sure you don’t miss our “snap of the day” as we explore parts of eastern Europe.

  • A brand new car!
    A brand new car!

One more thing …

If you’re travelling in Europe, look out for cars with the distinctive pink numberplate. They are travellers like us who lease their vehicle. More info on why and our preferred supplier here. We hope to see you on one of the many spectacular backroads in Europe.

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