Western Europe

Heeswijk Castle near Den Bosch

Heeswijk Castle near Den Bosch

I’ve written about two contrasting castles in the Netherlands before: Muiderslot and Castle de Haar. Muiderslot is the archetypal medieval castle: square with towers in each corner and crenellated walls between them. Castle de Haar, on the other hand, is far more ornate. Meant to look medieval, only more so, it was actually built in…

Kinderdijk or Zaanse Schans?

Kinderdijk or Zaanse Schans?

You’re visiting Holland, so of course, you want to see windmills. While windmills dot the countryside all over the Netherlands, Kinderdijk and Zaanse Schans are two popular places for viewing windmills and seeing inside them. I wrote about a visit to Zaanse Schans a couple of years ago. North of Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans has a…

UNESCO Sites in Switzerland

UNESCO Sites in Switzerland

The following is a guest post written by Anna Timbrook. All around the world, UNESCO promotes peace through conserving and protecting monuments, museums, and places of interest in history, science, nature, and the arts. The culture and natural beauty of Switzerland are recognized at a variety of sites from old castles to vineyards, and of…