North Holland
Visit North Holland for Haarlem Zandvoort Beach Amsterdam
North Holland is one of the Netherlands 12 provinces, located in the North West of the country. Although Amsterdam, the country’s capital, is located in North Holland the provincial capital is Haarlem. The province runs along the North Sea coast providing beautiful beaches and idyllic cities.
For more information on Amsterdam, read my Amsterdam post here.
Haarlem was never on my itinerary and I had never actually heard of Zandvoort but lucky for us, a colleague offered to take my husband and I out for the day. We are so glad we accepted as this was one of the best days we had in the Netherlands. After meeting up with the couple at Amsterdam Centraal Station, we set off for a very busy, enjoyable day. The train headed west to Zandvoort and the beach. Zandvoort is on the North Sea coast, an off-shoot of the Atlantic Ocean. It was a cool and rainy day but I love the water, especially the unpredictability of oceans and like so many Europeans, a little rain does not stop us enjoying the beach.
Although probably not as busy as usual, there were still plenty of people on the water, either boating or kitesurfing and we even watched a surfing lesson in action. We walked along the beach up to the Ferris Wheel, avoiding the jelly fish and enjoyed the company and our surroundings, then turned back to head to Thalassa Beach restaurant for a fabulous authentic Dutch lunch.
This lunch was probably one of my favourite meals in the Netherlands with the exception of dinner this same day! I was happy our hosts took control and ordered for us and I thoroughly enjoyed the spread laid before us. Not sure where to start, I just picked up the Kroketten, a croquette filled with a shredded meat ragout and thick roux, formed into a cylinder, breaded and deep fried. Often served with rye bread and always with mustard. Superb. This was followed by Bitterballen, very similar to the Kroketten but shaped liked balls and usually eaten on their own, but don’t forget the mustard! More deliciousness. Next was Kibberling, the Dutch version of fried fish so, obviously, served with chips and coleslaw. All was washed down with a lovely cold beer. Not one to diet on vacation, I enjoyed every bite!
Looking around the restaurant, I was surprised at the clientele, not the people, the adorable dogs. Apparently dogs in restaurant are a thing.
After an amazing morning on the beach and a very filling and scrumptious lunch, we got back on the train and headed into Haarlem, the capital of North Holland. The city dates back to the 13th century and became rich on tolls collected from the water traffic. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Amsterdam, only 17 miles away, became the transportation hub and Haarlem became a quiet, residential city. There are still many medieval buildings to be found in Haarlem and thankfully, they are protected as National Historical buildings.
One of the historical buildings is the city hall in Grote Markt, the central square of the city. City Hall was built in the 14th century. Next to this stunning building is the Grote Kerk, otherwise known as St. Bavokerk, once a catholic church, now a reformed Protestant church. Originally dating back to the early 1300’s, this church, like so many other wooden structures, burnt down and was rebuilt in the late 1400’s. Just another beautiful Gothic church we saw in Europe. I never tire of seeing these masterpieces.
We experienced the private backlot tour of Haarlem, down small back streets and admiring old, original buildings and enjoyed a drink at a quiet cafe sidewalk patio which are all activities my husband and I thrive on. Taking in the sights, watching people and sharing it all with good friends.
I mentioned dinner earlier and stated that it was probably my favourite meal in the Netherlands. My husband and I were celebrating our anniversary and our friends asked if we liked cheese. If you have read any of my other posts, you are well aware that my husband loves cheese! There is an incredible restaurant in Haarlem, In’t Goede Uur, which translates to, The Good Hour. I believe we spent more than an hour here but it was definitely good. We enjoyed the most amazing cheese fondue and great wine all shared with our now life-long friends. This is one of the oldest restaurants in Haarlem and is very quirky inside. Nothing is level and the trip up and down the stairs to the restroom should not be done after a few glasses of wine! It was a perfect ending to an absolutely amazing day.
An amazing day spent in North Holland and I am eternally grateful to our friends for being the best guides and showing us places we never would have found on our own. Throughout the rest of the trip, my husband and I would reminisce about this day and we talk about it often ,especially thankful we were able to visit before the pandemic hit the world.
If you are in Amsterdam for a few days, take a day trip to the west coast and Haarlem.
