Rotterdam has one of the biggest ports in the world and this explains its dynamism and the flow of different cultures and immigrants. It is, indeed, where I most saw foreigners, – more than in Amsterdam – settling themselves, either because of work (expatriates) or nations that for one reason or another grasped the opportunity that a big city offers.
I have already imagined myself living in Den Haag inumerous times, not only because the cost of living is infinitely lower than the capital Amsterdam, but also because it has a very special personality, far from a certain chaos that inhabits Amsterdam. If I were living there, these would be the places I would certainly most often go to:
It was love at first sight. It has a very peculiar charm, with a countryside feeling, but full of pomp like a big city. It is difficult to explain what delighted me the most in this city that may be considered one of the most important ones in Holland, together with Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Any city that is clearly growing has new restaurants opening one after the other. But what makes a restaurant cool can’t be just its food. It is the ambience, the service, the way the staff make their customers feel good, the décor. Here is my list of favorite restaurants, some are new, others, not so much.
Amsterdam is the opposite of a consumerist city and influenced by regions such as Denmark, Sweden and Finland. The most interesting ones are small multibrand stores dedicated to items ranging from clothing to home accessories and cosmetics. It's where we find an excellent birthday gift for a friend or a treat for ourselves.
The way the Dutch have been interacting with food is completely different from what it was four years ago. And way much better! I apologize to my Dutch friends, but the truth is their gastronomy used to be one of the less appealing in the world. Some food habits are hard to understand, but they justify this issue.
I'm learning to cherish and love Amsterdam again. It's a difficult statement to admit, but I have lost that ebullience which made me want to be nowhere else but here. For a long time I have struggled to praise this place through the same sparkling eyes that once made me fall in love with it.
