The Netherlands is a densely populated country in part reclaimed from the sea with about half of its land lying below sea level. Many tourist only come to the Netherlands to visit Amsterdam. But Holland has plenty to offer outside its capital. Crisscrossed with canals, the flat landscape is perfect for cycling with historic town centers and classic windmills sprinkled across the country. During springtime the flower gardens become great tourist attractions providing a bold spectacle of vivid colors. Here’s a look at the best places to visit in the Netherlands.
Category Archives: Culture
Travel & Archaeology: ‘Terracotta Warriors’ in Xi’an, China (4K Video)
The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE with the purpose of protecting the emperor in his afterlife.
There Are 8,000 Known Terracotta Warriors. But Archaeologists in China Just Found More Than 200 Others. The discovery helps paint a clearer picture of how the Chinese military once operated.
Xi’an is a large city and capital of Shaanxi Province in central China. Once known as Chang’an (Eternal Peace), it marks the Silk Road’s eastern end and was home to the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties’ ruling houses. At archaeological sites in Xi’an’s surrounding plains are the famed Bingmayong (Terra Cotta Army), thousands of life-size, hand-molded figures buried with China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang.
Travel Tour: ‘Welcome To Afghanistan’ (BBC Video)
Afghanistan was once a firm fixture on the backpacker trail, but decades of war and violence have crossed it off the destination list for almost all tourists. Most governments advise against travel there. But American blogger Drew Binksy is one traveller bucking the trend. He says he has a coronavirus test before travelling to new countries, and follows local measures in the places he visits.
Video produced by the BBC’s Suhrab Sirat and Kawoon Khamoosh
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. Afghanistan is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south; Iran to the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan to the north; and China to the northeast.
New Magazines: ‘Monocle December / January 2021’
Our annual Soft Power Survey reveals the countries whose cultural ambassadors, diplomatic missions, skilled messaging and tasty food have seen them make the grade in 2020. The December/January double issue also looks ahead to a new era of US foreign policy, goes on a culinary tour of Switzerland and wraps up in the season’s coolest coats. Available now at The Monocle Shop: https://monocle.com/shop/product/1849…
Travel In The Cotswolds: ‘Stroud To Tetbury’ (Video)
We’re continuing our journey south in this episode, having been to Painswick and the Slad Valley in episode five. We begin in Stroud, and move through the golden valley to Minchinhampton, high up on the escarpment and then down to Cirencester, before moving through Malmesbury and onto Tetbury.
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in the centre of Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. Situated below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills at the meeting point of the Five Valleys, the town is noted for its steep streets, independent spirit and cafe culture.
Tetbury is a town and civil parish inside the Cotswold district in England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681.
Culinary Travel: ‘Street Food’ In Dubai, UAE (Video)
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates known for luxury shopping, ultramodern architecture and a lively nightlife scene. Burj Khalifa, an 830m-tall tower, dominates the skyscraper-filled skyline. At its foot lies Dubai Fountain, with jets and lights choreographed to music. On artificial islands just offshore is Atlantis, The Palm, a resort with water and marine-animal parks.
This is our 2nd video from our STREET FOOD in DUBAI series. This time we are taking you to some of the BEST local restaurants and street foods that Dubai has to offer! We are starting the day with a delicious Egyptian hummus with beef and pine nuts and specialty foul (fava beans) at a shop called Foul w Hummus. They serve unlimited bread and a dish of pickles with the dishes. This restaurant has amazing quality food for a good price. Those that can’t afford the food can eat for free. After breakfast, we visited the Public Beach. It is a great place to view the Burj Al Arab, but also locals and tourists visit to swim, surf and enjoy the weather. It was especially nice in December, where it wasn’t too hot. For lunch, we visited a famous restaurant for seafood. Bu Qtair specialized in fish and prawns. The fresh fish and prawns are marinated in a mixture of spices and then are fried. They are served with rice and a curry. Next, we head to the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world) which is one of Dubai’s top attraction. The Burj Khalifa has unobstructed views over Dubai, but is quite expensive to enter. We recommend seeing it from the base, which is free and equally awesome. For dinner, we head to a restaurant which has a reputation for having the BEST Pakistani food in Dubai, Ravi Restaurant. There are many dishes to try, but we chose to try their dal fry, mutton Peshawari and chicken tikka. The naan served with the meal was DELICIOUS! Finally for dessert, we wanted to try an Emirati specialty – luqaimat. Luqaimat are small balls of dough which are fried until golden brown. You can get a variety of toppings, but the traditional topping is a thick date syrup and sesame seeds. These are served across the UAE, but we visited the shop in Global Village. This isn’t the most authentic version, but it was interesting to watch the women make this dessert.
Culinary Travel: ‘Tagine At Ouzoud Falls’ In Azilal, Central Morocco (Video)
We visited Ouzoud Waterfall in Azilal.
Ouzoud Falls is the collective name for several waterfalls that empty into the El-Abid River’s gorge. This popular tourism destination is located near the Middle Atlas village of Tanaghmeilt, in the province of Azilal, 150 km northeast of Marrakech, Morocco. ‘Ouzoud’ means “the act of grinding grain” in Berber.
Books: ‘Forbidden City – The Palace at the Heart of Chinese Culture’ (Video)
For more than six centuries, the Forbidden City has awed all those who have travelled from near and far to explore its 900 golden-roofed buildings, set amid moats, gardens, and plazas, where thousands of people lived and worked in service of the world’s largest and most sophisticated pre-modern empire. Marco Polo called it “the greatest Palace that ever was;” Simon Leys praised its architectural genius; and Franz Kafka viewed it as an impressive yet alarming symbol of power.
In this compelling addition to Assouline’s Ultimate Collection, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ian Johnson guides readers through the magnificent and storied palace built by China’s Yongle Emperor to serve as the seat of the Ming dynasty. Weaving in history and events of the past six centuries and featuring more than 100 photographs, artworks, and historical artifacts, this luxury tome conjures life in this imperial sphere—a small city unto itself, in which soldiers, eunuchs, concubines, and merchants resided alongside the royalty they served. A stunning homage to the grand beauty of one of the most complex structures in all of history, Forbidden City reveals that 600 years after its construction, this royal monument endures as the physical and spiritual heart of Chinese civilization. This volume is presented in a regal, glossy red box reminiscent of traditional Chinese lacquerware, and that features a delicately carved map of the Forbidden City’s grounds.
Travel & Culture Tours: ‘South Iwate, Japan’ (Video)
Iwate Prefecture may be known as a place devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, but it’s coming back better and stronger than ever.
Iwate is a large prefecture on the northeastern coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island. The southern city of Hiraizumi contains a rich architectural legacy from its period as a political center in the 11th and 12th centuries, including Chūson-ji Temple and the adjacent Mōtsū-ji Temple. Northeast, the city of Tōno was the birthplace of many folk tales, now recounted in traditional surrounds at its Old Tales Village.
Walking Tour: Hakka Earth Buildings In Fujian Province, China (Video)
The Fujian Hakka Earth Buildings are a design of building where people belonging to the same clan live together, with the added function of defense. Yongding County and Nanjing County in Fujian Province have the greatest concentration of Fujian Hakka Earth Buildings, which can also be seen in Pinghe, Zhangpu, Yunxiao, Hua’an, Zhao’an and other regions in the Minnan area (the southern part of Fujian province).
Fujian Tulou were built in the Song and Yuan Dynasties and have a history of more than 1,000 years. This style of building was in its heyday in the late Ming Dynasty, the early Qing Dynasty and the era of the Republic of China, and has been preserved until now. The buildings are over two-stories tall, consisting of thick walls constructed of rammed-earth between outer panels.
The main architecture materials were earth, wood, stones and bamboo. It was a mixture of clay and sandy soil in a specific proportion. In 1995, as the representative of China’s southern and northern circular architecture, architectural models of Fujian Hakka Earth Building and Temple of Heaven were displayed in the World Architecture Exhibition of America in Los Angeles. It caused a sensation and was honored as “the Oriental Pearl of Architecture”. In 2008, the Fujian Hakka Earth Building was officially added to the World Heritage List.
Boomers Daily 