Heidezicht in the Netherlands
For the first time to the Netherlands (Holland), we get to see a moorland. There was a pleasant bed and breakfast accommodation with a nice natural surroundings.
Moor is a type of habitat in the savannas found in upland areas. The main characteristics are the low growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog. They could be uncultivated hill land, however, they are possibly low-lying wetlands which are closely related to heath. The slight difference between the heath and moor is moorland is highland while heath is lowland zones. It was believed that human activity has to do with it.
In northern and western Europe, the heaths are diverse ecosystems.
We were there in end July but the owners told us that there is an entire paradise of beautiful heather which are a low growing perennial shrub of about half a metre tall in August. So the entire area will be purple colour with a tint of pink and blue.
Now that it is August, in a way I am curious how it looks like.
In the breakfast room, there is a pair of binoculars intentionally prepared by the owners of Heidezicht for you to watch and look out for some possibly wild animals.
Driving from Helmond takes only about one hour.
The first thing we noticed was the good road conditions. Although it was rainy on our way from Helmond to Heidezicht, it stopped after about 20 minutes.
Like other parts of Europe, cars coming from the right have priority. In Holland, bikers also have the right of the way. Everything is neat: the trees, the grass in the fields, the houses from their designs to their structures. From a distance we saw these houses.
They are identical and have such an interesting design.
Arriving in Elspeet, the driving speed starts to slow down. It was about 50km/h or less.
Lots of trees in the surroundings. At this point, you should roll down the car windows and smell the nature...fresh air! All the trees are so neatly planted. It gave a very pleasant experience heading nearer and nearer to the destination.
Then the encounter of some grazing cows. They seemed to be all looking at my camera's direction :)
I was thinking to myself, if I will be living in a house like this in the Netherlands, I will also plant bushes of hydrangeas like this.
Holland has such a nice climate for these kind of flowers. Mild summer and mild winter. See how beautifully they had evolved.
Elspeet is a village in the area called Veluwe. It is in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. What we saw beside a forest-rich ridge of hills, there are also different types of landscapes such as woodland, heath, small lakes, and the Europe's largest sand drifts.
The friendly owner was there greeting us upon our arrival. Our drive from Helmond to Elspeet was about an hour.
Heidezicht is the name of this B&B (bed and breakfast) accommodation. It is a special place with a special mood.
Chickens seem to be the thematic icon of this special bed and breakfast accommodation. These chickens provided the fresh eggs for our breakfast in the morning. Totally organic and the owners are into the green awareness and environmental consciousness. Even the washing of their linens and bed spreads are with 'eco-ball'!
These chickens are more treated like their pets. They are given daily exercises with the freedom to roam around the yard for some hours. You can tell they are well-taken care by the look of their feathers!
These breads served at breakfast time were so wonderfully fresh!
Selection of ham, roast beef slices and real dutch (gouda) cheese. Orange juice, coffee, or tea...
You can help yourself to the peanut butter ('Pindakaas' in Dutch).
Another detail, a decorative pair of 'hen and rooster' in the breakfast room. You can imagine the neat and the many small details taken into consideration by the owners.
Another window view from the breakfast room.
There was an entire shelf of books for your reading and relaxation. Some board games by the side.
The environment in Holland gave me the impression that they generally care much more about how they live. The Dutch are very much into details. In Amsterdam, we encounter very easy going locals who are somehow very spontaneous. From boat-bus drivers to the the passengers on the train to Amsterdam, their people are much friendlier with a good common sense about how to live together in a community.
A pair of Dutch wood clogs (Klompen) - traditional symbol of Holland (other than the windmill and tulips.)
We like the nature of this area which is very calm. On the second day, on our return to Heidezicht from Amsterdam, we saw deers, a family of three which were so adorable as the little deer calf (physically it looked smaller, so it is the baby:) of the family)...
...was pondering with so much curiosity, looking back at us, not leaving the roadside. While we were in the car moving very slowly at most probably only 5km/h, a short distance away. We paused and were observing their moves. The little one has such a gentle face, seemed to be waiting for me to take out my camera but I decided to just enjoy the short moment in the quietness of the nature, watching them. They were so beautiful!
We had a comfortable good night's sleep (the beds were very comfortable). The next day after breakfast, we drove to Emerlo, and from there we took a train to Amsterdam. Click here for our encounters and adventures before arriving and in Amsterdam.
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