# Belgium & Netherlands - By EMArg



## capricorn2000 (Nov 30, 2006)

beautiful coastal city, the vibrant beach front and the old side architecture....
Brussels is a classic, I'm proud that I visited it once and the Grand Place is a beauty I always behold.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates from Brussels, Emarg


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Bruges: Quick City Overview*


















*City: Bruges
Region: Flanders
Set: Quick City Overview *




Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. It is oval in shape and about 430 hectares in size. The city's total population is 117,073 (1 January 2008), of whom around 20,000 live in the city centre. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 616 km2 (238 sq mi) and has a total of 255,844 inhabitants as of 1 January 2008. Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam, it is sometimes referred to as the Venice of the North. Bruges has a significant economic importance, thanks to its port, and was once one of the world's chief commercial cities. Bruges is well known as the seat of the College of Europe, a university institute for European studies.
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

From *Bruges* to *Brussels* on train:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Bruges: Central Station (Gare de Bruges)*


















*City: Bruges
Region: Flanders
Set: Central Station *




The station opened on 12 August 1838 on the Lines 50A, 51 and 66. The current building has been in use since 1939. The station is one of the busiest in Belgium. Train services are operated by NMBS/SNCB. In 2007 the station was the 10th busiest station in Belgium and there was a large increase in passengers expected over the coming years. In 2004 a modernisation and expansion of the station started. The tunnel under the platforms was expanded by 12 metres, allowing more space for passengers and small shops. Access to the platforms was improved with new stairs, escalators and lifts. The works were completed in May 2009. Behind the station an underground car park for 800 cars and 1000 bikes was completed in 2010. 
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Amsterdam: City Overview*


















*City: Amsterdam
Province: North Holland
Set: City Overview *




Amsterdam is the capital city and most populous municipality of the Netherlands. The city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country but is not its capital, which is Haarlem. The Amsterdam metropolitan area comprises much of the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe, which has a population of approximately 8.1 million. Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age (17th century), as a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading centre for finance and trade. In the 19th and 20th centuries the city expanded, and many new neighbourhoods and suburbs were planned and built. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Since the annexation of the municipality of Sloten in 1921 by the municipality of Amsterdam, the oldest historic part of the city lies in Sloten, dating to the 9th century. Amsterdam's main attractions include its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, the Anne Frank House, the Scheepvaartmuseum, the Amsterdam Museum, the Heineken Experience, the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, Natura Artis Magistra, Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam, NEMO, the red-light district and many cannabis coffee shops. They draw more than 5 million international visitors annually. The city is also well known for its nightlife and festival activity; several of its nightclubs (Melkweg, Paradiso) are among the world's most famous. It is also one of the world's most multicultural cities, with at least 177 nationalities represented.
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## Mr_Dru (Dec 15, 2008)

EMArg said:


> [/img]


The _'Nationale Nederlandsche Bank_' is the most ugliest building in the city center of Amsterdam.


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## Mr_Dru (Dec 15, 2008)

Btw nice photo series.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates; well done


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## werner10 (Sep 11, 2002)

Nice thread. Thx!


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

Many thanks!




Mr_Dru said:


> The _'Nationale Nederlandsche Bank_' is the most ugliest building in the city center of Amsterdam.




I found that building a very interesting example of something that may not have happened in the past. Appart from the architectural style itself, specially when placed within the more traditional neighborhoods of Amsterdam, it looked like it was one piece of a movement that didn't happen, like a massive wave of demolitions in order to give place to new big complex buildings, which was very often seen in the world during the times of the International Style. Would you say it was like this? :hmm: I also remember this documentary about the history of the Oil, worldwide, which said that during the crisis of the 1970s, the dutch people changed their habbits, from the cars to the bicycles, turning the country into a cleaner and friendlier place. Along with the lack of demolitions within Amsterdam, I believe that this had also something to do with the lack of highways (in the surface) entering the city.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Amsterdam: Magna Plaza Shoping*


















*City: Amsterdam
Province: North Holland
Set: Magna Plaza Shopping *




The Former Amsterdam Main Post Office, currently a shopping mall known as Magna Plaza, is a monumental building located at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 182, Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was built in 1895–1899 in Neo-Gothic and Neo-Renaissance style. The building has been a rijksmonument since July 9, 1974, and is part of the Top 100 Dutch heritage sites. The building's interior consists of a central hall with galleries on two upper floors, surrounded by arcades and crowned by a sunroof. The public function of the building was limited to the ground floor, while the rest of the building was only accessible to personnel of the PTT. In 1987, the PTT announced that it intended to vacate the building and it was sold the next year for ƒ 7,5 million (about €3,2 million) to Larmag, a Swedish real estate developer, who intended to repurpose the building as a luxurious shopping mall. Maintaining and optimally using the monumental building was a main criterion. The construction started in February 1991. The exterior work was mostly limited to cleaning, repair and restoration of the facades. The interior of the building was completely rebuilt, maintaining the carrying structures and decorative elements. 
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Amsterdam: Red Light District*


















*City: Amsterdam
Province: North Holland
Set: Red Light District *




Known as De Wallen, the Red Light District of Amsterdam consists of a network of alleys containing approximately three hundred one-room cabins rented by prostitutes who offer their sexual services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights and blacklight. Window prostitution is the most visible and typical kind of red-light district sex work in Amsterdam. De Wallen, together with the prostitution areas Singelgebied and Ruysdaelkade, form the Rosse Buurt (red-light areas) of Amsterdam. Of these De Wallen is the oldest and largest area. It is one of the city's major tourist attractions and the government of Amsterdam is examining ways to limit tourist numbers. The area also has a number of sex shops, sex theatres, peep shows, a sex museum, a cannabis museum, and a number of coffee shops that sell marijuana. 
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Great, very nice updates :cheers:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

Thanks, man


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Amsterdam: Gemeentearchief (Municipal Archive)*


















*City: Amsterdam
Province: North Holland
Set: Gemeentearchief *




The Amsterdam City Archives preserves documents pertaining to the history of Amsterdam and provides information about the city. With archives covering a shelf-length of about 50 kilometres, the Amsterdam City Archives is the largest municipal archive in the world. The Amsterdam City Archives belongs to the government of Amsterdam. It preserves the archives of the municipal government and of the national government when related to Amsterdam, besides those of private institutions, families or individuals, and companies connected with the city. The municipalities of Ouder-Amstel and Amstelveen have also deposited their historical archives at the Amsterdam City Archives. In addition, the City Archives houses a large collection of images and audio-visual material, as well as a library. Among the various documents of international significance kept at the Amsterdam City Archives are the archives of the Heineken brewery and the renowned Concertgebouw, letters written by Charles Darwin and Mahatma Gandhi, an eighteenth-century trade agreement between the city and the newly founded United States of America, the book containing the excommunication of seventeenth-century philosopher Spinoza, and a police report about the theft of Anne Frank’s bike, dated April 13, 1942. 
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Amsterdam: Begijnhof*


















*City: Amsterdam
Province: North Holland
Set: Begijnhof *




The Begijnhof is one of the oldest hofjes in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A group of historic buildings, mostly private dwellings, centre on it. As the name suggests, it was originally a Béguinage. Today it is also the site of two churches, the Catholic Houten Huys and the English Reformed Church. The Begijnhof is the only inner court in Amsterdam which was founded during the Middle Ages, and therefore lies within the Singel — the innermost canal of Amsterdam's circular canal system. The Begijnhof is at medieval street level, which means a meter below the rest of the old city center. It is unclear when exactly the Begijnhof (Beguines' court) was founded. In 1346, the beguines still lived in a house (a document of that time mentioned one beghynhuys). A courtyard was only first mentioned in 1389, probably after the religious status of the city rose due to the Amsterdam Eucharistic Miracle of 1345. Originally the Begijnhof was entirely encircled by water (the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, the Spui and the Begijnensloot or "Beguines' Ditch"), with the sole entrance located at the Begijnensteeg ("Beguines' Alley"), which had a bridge across the Begijnensloot. The back facades were therefore water-locked. The Spui entrance only dates back to the 19th century. 
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

Before going to the next set, here's a video of the *Tramways of Amsterdam*:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Amsterdam: Central Station*


















*City: Amsterdam
Province: North Holland
Set: Central Station *




Amsterdam Centraal is the largest railway station of Amsterdam, Netherlands. A major international railway hub, it is used by 162,000 passengers a day, making it the second busiest railway station in the country after Utrecht Centraal and the most visited Rijksmonument of the Netherlands. National and international railway services at Amsterdam Centraal are provided by NS, the principal rail operator in the Netherlands. Amsterdam Centraal is the northern terminus of Amsterdam Metro Routes 51, 53, 54, and stop for 52 operated by municipal public transport operator GVB. It is also served by a number of GVB tram and ferry routes as well as local and regional bus routes operated by GVB, Connexxion and EBS. Amsterdam Centraal was designed by Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers and first opened in 1889. It features a Gothic, Renaissance Revival station building and a cast iron platform roof spanning approximately 40 metres. Since 1997, the station building, underground passages, metro station, and the surrounding area have been undergoing major reconstruction and renovation works to accommodate the North-South Line metro route, which was opened on 22 July 2018. Amsterdam Centraal has the second longest railway platform in the Netherlands with a length of 695 metres. 
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## Ribarca (Jan 28, 2005)

Nice series! Did you also see the modern additions of the station such as the Bus terminal at the back?


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

Thanks! No, only the station this time.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Amsterdam: Big Palaces*


















*City: Amsterdam
Province: North Holland
Set: Big Palaces *




Following next, a small selection of the collection of palaces of Amsterdam:





*Rijksmuseum*


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Royal Palace*



























*Municipal Archive*

















*Concert Hall*

















*Amsterdam Centraal*

















*Former Post Office*

















*De Waag*

















*Pathé Tuschinki*

















*Nieuwe Kerk*



























*Beurs Vans Berlage*


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Amsterdam: Schiphol Airport*


















*City: Amsterdam
Province: North Holland
Set: Schiphol Airport *




Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the main international airport of the Netherlands. It is located 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, North Holland. It is the third-busiest airport in Europe in terms of passenger volume and the busiest in Europe in terms of aircraft movement. The airport is built as a single-terminal concept: one large terminal split into three large departure halls. Schiphol is the hub for KLM and its regional affiliate KLM Cityhopper as well as for Corendon Dutch Airlines, Martinair, Transavia and TUI fly Netherlands. The airport also serves as a base for EasyJet, LEVEL, and Vueling. Schiphol opened on 16 September 1916 as a military airbase. The end of the First World War also saw the beginning of civilian use of Schiphol Airport and the airport eventually lost its military role completely. By 1940, Schiphol had four asphalt runways at 45-degree angles. The airport was captured by the German military that same year and renamed Fliegerhorst Schiphol. The airport was destroyed through bombing but at the end of the war, the airfield was restored quickly. In 1949, it was decided that Schiphol was to become the primary airport of the Netherlands. 
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Rotterdam: Quick City Overview*


















*City: Rotterdam
Province: South Holland
Set: Quick City Overview *




Rotterdam is the second-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands. It is located in the province of South Holland, at the mouth of the Nieuwe Maas channel leading into the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta at the North Sea. Its history goes back to 1270, when a dam was constructed in the Rotte, after which people settled around it for safety. In 1340, Rotterdam was granted city rights by the Count of Holland. A major logistic and economic centre, Rotterdam is Europe's largest port. It has a population of 633,471 (2017). Rotterdam is known for its Erasmus University, its riverside setting, lively cultural life and maritime heritage. The near-complete destruction of the city centre in the World War II Rotterdam Blitz has resulted in a varied architectural landscape, including sky-scrapers (an uncommon sight in other Dutch cities) designed by renowned architects such as Rem Koolhaas, Piet Blom and Ben van Berkel. The Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt give waterway access into the heart of Western Europe, including the highly industrialized Ruhr. The extensive distribution system including rail, roads, and waterways have earned Rotterdam the nicknames "Gateway to Europe" and "Gateway to the World".
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Great, very nice photos from Amsterdam :cheers:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

You mean Rotterdam?  :lol:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Rotterdam: Markthal*


















*City: Rotterdam
Province: South Holland
Set: Markthal *




The Markthal is a residential and office building with a market hall underneath, located in Rotterdam. The building was opened on October 1, 2014, by Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. Besides the large market hall, the complex houses 228 apartments, 4600 m2 retail space, 1600 m2 horeca and an underground 4-storey parking garage with a capacity of 1200+ cars. The Markthal was designed by architectural firm MVRDV. The grey nature stone building has an archwise structure like a horseshoe. The building has a glass facade on both sides, these are made up of smaller glass windows. The smaller windows are mostly squared and around 1485 millimeters wide. All of these are hung around a structure of steel cables, 34 metres high and 42 metres wide, which makes it the largest glass-window cable structure in Europe. Each facade has 26 vertical and 22 horizontal cables. The facade was designed and installed by Octatube.
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

Great market hall, amazing architecture.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Rotterdam: Eramusbrug (Bridge)*


















*City: Rotterdam
Province: South Holland
Set: Erasmusbrug *




Erasmusbrug (English: "Erasmus Bridge") is a combined cable-stayed and bascule bridge in the centre of Rotterdam, connecting the north and south parts of this city, second largest in the Netherlands. The bridge was named after Desiderius Erasmus, a prominent Christian renaissance humanist also known as Erasmus of Rotterdam. The bridge featured in the 1998 Jackie Chan film Who Am I?. In 2005, several planes flew underneath the bridge as part of the "Red Bull Air Race". The bridge is also part of The World Port Days in Rotterdam. The performance featured fire-fighting ships spraying jets of water into the air in front of the bridge, a fireworks barge launching fireworks beside the bridge, and multi colored spot/search lights attached to the bridge itself. The bridge was crossed during the prologue and the opening stage of the 2010 Tour de France. 
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Rotterdam: Central Station *


















*City: Rotterdam
Province: South Holland
Set: Central Station *




Rotterdam Centraal is the main railway station of the city Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The station received an average of 110,000 passengers daily in 2007. A total reconstruction of the station and its surroundings started in 2004 to cope with an increasing number of trains, for example the high-speed train between Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris, and to accommodate for RandstadRail. Furthermore, the existing station, especially the passenger tunnel, also became too small to handle the growing number of passengers. Traveller numbers were projected to be 320,000 per day in 2025. To cope with this increase, a new station was necessary. In June 2004, ProRail and the Municipality of Rotterdam awarded the a contract to Team CS, a cooperative between Benthem Crouwel Architekten, MVSA Meyer & Van Schooten Architects, and West 8, for transforming the existing plans into a design for the new Central Station. On 16 May 2006 Mayor Ivo Opstelten revealed a work of Onno Poiesz consisting of the word EXIT, which was mounted behind the windows of the facade. Some of the letters "CENTRAAL STATION" that stood on the roof of the station until its closing were put in a different order by Peter Hopman and Margien Reuvekamp of Bureau Lakenvelder to read "TRAAN LATEN" ("SHED A TEAR"). The final closure of the outdated station took place on September 2, 2007, in the presence of Mayor Opstelten, to allow for the demolition of the station. Between 16 January 2008 and the end of March 2008 the station was completely demolished. Passengers then, for years, had to use amenities housed in a temporary shelter, a smurf-blue building complex on Conrad Street on the northeast corner of the Groothandelsgebouw. The bicycle tunnel served as a temporary passenger tunnel. On 28 November 2012 the six-times-as-large, new passenger tunnel opened, and on 28 August 2013 the renovated bicycle tunnel opened; the so-called biscuits - artworks that had adorned the wings of the former Central Station - are now above the ends of the bicycle tunnel. The full completion of the station was on 13 March 2014, when the station was reopened by King Willem-Alexander. Rotterdam Centraal Station, as the station is now officially called - on the south side, at the explicit request of the citizens of Rotterdam, the name Centraal Station in the lettering that architect Van Ravensteyn had put on the old station, has returned - will obtain the status of world station, as it is on the international high-speed railway towards Belgium. Some modifications to accommodate security screening of Eurostar passengers from the UK are being made and are due to finish in March 2018.
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Zandvoort, Netherlands: City Overview *


















*City: Zandvoort
Province: North Holland
Set: City Overview *




Zandvoort is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach, bordered by coastal dunes. It is also the site of the country's most important auto racing circuit, Circuit Zandvoort. There is a nudist beach located about 2 km to the south, with 6 cafés or restaurants; it extends several kilometers further south. The municipality of Zandvoort consists of the communities of Bentveld and Zandvoort; it had a population of 16,954 in 2017. Zandvoort has a station, with half-hourly services to Haarlem and Amsterdam, with extra services from Haarlem during the summer. 
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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## MyGeorge (Mar 4, 2012)

beautiful photos, like both countries.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

MyGeorge said:


> beautiful photos, like both countries.





Many thanks :bowtie:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

So this is the last post of the thread, for the moment: the train trip between *Amsterdam* and *Rotterdam*.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

And stay tuned to this friday for the new thread of *Spain, Portugal and Andorra*


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## Northumbriana (Jul 28, 2018)

EMArg said:


> So this is the last post of the thread, for the moment: the train trip between *Amsterdam* and *Rotterdam*.


An irrelevant detail I noticed, the big warehouse looking type store that had the name 'Mega Store' on the side. Is it common to have English names in the Netherlands? I used Google translate to see what the Dutch translation is and kind of wish to see that in large letters. Please forgive my crude sense of humour.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

Yes, it is. Don't know about the translations though :lol:


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