The Efteling
The Efteling is a theme park just outside Kaatsheuvel, near Tilburg, in the province of Noord-Brabant. For more information, visit www.efteling.nl
So why would I recommend a theme park of all places?
What about tulips, cheese, windmills and historic cities? Well, I do heartily recommend all of those as well. Check out De Keukenhof in spring for colourful seas of blooming bulbs. Visit the cheese markets in Gouda and Edam for more cheese than you can handle. Head to Kinderdijk for a spectacular vista of windmills. And as for cities, you could start with Amsterdam, but places like Utrecht, Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch), Delft, Maastricht and many more are also well worth a visit.
The Efteling - the annual school holiday treat - just has a special place in my heart. A long time ago, it began as a fairytale wood. Paths wind through the woods from Sleeping Beauty's Castle to Snow White's Cave, past the toadstool dwellings of dwarfs and the palace of a fakir who makes the tulips grow with his sweet music. There's lots to see! The original designs for many of the buildings/structures are based on the work of Anton Pieck, a very famous Dutch illustrator. His work is reminiscent of the Dickensian era:streets covered in snow and stooped old buildings. In general, it has a very 19th-century feel. For some examples, visit home.wanadoo.nl/kleineboodschap
Eventually, however, the fairytale wood just wasn't enough to keep people coming, and they began to add large rides. For some time, a new ride was added almost every year, so in effect, the park now has two separate parts: the fairytale forest and the rides. The rides vary from the fast and furious, like the Python rollercoaster, to the calm and relaxing, like The Pagoda, which lifts you up high over everything for an amazing view of the park and its surroundings (amazing, that is, as long as you don't suffer from vertigo). There's something for everybody, whatever your age, and you can easily spend at least a day there. During busy periods, some of that time is likely to be spent in a queue, but don't let that put you off.
I know this isn't everybody's cup of tea, but I just love the atmosphere and the attention to detail. For the young and the young at heart, it's a well worth a visit.
