Thursday, February 5, 2009

"You told her to visit Amersfoort??"


I wanted to visit Delft on Saturday, home of the world famous delftware. But, after looking into a few things to do there, I realized the best time to go would probably be in the spring. On Friday, using the vast amount of resources I have around me, I went in search of another good city to visit. What I often forget, however, is that a person from a specific country doesn't explore their land of origin very much... or at least not as much as a tourist/expat would. So, not going to the ultimate resource - another expat, I asked a colleague which city around Amsterdam would be nice to visit for a few hours.

He gave me a list of options, including Amersfoort. I had actually gone to church in Amersfoort when I first arrived in Holland. The colleague I was staying with then (due to the apartment scam) asked if I had time to visit the city as well, which I hadn't. He said it was a neat city and one of the few medieval cities from Holland that still exist.


As I was leaving work my colleague who provided the advice asked which city I was planning on visiting. I told him I decided on Amersfoort, and proceeded to walk out the door when I heard someone say, "You told her to visit Amersfoort??"

There are only a few things about the city that still show it's true age. One is the original entrance. It's currently under construction, so it wasn't as impressive as I'm sure it truly is. Then there is the wall around the city, which actually no longer exists, but houses that used to line the wall still do. Finally, there is the tower in the center of the city. Other than that, the city is fairly modern - from the late 1700's to today.


I'm sure I would have visited the city at some point, even without the suggestion. But I do have to admit, I spent most of my time shopping.

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