Netherlands travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

The Agora Theatre is a very cultural architecture with performances and new media works. Situated in Lelystad, which is the capital of the province of Fleveland in the Netherlands. Lelystad is established in 1967 and famous for its controversial and forward-thinking city planning and with its center, the Centrale Zone, also known as West 8.

A big part of Lelystad is water. Another major area is the internationally popular nature park Oostvaadersplassen. The city is also surrounded by a square of woodlands, parks and gardens. The location of the city makes weather and skies quite wonderful. The importance of the landscape is also emphasized by many pieces of art and architecture like Agora Theatre.

Agora Theatre is not only a theater. It’s a museum and art establishment expertise as well. The structure itself worth a visit. Even if no performances were taking place, art exhibitions or lectures taking places. Also the tranquil cafe open during the day and offers sweet varieties of coffees and beautiful views over the city.

The staircase is pink and reminds of future castle. But the most spectacular premises in the theater is the red concert hall with unusual wall surfaces. Such a splendid wall gives visitors something to look at, when the actors change their costumes during the performances. The theater change the vibe of the Lelystad, both day and night.

Het Veer is a school for children with learning and concentration difficulties. The school interior work was to convey and attract concentration, playfulness and movement. Their eight different white and red tube furniture pieces can be mixed and matched creating various formations. They play off the Buzz Wire science game that teaches about electric circuits and is based on concentration and hand coordination.

The school is located in Almere, a 25 kilometers east of Amsterdam and often referred to as the most modern city in Europe. Almost 1,500 students work in a sport-centric environment where they receive coaching for their specific sport and in academic topics. i29, also the creator of Het Veer was asked to envision  the public spaces — including the main hall, staff room, library and computer/media room — for the new Bos & Partners architects-designed building with its gray brick, glass walls and unusual floor plans. They featured big images of the school’s famous sports hero alumni and then custom-created multi-functional tables, benches and signage, plus a color scheme for the common areas.

Het Veer is very beautiful school and one of the easiest ways to make a boring space more vibrant is to use color.

Every summer time, Amsterdam is one of the greatest destination for travelers even though just for a couple of days. The city is crowded and offers every kind of fun for you and your friends.

 

 The eco-industrial-chic tapas bar Werck serves up beers, cheese chunks, fried meat-and-dough balls that are a ubiquitous Dutch bar snack at reasonable prices.

 

 The Cafe de Wetering, a corner bar, inside sounds soft jass played on the stereo.

 

 If you don’t wanna spend your night in the standard places such as houseboats or bed-and-breakfast hostels, take an apartment in Amsterdam via Craigslist. The interior of the four-room apartment isn’t too shabby- 600 square feet of painted floors glowing with sunlight, well-furnished and comfortable.

 

 This is the view from the apartment, which is the Nine Streets, possibly the most desirable neighborhood in the city with cafes, fashion boutiques and much more…..

 

Antique lenses on display at the National Museum of Spectacles.

 

The annual Gay Parade take place on the water.

 

Stayokay Maastricht is a hostel located in the centre of Maastricht (a city situated in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands between Belgium and Germany) on the western banks of the Maas. The hostel has 38 rooms.Three are multifunctional halls, a waterside terrace and mooring facilities for boats.

The waterside terrace and brasserie are accessible to everyone. Special is the red beech tree growing through the roof in the centre of the building.

The lobby includes a multicoloured mosaic floor, movable bulletin boards, wooden tables and poof chairs. Round light fittings with photographs provide an impression of the surrounding environment.

The bedrooms floors are covered in specially designed Marmoleum. The beds are made of brushed stainless steel. Because of the flexible structure, the double bunks can easily be dismantled and reassembled as single or double beds.

The designer of the hostel is Edward van Vliet, who also specially designed the light fittings.He has earned his spurs in the market for his contribution towards setting up the restaurant and cocktail bar of the Deluxe Hotel Derlon in Maastricht and the NL Hotel in Amsterdam

A park like landscape containing colourful designs by the French designer Matali Crasset in Amsterdam. As part of the Erasmus Festival.

Matali Crasset is one of the most famous designer woman on the international scene.

 

Former assistant of Denis Santachiara and Philippe Starck, she established herself in 1995 with her piece Quand Jim monte à Paris. She received several orders from the Netherlands, amoung them the development of SMS s’Hertogenbosch.

 

This restaurant is called Praq and it is designed by the dutch designer Tjep. The place is perfect for grown-ups and also a lot of fun for children. This splendid restaurant is located at Amersfoort in the Netherlands and has tables that look like a bus, a window and a kitchen.

While creating this marvellous interior Tjep follows the idea – a new unique restaurant concept that would welcome parents and their children without looking like a playground.

The first Praq restaurant opened its doors shortly after and became quite succesful and well-known. After 5 succesful years the owner decide to make a restaurant chain. Presented here is the first of the two that opened in Amersfoort, Netherlands.

So again they create a restaurant that is inspiring and fun for children, while being comfortable and enjoyable for their parents. This in an integrated rather than separated manner, which is more usually the case.

The space is characterized by a monumental farm style roof composed of huge massive wooden beams. Within this space they create a playful world by placing furniture and elements that form crossovers between objects and furniture or furniture that refers to the space itself. For example a table becomes a window, a bus or a kitchen.

The six meter high construction in the center looks like an abstract cloud evoking something of a colorful game while contrasting nicely with the handcrafted architecture. One space is reserved for children and their parents while the other is reserved for adults.

Hydra Pier Water Pavilion is a structure built as a pavilion for Haarlemmermeer’s Floriade exhibition in 2002 – a massive, once-a-decade Dutch horticultural fair in Amsterdam. The building actually floating onto a lake and it’s in this reclaimed area below sea level. One interesting feature, which really amused visitors is the water continuously flowing over the roof and walls of the building, beneath which the structural-glass construction dematerializes.

This is the kind of digital architecture that wins awards, as indeed it has. Technically, the use of the curved, laminated glass with sufficient strength to support the water on the roof without heavy mullions was an engineering breakthrough, and essential to the dematerialization theme. But the brief was to create a permanent work of architecture, and in that respect a visitor to the pavilion today can only be disappointed.

To get there follow these instructions. It is located in Haarlemmermeer, which is a small town just next to the southwest corner of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. The Hydra Pavilion is on the northwest side of the Floriade lake, itself to the northwest edge of Haarlemmermeer.

To get there by car or taxi from Schiphol Airport, take the A4 towards the southwest, and turn right onto the N201 through Haarlemmermeer. On the far side of town, where this road is called Kruisweg, turn right onto the N205 (Drie Merenweg).

The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Africa is surrounded of nature and cultural diversity. The structure is surrounded of nature and cultural diversity. The structure’s design quietly supports security while placing emphasis on experience, encounter and efficiency.

Architects integrate the embassy building very precisely into the beautiful landscape. The building is surrounded by a dense eucalyptus grove. Combined with highly insulated concrete walls, floors and ceilings, the orientation captures natural solar and thermal processes to heat, cool and ventilate, minimizing dependence on mechanical systems.

The Royal Netherlands Embassy design has been honored with a 2007 Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The award recognizes distinguished architecture that encourages social development, restoration, re-use and environmental responsibility in the Islamic world.

Lute Suites is located just on the coast of the river Amstel in Ouderkerk ann de Amstel, and it is 15 minutes by car from Schiphol Airport and 20 minutes by car from Amsterdam City center.

This hostel is mixing of a hotel and a restaurant with very stylish and fresh design. The resulting complex is seven freestanding structures: three-level gabled cottages, each with kitchen and living room, all facing the Amstel River. Everything in the Lute Suites is design by the hand of Marcel Wanders.

The Lute Restaurant is top-class restaurant with lounge bar, and outside terrace with lounge bar. Breakfast will be delivered to the front door of your Suite on request.

In every room you can find separate living room, work-space, bedroom and bathroom, hairdryer and La Prairie goodies in room bathrobes and slippers, international direct dial phone, wireless internet access, LCD screens, DVD/CD player and Complimentary DVD’s, radio and TV, air conditionin, in-suite safe, kitchenette with free use of tea and coffee, espresso machine, dishwasher, microwave, hot plate and kitchen accessories, wine cabinet with an assortment of wines and champagnes.

April 30th is the celebration all (almost all) Dutch people wait for all year long. Akin to the American Fourth of July this day takes on special patriotic meaning. The 30th celebrates teh birth of the former Queen, Queen Julianna and has become the largest national holiday in Holland. The House of “Oranje” the longest ruling family in Holland has of course inspired the Dutch color of bright orange to symbolize all of Holland. Amsterdam a city normally inhabited by 750,000 people heralds over 3.2 MILLION on Queens day and it is probably one of the biggest parties anyone has ever seen. I found myself on a house boat on the Prinsesgracht (Princes Canal) for the celebration. Watching the boats and people floating by in an adult version of the “Lazy River” from my child hood. Much beer, food and jubilation was had by all!