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The Hague, or in Dutch den Haag, is the
capital of the Netherlands. This modest building, modestly
protected, is where the parliament meets.
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Seen
through a wrought iron fence, this is the palace normally occupied by
the Queen Beatrix. Netherlands has been a kingdom for a couple of
centuries. Kingdoms survive if the monarch doesn't act powerful.
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The Hague is a combination of modern and
ancient, like a lot of Dutch cities. This skyline passes for
modern.
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Veere is a small town on an arm of the
Neeltje Jans. This body of water has been closed off so long that
it is no longer very salty. The town passes for charming, without
being too cute.
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The windmills were used to keep the water
off the land, after large portions of the Netherlands were recovered
from the sea.
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Hydraulics remains a big piece of Dutch
life. Under winter storm conditions, the winds used to force
water inland, flooding a lot of inhabited land. This barrier is
designed to keep the storm surges at sea and not in people's living
rooms. This type of thing replaces the windmills.
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Rotterdam is one of world's greatest
seaports, so these ships are no surprise. The port, on the Maas
River, was chartered in 1328. Rotterdam is the gateway between
the Rhine River and the rest of the world.
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While there are regions along the Maas
which are lined with petroleum storage tanks, there are other areas
that offer spectacular modern architecture. Here we see a bridge
and a building by I. M. Pei.
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The
Rotterdam side of the port mixes modern and Victorian buildings.
Some of the buildings reflect astounding architecture, like the cubic
apartments. Being cubic is not so strange, but the cubes are
sitting on their corners.
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The town of Delft, known for centuries for
their pottery, is some distance from the Maas, or any other
river. Near Rotterdam, a harbor for Delft was created. Now
a Rotterdam neighborhood, Delfshaven is the junction of the Delfshaven
Canal and the greater port of Rotterdam.
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Along the Delfshaven Canal, it is easy to
see the details of local boat design. Notice the lee
boards. With as much shallow water as there is in the
Netherlands, it is nice to have keels that you can pull up.
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Some of the Pilgrims made this church in
Delfshaven their home congregation before returning to Plymouth for
their departure to America in 1620.
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