WSTalk Fall Winter 2023 - Flipbook - Page 24
Article by: Denise Pereau
Travel
Affairs
M
y travel a昀昀air
with the Netherlands began in
earnest when I
met my Dutch
husband 30 some
years ago in the
early 90’s. I had brie昀氀y visited Holland
on a European backpacking trip in the
70’s, a self-de昀椀ning excursion made as
a young woman. I’ll never forget the
excitement when together with people I’d met only once, we rented a red
Volkswagen bus in Amsterdam’s Dam
Square, purchased weed, and headed
out to explore the continent, Hippies
spreading peace and love from America. That’s another story!
Unpredictably, I was to become part
of a diverse European family claiming
global connection to Indonesia,
Surinam and Curacao, former Dutch colonies and
gratefully, we’re able to
vacation yearly in the
Netherlands visiting family and
friends. There’s
always something new
to experience no
matter
w h a t
you’re
looking
for. And
yes, it’s still
24
easy to 昀椀nd weed in Amsterdam
at any Bull Dog Café, but rumor has it soon only residents
will be able to make purchases.
Remarkably, the tiny nation is a
world leader in just about every
facet of industry and business
development ranked by Forbes
from the towering ING Banking Group to Unilever, Royal Dutch Shell Oil, and
Phillips. And Dutch architecture is unmatched for
its buildings’ startling pro昀椀les. When we pulled
up to Amsterdam’s
nhow Hotel, I was
blown away by its
distinctive three