Question for Dutch Civfanatics -- should I visit Niedorp?

[Mojotronica]

I'll be in Amsterdam for three days. While I'm there, I'm tempted to visit a little town to the north called "Niedorp," because it's where my earliest immigrant ancestor (Jacob Walichs) came from. It might be cool to make that connection.

Here's his story:
http://www.wgn.net/~jimvw/geneolgy/jacob.html

How hard would it be to travel between Amsterdam and Niedorp? Is there enough of interest there to make the trip worth my while?

 

[jack merchant]

I had never even heard of the place . Or rather (after some research), it isn't one single town; it's a municipality consisting of 9 cute villages (among which, indeed, the village of Winkel).
It doesn't have a train station though, so you'd have to take a train up to the town of Schagen and take a bus from there.

There are a few old churches, town- and farmhouses there, and several of the villages are perched nicely along quintessentially Hollandish canals. It appears to me the kind of place that inspired the German poet Heine to state that in Holland, everything happens 50 years later, in other words, it's a bit quaint. But nice.

I wouldn't personally take time out for it if I had only three days to spend in the Netherlands, but it's your call .

 

[The_Unforgiven]

I had never heard of it either...

 

[WilliamOfOrange]

On this note, I wish to visit the Netherlands on my vacation is two weeks. If I only had 2-3 days, were would one recommend other than Amsterdam (I am going there this weekend) that I could go to get in touch with my roots and have a good time. ie. museums, tours, etc.

 

[Mojotronica]

Thanks, jack merchant!

 

[jack merchant]

Originally posted by WilliamOfOrange
On this note, I wish to visit the Netherlands on my vacation is two weeks. If I only had 2-3 days, were would one recommend other than Amsterdam (I am going there this weekend) that I could go to get in touch with my roots and have a good time. ie. museums, tours, etc.

Depends on which part of the Netherlands your roots are in . I always find it hard to recommend museums because I hardly ever get around to visiting them; I actually lived at a stone's throw distance of the Bonnefanten museum in Maastricht for 5 years and I never visited it, because, there was always another time in which I could !

That said, the Kröller-Muller museum near Arnhem is stunning, not just because of its collection but also because it's in a national park which is really nice. The Rotterdam harbour is rather impressive too (to continue with the 'roots' them) and though most of the city isn't much to look at, there is some nice modern architecture and a few excellent musea. Last place I might recommend is the city of Haarlem, which has a pleasantly ancient city centre and is only a short distance from Amsterdam.
I'm sure other Dutchmen can chime in with more suggestions though .

 

[Mojotronica]

Another question -- what does "Dutch regards" mean when used as a closer to a correspondence? The staff of the Hotel Keizershof used it on my reservation confirmation...

It sounds cool, but there is no analogous closer in English, is there?