RO: Ce-i drept, partea de nord a Olandei nu prezinta asa de mult interes pentru turisti. Inafara de localnici, cine merge in insulele Frizone de Vest, cine ar fi tentat sa vada Frislanda, cine si de ce s-ar incumeta sa mearga mai la nord de Alkmaar? Frislanda pare uitata pe harta, abandonata cumva si izolata de tot restul Olandei. Poate ca si limba vorbita aici (frisiana, abia apoi olandeza) face ca micutul teritoriu sa fie mai putin accesibil strainilor, insa odata ajuns in zona, te surprinde in mod placut. Iar Harlingen, unul dintre cele 11 orase frizone, este cum nu se mai poate mai olandez si mai tipic tarii. Si da, vremea in Harlingen nici ca poate fi mai olandeza! Case mici, insirate de-a lungul canalelor, standuri cu branza delicioasa, poduri, biciclete si o dragalasenie de far de un alb imaculat. Un oras port de unde pornesc multe feriboturi catre insulele frizone si de unde pleaca toate deliciile in materie de branza catre Marea Britanie 🙂 Si stati asa, ca nu doar pentru branza si produse lactate este renumit Harlingen, ci si pentru ceramica de Harlingen, competitie serioasa pentru cea din Delft 😛 Unde mai pui ca malul marii Wadden se afla si o minune de restaurant cu stele Michelin, numit ‘T Havenmantsje 🙂

EN: Honestly, the northern part of The Netherlands doesn’t seem to tempting for tourists. Besides the locals, who goes to the West Frisian Islands, who would be interested to see Friesland, who and why would dare to go up north from Alkmaar? Friesland seems like completely forgotten by the world, somehow abandoned and isolated by the rest of The Netherlands. Maybe the language spoken here (Frisian first and then Dutch) makes that this little territory to be less accessible to the strangers, but once you get here, it surprises you in a very pleasant way. And Harlingen, one of the eleven Frisian towns, is as Dutch as a town can be. And yup, the weather here in Harlingen is extremely Dutch as well! Small houses, lined along the canals, stalls with delicious Dutch cheese, bridges, bicycles and a cute immaculate white lighthouse. A harbour where lots of ferry boats head to the Frisian Islands or the Great Britain, to deliver all the delicacies in terms of dairy 🙂 And wait a minute, Harlingen is not renowned only for cheese and dairy, but also for the local pottery, serious competitions for the Delftware 😛 Moreover, on the shore of Wadden sea there is a lovely Michelin star rated restaurant, called ‘T Havenmantsje 🙂 













RO: Sunt aproximativ 120 km din Amsterdam pana in Harlingen (pe care ii faci cam intr-o ora si un pic in tara plata ca o clatita, cum ii spun olandezii), iar intreaga zona ar merita un weekend intreg dedicat, mai ales daca este vizitata pe timp de vara. Cateva ore pe insula Texel, o vizita in capitala provinciei, Leeuwarden, o plimbare prin Sneek, renumit pentru poarta uriasa ce aduce cu un cadru din Disneyland, iar daca toate acestea nu sunt suficiente, pe drumul spre intoarcere in Amsterdam sunt satele pescaresti Edam, Volendam, Monickendam si Marken. Apropo, am gasit un loc tare dragut de cazat in zona si anume Station Windwacht, pe care l-am rezervat prin AirBnB, cumva in mijlocul pustietatii, intr-o ferma a unor localnici. Camera este o mica rulota in curtea casei proprietarilor, printre zarzavaturi si alte plantatii, este absolut minuscula, dar adorabila! Iar micul dejun, preparat in casa de proprietari, este pur si simplu ideal, recomandam cu mare drag locul acesta!

EN: There are approximately 120 km from Amsterdam to Harlingen (meaning 1,5 hours driving in the country flat as a pancakes as the Dutch call it), and the area would worth an entire weekend dedicated for it, especially if visited during summer time. A couple of hours on Texel island, a visit on the capital of the province, Leeuwarden, a walk in Sneek, renowned for the huge gate that seems similar with some Disneyland decors, and if all these are not enough, on the way back to Amsterdam there are the fishing villages of Edam, Volendam, Monickendam and Marken. And by the way, we found a really cute place to stay in this area and that’s Station Windwacht, which we booked via AirBnb, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, in a local’s farm. The room is actually a tiny caravan in the backyard of the owner’s house, among all kind of herbs and veggies, it is extremely small but simple adorable! And the breakfast, homemade by the owners, is just ideal, we truly recommend this place!