Atlantica - 01.09.2004, Page 28

26 A T L A N T I C A
French on bike tours add to the charm.
Taking a break from the sun, I step into a
windmill and sit through a ten-minute
explanation of how a windmill works – no,
it’s not that complicated – and then read
about the Dutch assault on muskrats. For
those interested, 400 brave hunters kill or
capture 350,000 muskrats per year in an
effort to prevent these alien rodents from
digging through the drainage ditches.
The tourist shop serves beer for euro 1.50
a bottle, and very good apple pie. I suggest
we stay for as long as the weather holds out
– days, weeks, I’m ready. The photograph-
er has another idea. He wants to see the
lowest point in Europe. “The lowest alti-
tude in Europe is only ten kilometres away.
That is a tourist destination,” he says.
“That is the most boring tourist destination
I’ve ever heard of in my entire life,” I say.
We drive there. Moordrecht. From the
road, we look down over thatched
rooftops. It is so boring, so free from stim-
uli, that I might describe it as the budget
sensory depravation tank. In my five min-
utes at Moordrecht, I find inner peace.
LOUIS VUITTON, VAN GOGH
AND REMBRANDT
We return to Amsterdam refreshed. Our
hotel, obtained through the last minute ser-
vice at the tourist information centre, is
half a block from the major Dutch muse-
ums, and half a block from the high-end
boutiques of Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat.
Not only is this a five minute walk from my
key destinations, it is recommended as
easiest on the budget. On weekdays, hotel
rooms in this area are typically half price,
ERASSMUS BRIDGE
OVERLOOKING THE FUNCTIONAL
CITY OF ROTTERDAM.
AMSTERDAM
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