Bon Journal

South of Holland

In the Netherlands, it's okay to refer to different parts of the country as "North of Holland" or "South of Holland." So where is Holland? I thought Netherlands was the name to replace the old name of Holland.

According to my Dutch friend, Holland is an area of the Netherlands. So "South of Holland" refers to southern Netherlands basically.

It's a sunny day with clear blue skies. We drive on the highway south on continuously flat lands. It feels safe to be able to see where you've come from and where you're going. Never mind that the flat horizons may be boring, it is safe and reassuring.

Dutch towns may be as old or older than English towns, but they look new. They are clean and well-maintained. They remind me of German towns. It's kind of like the fashion industry --- old classics come back but in a different way. Meanwhile, English towns just look OLD.

We stop in a small town and visit a brasserie for lunch. I order an eel soup. My friend orders a typically Dutch farmer dish --- calf liver with bacon and onion.

We drive to Belgium without going through border control. Long time ago, there was no difference. Today, people stilll live on one side of the border and work on the other. After all, Flemish and Dutch tongues are almost the same.

16 February 2003 Sunday