Vlaardingen, Netherlands

Of all the places we have lived, Vlaardingen feels most like home.  For Lance, it seems familiar due to all the Dutch names, which are similar to the ones he heard growing up in Oostburg.  For me, it is the cool temperatures and the wide green spaces.  This city is located in South Holland about 17 miles from Rotterdam.  When researching places to live, we elected to stay here because it was much more affordable than living in the bigger city of Rotterdam.  We knew that public transportation was available and that we would be able to travel almost anywhere in the country from here.  It was a great choice.  

Apartment dining room

Our apartment was built in the 1930's, but updated in more recent years.  We actually have three floors.  The entrance is on the bottom floor...the living/dining area, bathroom and kitchen are on the second floor...and two bedrooms are on the third floor...along with a washing machine in the hallway.  The apartment is located in a nice residential area, very close to the city center.    

The front of our apartment

This road the faces our front window.

Looking out toward our neighbors from our balcony at the back of our apartment.  

We have a wonderful Airbnb host, Sietse, who lives close by our apartment.  He was kind enough to drive all the way to Amsterdam to pick us up close to midnight on the day we arrived.  Sietse travels for a living and has offered to pick us up and take us with him to some of the cities that he will be traveling to for work.  We can elect to return with him when he is done, or arrange for our own transportation back home. 

Lance asked Sietse permission to plant some flowers on the back porch and he agreed.  That made Lance very happy!

The city of Vlaardingen was settled around 2,600 BC.  There is an old historic part of town, and, a newer part where you can find a variety of shops, restaurants, and cafes. 

There is also a beautiful park near by and a canal where you can find historic boats.

Some of the canals also have houseboats.

This past weekend, a festival was held in Vlaardingen.  Our host, Sietse, told us about it and sent some information so we would know when the different events were taking place.  It celebrates The Battle of Vlaardingen 1018, when the imperial army of the German emperor was defeated by the Vlaardingers.  People in town dress up in costumes, and there are tents in the historic center selling food and other various items.  There is also a parade which we stumbled across and followed from the park to the town.         

  

The parade route took us past some beautiful gabled homes located across from one of the canals.  

These are actually windows in a home with fresh flower arrangements.  It is made to look like a framed picture.
We saw several homes like this along our route.  

 

A large stage was sent in the newer part of town where bands played music on Friday night and Saturday during the day and night.  Many of the songs were old rock and roll tunes from the UK or the States.      

This guy did a tribute to James Brown!  It was my favorite band.

It's always fun to attend a festival and see how the locals celebrate.