Well, probably many might not know where exactly in Holland we reside. On the bigger picture, we live here (green arrow) in Sittard within the Limburg province, which is the most southern part of The Netherlands (Holland is actually one of the region in The Netherlands)
Limburg's capital is Maastricht (many probably heard of Maastricht Treaty in 1992 - a famous European treaty that led to the creation of European Union and the Euro currency). Sittard is some 20km north of Maastricht. We would have like to live in Maastricht but the price of the houses there are 30% more expensive. Having said that, it does not mean that Sittard is not that kampung (haha..). Currently, there are about 50,000 inhabitants and historically it was first mentioned in the year 1157. Great part of Sittard was destroyed during the Franco-Dutch war in 1677 but has been part of the Netherlands since 1814, except 1830-1839 when it joined the Belgian Revolution (well, geographically, it is near both Belgium and Germany, so Sittard was the likely target for strongholds during those years).
Geographically, we are actually closer to Brussels (Belgium), Dusseldorf & Cologne (Germany) and Eindhoven (The Netherlands) - all within 1 hr drive compared to Amsterdam, which is 2.5 hrs drive away to the north. Luxembourg is 2 hrs away south, Paris is 3.5 hours south east, Berlin 6 hours, Zurich 8 hours, Copenhagen 9 hours and even Milan is about 10 hours drive. It is quite strategically located at the central of Europe. We are planning to drive to the UK in the summer, which will take about 7 hours to Birmingham. The Channel Tunnel is about 35 mins crossing by Eurotunnel train.
So, basically we could actually be in 3 countries within 20 mins. And no, there are no immigration check points between these countries which are part of EU (you normally enter Belgium or Germany at 120km/hr...). UK still do though....
H
autobahn = motorway (and that's German!)
(in Germany, you can drive as fast as you want at certain part of the autobahn, yes, there are no speed limit. And on average, the ones that go very fast (above 160km/hr) are typically NOT Mercedes nor BMW but the cool Audi and VW.....I however, was warned by my wife not to exceed 130km/hr with our big-long-family-stationwagon Opel.....hmmm....)
6 comments:
its really funny, over here, when there are no speed limits on the highway, accident rates are low. hardly see any busses or kereta terbabas! in malaysia, with all the ops ops sikap ops, accident rates are alarmingly high!!! why eh?
Z
been wondering where exactly sittard is. and now i know! if u travel to switzerland, you'd probably need to show your passports though because technically, switzerland is not part of EU.
Driving at an average speed of 60 miles/hr (approx. 96.5/ hr), I can reach your place from here in only 7 hours 45 mins without any stops.
oh! one more thing! i LOVE sittard!! love, love love!!thankfully we didnt buy that house is maastricht (sorry that was a bad choice!) its definitely not a kampung! very friendly town, people and very homey!
Z
ann : will be in zurich this june in for a conference. it's biz trip but so tempted to bring along my heart (A) and soul (Z)....
adam : print out that route map and come here....august ok?
H
There are people who are by nature very calm, tolerant, polite and caring and yet once they hold the steering wheel they become monsters..very uncomprimising, impatient,selfish,reckless and totally opposite of their normal selves. You'll be surprised.However generally it is driving in a stressed frame of mind that must be avoided always.Learn to de-stress before a trip, don't create stressful situations during the trip...these would help in you being able to handle stressful things which crop up during the trip which are beyond your control.Giving yourself ample time to arrive at your destination, beginning your trip punctually,completing all necessary tasks, last minute diversions need to be weighed carefully and made only when necessary and within the comfortable time-frame that you have...and many more tips.Bon Voyage !!
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