velvet | The Netherlands

A world of inspiration: The Cellist & the Historian

This week’s edition of ‘A world of inspiration‘ is a remarkable story by Janice Waugh who hails from Toronto, Canada. Janice is a freelance writer and a strong advocate of solo travel. Her story is poignant yet inspiring, and above all, a lesson of how a chance meeting can motivate us to seek a better [...]

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amsterdam-canal-photo

Enchanting spots: Amsterdam

I recently wrote an article on “The Most Impressive Tourist Attractions” and Sara, one of my readers, included a comment describing how she felt when she visited the Victoria Falls – it was a magical experience. Her honest, beautifully-worded comment got me thinking about all those enchanting places around the world that I’ve visited and [...]

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A Dutch floral extravaganza

The Keukenhof (literally means ‘kitchen garden’) is the largest annual flower show in the Netherlands. The park is situated near Lisse, about a half hour drive southwest of Amsterdam. Each year, the park draws hordes of visitors from all over the world who come to feast their eyes on the amazing floral display. This year [...]

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Houseboats in Amsterdam

One of the things I love about my hometown is the abundance of water – there’s the Amstel River, the Ij-harbour and the many, many miles of canals that crisscross the city centre. If the canals freeze in the winter, hordes of locals grab the opportunity to go ice-skating through the city’s splendid historic centre [...]

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