Friesland (Fryslân)

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Friesland (Fryslân)

Includes  Why Go? Leeuwarden At first, Friesland seems typically Dutch: it’s flat, it’s green (Ljouwert)...... 195 and there are plenty of cows (the namesake black-and-white Waddenzee Coast . . . 198 variety). But explore a bit and you’ll find its differences. For Harlingen (Harns) . . . . 198 one, the province has its own language, as you’ll see on road Southwestern signs. Friesland ...... 199 Even by Dutch standards, Frieslanders are a very self- Sneek (Snits) ...... 199 reliant bunch. Here they didn’t just have to build dykes to protect their land, they had to build the land as well. North Hindeloopen (Hylpen).201 Friesland segues into the Waddenzee in such a subtle way Frisian Islands. . . . . 201 that the transition from watery mud to muddy water is elu- Vlieland ...... 202 sive – albeit Unesco recognised. Across this shallow body Terschelling...... 203 of water stretches what is arguably the country’s supreme Ameland...... 204 summertime destination: the slender Waddenzee Islands, each an appealing combination of forest, dunes and glori- Schiermonnikoog. . . 205 ous beaches, ripe for exploration and threaded with many miles of cycling paths. At the province’s centre is Leeuwarden, the sort of beguiling old Dutch town where you soon settle in and have a favourite Best Places to Eat cafe. Elsewhere, craggy old fishing villages like Hindeloopen are finding new life as evocative tourist destinations. ¨¨Restaurant By Ús (p197) ¨¨De Tjotter (p199) ¨¨Café-Restaurant de Hinde When to Go (p201) ¨¨Summer is the obvious time to visit Friesland. Water ¨¨De Walrus (p200) sports such as sailing on the Ijsselmeer are at their peak and offshore islands have the most to offer. ¨Ärrive on Terschelling in late June for the anything-goes Best Places to Oerol festival or make it to Sneek in August for its major late- Stay summer sailing event. ¨¨Hotel-Paleis ¨Öff-season old towns like Leeuwarden and Harlingen Stadhouderlijk Hof (p196) reward as well with moody canalscapes and riveting museums. ¨¨’t Heerenlogement (p199) ¨Ïf conditions are just right in winter – deep frozen, that is – ¨¨Hotel Pension van der the nation pauses for the province-spanning ice-skating race Werff (p206) known as the Elfstedentocht. - - ) g n g m o e m

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A 8 e D H e l e m 4 e ( i L t O l ( t e k d l s n L x piece of solitude on the solitude of piece Schiermonnikoog isle of (p205 2 Friesland 1 museums and shady shady and museums Leeuwarden of backstreets (p195 Farming, fishing and shipbuilding have fishing Farming, s 0 V O e e e 1 m o O #\ ( H D # f N T A # f O H ries, and made Friesland one of the wealthiest ries, and made Friesland in the pre-republicregions in the Netherlands further became integrated Theera. Frisians into Dutch society – not entirely willingly – Having dredged their home out of the Wad dredged Having are denzee armload by armload, the Frisians to strugglingno strangers with their natural environment. activities principal for centu been the area’s History #\

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Friesland (Fryslân) 194