Day three in Holland. Today's drive is a bit longer, but the round trip of 180 km is not too bad. It's better to sleep in the same place again and not have to move luggage. According to the plan, today we will drive a little south to A. UTRECHT; B. KASTEEL DE HAAR; C. GOUDA.

After breakfast, which we made ourselves at our accommodation, we started our journey according to the map in the picture. Point A. UTRECHT is 50km away. We drove along, stopping to see various things, and it took almost two hours. Utrecht is a university city with a large student population and a more urban feel. However, I prefer to walk in the old part of the city.

St. Martin's Cathedral


DOM TOWER OF UTRECHT

The old town offers several charming corners worth exploring.

Continuing our journey before noon, we drove another 20km to Kasteel De Haar, or simply the Castle of Haar, the ancestral home of the Haar family. The castle boasts a long and rich history, which you can easily explore on Google. Remarkably well-preserved, it serves as the highlight of our day's travels.

The castle and its surroundings are both beautiful.

It took about two hours to get here... It was worth the drive... Beautiful, peaceful, with a magical aura of its own. It's one of those places that makes you think... gives you goosebumps with its mystical atmosphere.

On the way back to Amsterdam, I didn't want to drive the same route again, as it would be boring. So I opened the map to find a loop route to drive. I came across the city of Gouda, which was the next city we would encounter. If we were going to drive around to get to Amsterdam, we might as well go there. I didn't know what the city had to offer, as I had only heard its name before. The distance was only 30km.

Let's see what we found.

Church of St. John

WAAG

This is a Dutch acronym that stands for Wetenschappelijk Archief en Atlas van Groningen. It translates to Scientific Archive and Atlas of Groningen.

The WAAG is a historical archive and research institute located in the city of Groningen, Netherlands. It houses a vast collection of documents, maps, and other materials related to the history and culture of the province of Groningen.

The WAAG is a valuable resource for researchers, students, and anyone interested in learning more about the history of Groningen.

GOUDA CITY HALL

"Once again, I made the right decision to deviate from my plan. The city is beautiful and classic. Many times, when I've decided to drive off the beaten path, I've found it to be more exciting than I could have imagined."

After that, it was time to return to our accommodation on the outskirts of Amsterdam, a leisurely 50km drive that took us almost until dusk. We stopped at a nearby supermarket to buy fresh groceries and cooked dinner. In the evening, we took a train to the city center of Amsterdam. I'll share photos from the city in my final post. I walked around the city center almost every night.

...Stay tuned for the next episode of driving on day four...

#netherlands#travel#netherlands#by car
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