Mid-life gap year Tanya and Craig

Dutch graphic artist M C Escher only really became famous in the 21st century. Despite a lifetime of work his first exhibition was held when he was aged 70. He died aged 74 in 1972.  He didn't particularly like school and reportedly was a poor student. He spent much of his time day dreaming about alternative perspectives. His famous staircase series is based on the central staircase within his school. His pictures would later provide inspiration for the moving stair case at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series.  Escher was fascinated by the natural world in particular Italy. He and his family spent a great deal of time there, where he perfected his tessellated designs and illusions of perspective that became his signature. You can admire his work, and we recommend that you do if you have the opportunity in Het Paleis, the former Royal Winter Palace in The Hague where the is a permanent exhibition of his art.  The exhibition includes his Itali...

On our first morning in Amsterdam we struggled to find the Tourist Information centre and when we did find it, it was not the usual place filled with brochures and helpful staff. It was more a sales boutique for paid tour operators. Despite this we decided to take a walking tour. Amsterdam is a city of some 800,000 inhabitants. It has narrow streets and with 21 million tourists visiting the city each year locals and business operators have become tired of having the streets blocked with walking tours. Tour groups are now banned from many of the free tourist attractions in the city. Our tour was more an introduction to Amsterdam’s social history and culture than a tour of the highlights, this suited us perfectly. On the tour we learned: ·        Capitalism began in Amsterdam with the development of a share market to fund merchant ships, travelling to Indonesia for spices. ·        The first stock market ...

Like a lot of European port cities, Amsterdam's waterfronts are undergoing urban renewal with new funky architecture. During the transition these areas can become a haven for creativity. We parked our van at a motorhome only parking ground near NDSM pier an area that is undergoing redevelopment. NDSM was the Dutch national ship builder and is no longer on the site. As you can imagine the area is vast. Former workshops are now artist studios and creative industries offices. The head office of Greenpeace is located here. The buildings and abandoned shipping containers have become canvases for street art. We spoke to a graffiti artist about his work, he does not make a sketch or draft, the original comes out of his imagination straight onto the wall.    The area also has a former cruise ship moored and operating as a “botel”.  It also has a former pirate radio ship which is now a restaurant and a retired naval submarine as wildlife habitat.  ...

Looking for a place to camp the night a miscommunication between the driver and navigator meant we took a wrong turn and passed through the town of Arjum on the Northern coast of the Netherlands. As we drove through the edge of town we noticed every house was decorated with coloured bunting and every street pole was decorated with a clover leaf and a lady beetle or a Disney fairy tale theme. Later, after parking in the next town we asked why the houses of Arjum were decorated and were told there was to be a street festival that evening. We cycled back to Arjum, arrived at the pub to the smell of sizzling ham steaks, onions and potatoes on the grill. Amstel beer was on tap and appeared to be the only drink to be consumed.  We sat with some locals who told us about their town and the festival we were about to see. Arjum is a town of approximately 1000 people. It is in Dutch Fresia, on the North Sea. The primary industries in which it's residents are employed are ma...