Page 113 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

CHAPTER: CITIES

281

CITIES

MAIN IMAGE A canal with the towers of Delft’s Oostpoort (East Gate) in the
background BELOW (left to right) Classic blue-and-white Delftware; the spire of
Nieuwe Kerk; Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665) by Delft-born artist Johannes Vermeer

3 MORE LOWCOUNTRY
CITIES TO RIVAL AMSTERDAM

GHENT, BELGIUM The quaint cobbled streets, winding canals,
and grand buildings hark back to an affluent medieval era
when, as a thriving textile center, Ghent was Europe’s largest
city outside Paris. Today, it offers visitors a pleasing mix of past
and present, with waterways lit by fairy-lights, gilded guild-
houses, and street stalls of trinkets and hippy kitsch.
ANTWERP, BELGIUM Like Delft, Antwerp has a pottery tradition,
but it fuses its enthusiasm for tin-glazed tiles with an abundance
of urban grit. This down-to-earth city, which has a rich mercantile
and cultural past, is undergoing a spirited regeneration, seen in
its trend-setting architecture and lively restaurant and pub scene.
THE HAGUE (DEN HAAG), THE NETHERLANDS The third-
largest city in Holland boasts a buzzing energy like never before.
Characterized by medieval cobbled streets, The Hague boasts
handsome 18th-century mansions, paved courtyards, opulent
palaces, and an eye-popping collection of clock towers and spires.

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