The province of North Brabant, called Noord Brabant in Dutch, is located in the southern Netherlands. Zeeland borders it on the west, Limburg on the east, Belgium to the south and the Meuse (Maas) River on the north.
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| Dutch town encloses Belgian enclave (Baarle-Hertog) in Baarle-Nassau. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Baarle Nassau
We drove by thatched roof homes, with sheep grazing outside, to one of the strangest villages in Holland. Called Baarle-Nassau, it is located just five kilometers (three miles) north of the Belgium border.
Although Baarle-Nassau is a Dutch municipality, it encloses 22 Belgian enclaves, collectively called Baarle-Hertog. The main square is Dutch, except for the pub and church, which are Belgian.
Because many streets are part-Dutch and part-Belgian, the homes have distinctive numbers, with flags, identifying their nationalities. It's a good thing that there is no official border crossing, because it would pass through the middle of someone's home!
Zeeland Holland
The Netherlands province of Zeeland is located west of North Brabant. Zeeland is bordered by the North Sea on the west, Belgium to the south and South Holland to the north.
From the north, Zeeland is accessible by car using bridges, tunnels and roads over the dams.
Delta Works
The massive Delta Works project has sealed off vast estuaries, reducing the coastline from 700 kilometers (435 miles) to 32 kilometers (20 miles). At Delta Expo, we learned how the Delta Plan was conceived and built and how it works.
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| Woman wears Sunday costume with starched lace hat and coral necklace in South Beveland, Zeeland Province. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Designed to prevent devastating floods, like the one in 1953 that took 1,835 lives, the complex of dikes, dams and locks holding back the North Sea has been called the eighth wonder of the world.
Middelburg Holland
Many of Zeeland's villages retain their unique characteristics. We visited Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland, which has a beautifully restored medieval abbey. In Yerseke, we enjoyed steaming bowls of freshly cooked mussels.
In South Beveland, (Zuid Beveland), we saw women wearing traditional Dutch costumes, including one riding a bicycle. Another lady's Zeeland costume included a coral necklace and a starched lace hat, decorated with kissers, large gold squares on each temple.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions: www.holland.com
More things to see & do in Holland:
Dutch Foods, Drinks and Cuisine
East Holland - Gelderland & Overijssel
Utrecht Holland Vacation
Flevoland & Urk Holland
Dutch Phrasebook
