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Groningen is as hot as mustard
Groningen Stadhuis : Dazzling
by Jamie O'Keeffe - 17/08/2007
When Brits visit the Netherlands, more often than not they head to its lively yet laid-back capital, Amsterdam, or perhaps to Rotterdam, both of which are relatively near to Britain and offer great shopping and a busy nightlife.
But if you delve into the country you'll find an unexpected delight up north, about 30 miles away from the northern coast, called Groningen.
This city, the seventh-largest in the country, remains relatively unknown on these shores, yet it offers, along with a number of places close by, a wide range of charming and unusual attractions.
We took a flight with the Belgian carrier VLM Airlines from London City Airport to Eelde Airport, which is about a 15-minute car journey away from Groningen city centre.
VLM puts on one flight from London City every day (except Saturdays), which stops off briefly on the way at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. There is a direct bus service from Eelde to Groningen, which costs €2.30, or you can usually pick up a taxi outside the airport, which should cost around €30.
Once you're there, the city is easily navigable by foot, though our party was fortunate enough to spend our first morning there seeing a few sights on bikes, a fun and efficient way to check out the city.
Doubtless due in no small part to the country's lack of anything vaguely resembling a slope, cycling is very popular in Holland, and especially so in a city with a student population of 24,000; indeed, the car park at Groningen's train station is a permanent home to a striking collection of around 6,000 bicycles.
I set off into town the following morning from our base, the Asgard, just a couple of minutes from the city centre where I had been made to feel very welcome.
Our first stop was the building that dominates Groningen's landscape, the Martini Clock Tower, a stunning 97-metre-high structure which is located on the corner of the lively Grote Markt (Main Square). Koos, our welcoming and knowledgeable guide for the day, accompanied us to the top of the 15th-century tower, from where the views all around the city and beyond were truly breathtaking.
Stopping off at various points during the climb gave us an opportunity to see the inner workings of the tower, not least the impressive system of bells therein.
We followed our climb with a bike ride around some of the city's less well-known, but no less impressive, sights, such as the 17th-century university, the canal and plenty of unusual architecture.
The ride set us up nicely for lunch at the Feithhuis restaurant, where some mustard soup and a huge club sandwich readied me for a trip to the architectural wonder that is the Wall House, a short car journey into the suburbs.
This unusual building, the creation of the architect John Hejduk, contains several untypically designed rooms, with such features as ceilings at different heights and windows at different angles. I was admittedly quite sceptical about the point of the designs, but Kie, the house's guide, was very convincing in his explanations, pointing out a certain logic to Hejduk's unconventional ideas, such as his reasoning for having a window with no view: "As long as you can see the wall, you know there's another side."
We then headed to the Alessandro Mendini-designed Groninger Museum, another amazing edifice of varying dimensions, which not only houses works of art but is a work of art in itself.
Built on part of the Verbindings Canal, the many paintings and sculptures in this colourful museum are accompanied by a wide range of inventive columns and staircases. The museum is open on Tuesdays to Sundays, and on Mondays in July and August.
We finished off the day with what had been advertised as a "traditional Dutch pub crawl", which, contrary to my initial thoughts, didn't entail going halves on everything. Home as Groningen is to around 200 pubs and bars and a large student population, the city's nightlife is lively and friendly, not least around the Grote Markt. The city can also boast the Wolthoorn, the current Best Pub in the Netherlands according to a recent survey. After sampling some very strong lager, the name of which understandably escapes me, I headed back to my hotel for some shut-eye.
Our second day in Groningen would begin with an invigorating trip to Pieterburen Seal Sanctuary, 15 miles north of the city. The sanctuary, which was set up in 1972 by a remarkable woman called Lenie t'Hart, provides welcome refuge for ill and injured seals and is both a fantastic and awe-inspiring place to visit.
After a night on the tiles, the sight of impossibly cute seals on the mend, coupled with the sanctuary's proximity to the refreshing North Sea air, gives it an extra dimension. Lenie was more than happy to take us round the sanctuary, and her enthusiasm and friendly demeanour certainly left a good impression.
Our tour continued with a trip to the picturesque village of Eenrum, a seemingly unlikely setting for a couple of fascinating attractions. First up was a walk around Abraham's Mustard Factory, where we were taught about the intricate processes of making mustard, a popular delicacy in the province of Groningen.
We followed the tour with a taste of the hot stuff in the adjoining restaurant; not for the first - or indeed last - time during my stay there I plumped for a starter dish of mustard soup, which was encased in some of the most delicious bread I'd ever tasted.
Our hunger well and truly sated, we moved on down the road, in the process passing of all things a windmill, to De Kromme Raake, which is listed in Guinness World Records as the smallest hotel in the world. Ilse, who had also been our helpful host at the mustard factory, kindly gave us a guided tour of the one-bedroom hotel, which thanks to its charming intricacies took longer than you would think.
The hotel is home to such marvels as a key rack with just the one hook, some fine artwork in the living room and a bedroom containing just a bed, and costs €150 per night. Unsurprisingly, given its intimate nature, the hotel is very popular with honeymooners.
Next on our itinerary was a visit to the Theefabriek tea museum and factory in Houwerzijl, a short trip south from Eenrum. After a walk round some fascinating tea-flavoured memorabilia, we sampled a few types of tea. We popped up too to the tower chamber at the top of the building - an ideal location, perhaps, if you're in the mood for some high tea.
We moved on next to Nienoord, a pretty country estate set in the rural town of Leek. Our first port of call was the estate's carriage museum, which contains around 200 vintage carriages of all shapes and sizes. These vehicles of their day, some of which were built as far back as the 17th century, provide a fascinating insight into what travelling must have been like before the engine was invented.
We moved on to the Kastel Nienoord, where our genial host, Wilma, discussed some more of the estate's attractions, such as its zoo, train rides, pool and cinema, which make it an ideal place to visit for families and conferences. After enjoying a tasty several-course meal in the castle's restaurant - including of course a healthy dose of mustard soup - we headed off back to Groningen, where we had enough time before our early departure the following morning to toast the province and all its weird and wonderful sights over a few lagers in one of the city's many taverns.
Knowing I had to rise early (Stupid O'Clock probably best sums it up), I approached bed with some trepidation, considering my long-held disdain for the sound of the alarm clock. Unusually, though, I found it really easy to get up when my alarm went off the following morning. Maybe I was just still buzzing from my experience in Groningen.
Groningen Stadhuis : Dazzling
by Jamie O'Keeffe - 17/08/2007
When Brits visit the Netherlands, more often than not they head to its lively yet laid-back capital, Amsterdam, or perhaps to Rotterdam, both of which are relatively near to Britain and offer great shopping and a busy nightlife.
But if you delve into the country you'll find an unexpected delight up north, about 30 miles away from the northern coast, called Groningen.
This city, the seventh-largest in the country, remains relatively unknown on these shores, yet it offers, along with a number of places close by, a wide range of charming and unusual attractions.
We took a flight with the Belgian carrier VLM Airlines from London City Airport to Eelde Airport, which is about a 15-minute car journey away from Groningen city centre.
VLM puts on one flight from London City every day (except Saturdays), which stops off briefly on the way at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. There is a direct bus service from Eelde to Groningen, which costs €2.30, or you can usually pick up a taxi outside the airport, which should cost around €30.
Once you're there, the city is easily navigable by foot, though our party was fortunate enough to spend our first morning there seeing a few sights on bikes, a fun and efficient way to check out the city.
Doubtless due in no small part to the country's lack of anything vaguely resembling a slope, cycling is very popular in Holland, and especially so in a city with a student population of 24,000; indeed, the car park at Groningen's train station is a permanent home to a striking collection of around 6,000 bicycles.
I set off into town the following morning from our base, the Asgard, just a couple of minutes from the city centre where I had been made to feel very welcome.
Our first stop was the building that dominates Groningen's landscape, the Martini Clock Tower, a stunning 97-metre-high structure which is located on the corner of the lively Grote Markt (Main Square). Koos, our welcoming and knowledgeable guide for the day, accompanied us to the top of the 15th-century tower, from where the views all around the city and beyond were truly breathtaking.
Stopping off at various points during the climb gave us an opportunity to see the inner workings of the tower, not least the impressive system of bells therein.
We followed our climb with a bike ride around some of the city's less well-known, but no less impressive, sights, such as the 17th-century university, the canal and plenty of unusual architecture.
The ride set us up nicely for lunch at the Feithhuis restaurant, where some mustard soup and a huge club sandwich readied me for a trip to the architectural wonder that is the Wall House, a short car journey into the suburbs.
This unusual building, the creation of the architect John Hejduk, contains several untypically designed rooms, with such features as ceilings at different heights and windows at different angles. I was admittedly quite sceptical about the point of the designs, but Kie, the house's guide, was very convincing in his explanations, pointing out a certain logic to Hejduk's unconventional ideas, such as his reasoning for having a window with no view: "As long as you can see the wall, you know there's another side."
We then headed to the Alessandro Mendini-designed Groninger Museum, another amazing edifice of varying dimensions, which not only houses works of art but is a work of art in itself.
Built on part of the Verbindings Canal, the many paintings and sculptures in this colourful museum are accompanied by a wide range of inventive columns and staircases. The museum is open on Tuesdays to Sundays, and on Mondays in July and August.
We finished off the day with what had been advertised as a "traditional Dutch pub crawl", which, contrary to my initial thoughts, didn't entail going halves on everything. Home as Groningen is to around 200 pubs and bars and a large student population, the city's nightlife is lively and friendly, not least around the Grote Markt. The city can also boast the Wolthoorn, the current Best Pub in the Netherlands according to a recent survey. After sampling some very strong lager, the name of which understandably escapes me, I headed back to my hotel for some shut-eye.
Our second day in Groningen would begin with an invigorating trip to Pieterburen Seal Sanctuary, 15 miles north of the city. The sanctuary, which was set up in 1972 by a remarkable woman called Lenie t'Hart, provides welcome refuge for ill and injured seals and is both a fantastic and awe-inspiring place to visit.
After a night on the tiles, the sight of impossibly cute seals on the mend, coupled with the sanctuary's proximity to the refreshing North Sea air, gives it an extra dimension. Lenie was more than happy to take us round the sanctuary, and her enthusiasm and friendly demeanour certainly left a good impression.
Our tour continued with a trip to the picturesque village of Eenrum, a seemingly unlikely setting for a couple of fascinating attractions. First up was a walk around Abraham's Mustard Factory, where we were taught about the intricate processes of making mustard, a popular delicacy in the province of Groningen.
We followed the tour with a taste of the hot stuff in the adjoining restaurant; not for the first - or indeed last - time during my stay there I plumped for a starter dish of mustard soup, which was encased in some of the most delicious bread I'd ever tasted.
Our hunger well and truly sated, we moved on down the road, in the process passing of all things a windmill, to De Kromme Raake, which is listed in Guinness World Records as the smallest hotel in the world. Ilse, who had also been our helpful host at the mustard factory, kindly gave us a guided tour of the one-bedroom hotel, which thanks to its charming intricacies took longer than you would think.
The hotel is home to such marvels as a key rack with just the one hook, some fine artwork in the living room and a bedroom containing just a bed, and costs €150 per night. Unsurprisingly, given its intimate nature, the hotel is very popular with honeymooners.
Next on our itinerary was a visit to the Theefabriek tea museum and factory in Houwerzijl, a short trip south from Eenrum. After a walk round some fascinating tea-flavoured memorabilia, we sampled a few types of tea. We popped up too to the tower chamber at the top of the building - an ideal location, perhaps, if you're in the mood for some high tea.
We moved on next to Nienoord, a pretty country estate set in the rural town of Leek. Our first port of call was the estate's carriage museum, which contains around 200 vintage carriages of all shapes and sizes. These vehicles of their day, some of which were built as far back as the 17th century, provide a fascinating insight into what travelling must have been like before the engine was invented.
We moved on to the Kastel Nienoord, where our genial host, Wilma, discussed some more of the estate's attractions, such as its zoo, train rides, pool and cinema, which make it an ideal place to visit for families and conferences. After enjoying a tasty several-course meal in the castle's restaurant - including of course a healthy dose of mustard soup - we headed off back to Groningen, where we had enough time before our early departure the following morning to toast the province and all its weird and wonderful sights over a few lagers in one of the city's many taverns.
Knowing I had to rise early (Stupid O'Clock probably best sums it up), I approached bed with some trepidation, considering my long-held disdain for the sound of the alarm clock. Unusually, though, I found it really easy to get up when my alarm went off the following morning. Maybe I was just still buzzing from my experience in Groningen.