(not a rant, more a musing) In the largely rural south of the Dutch province of Limburg near Maastricht, centuries-old half-timbered buildings, former watermills, castles, and massive stone farmhouses nestle among the rolling hills. Charming “hollow ways” – roads that began in Roman times as cart tracks and have sunk over time, sometimes by a
The N70: It turns out that they’ve been hiding the hills from us. When the Council of Europe declared the year 1970 as a year for nature conservation, the city of Nijmegen took this idea and ran with it. They devised a walking path that would get people, even people less familiar with nature, to
photo: Karen Sandler Just in case you missed our manifesto, our name Boots and Bowtie refers to our love of scenic walks that also have some gastronomic aspect. Sometimes we find a lovely hike but are disappointed on the food end; these days are known as “all boots and no bowtie”. Occasionally it’s the other
Mrs. Boots and Mr. Bowtie are two ex-pat Americans passionate about walking and food. Having settled in the Netherlands over twenty years ago, they set out to explore and discover all the finest dining and hiking the region had to offer. They aim to guide their readers with thoughtful, detailed and accessible descriptions of a variety of rambles through the Benelux, informed by local history and culture.
Read the Boots and Bowtie Manifesto.