Mrs Boots took a couple of tumbles last month. Don’t worry – she’s fine. The wagon she fell from was her habitual vegetarianism; the temptation of guinea fowl and France was simply too much for her. To be fair, we were in one of the
(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
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
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
We’ve both been thinking about this expression since our last walking trip in South Limburg. A few days after we got home, torrential rain brought death and destruction to parts of Limburg, Belgium and Germany. Now that the International Panel on Climate Change has released
Splendor in the Grass – Koppelsteede (Please note: as of January 2021, Koppelsteede is closed to the public. Check their website if you’re planning to go.) On a previous walk this summer along the old Roman border, while about to cross the freeway on our
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.