Mrs Boots (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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 way to get gin, we found ourselves walking past what … Read more
A BIRCH TOO FAR One of the pleasures of planning walks in the early Boots and Bowtie days using the old (read “paper”) topographic maps was spotting the symbol which according to the map legend indicated a “remarkable tree”. This would mean a tree that conspicuously differs from the ones around it, or is in … Read more
After years of absence from the site basically due to being busy, we have both lost much of our work because of the virus. This has given us the gift of time and the motivation to get out and walk close to home. We were not supposed to be on public transport until June, and … Read more
When the first warm day was forecast in April after months of virtually unbroken unseasonable cold, Boots and Bowtie decided to get out and visit a place we’d heard about for a long time – the Oostvaardersplassen reserve. This 5600-hectare reserve in the newly-built province (yep, we’re in Holland) of Flevoland was slated to … Read more
Recently we went walking near the Dutch city of Ommen with our friends Margo and Frits. As you know, we usually carry lightweight backpacks, but it was a chilly day so besides a picnic, we also had flasks of tea and extra coats. Frits was kind enough to carry all our baggage. He is immensely … Read more
Update to our Abcoude walk: Sadly, we have to report that walking the short distance to Anna Haen to buy your picnic (or eat their fabulous products on the spot) is no longer an option. They seem to offer cooking classes and meeting space, but there is no farm shop open to the public. Our … Read more
Luxembourg You never meet anyone who emigrated from Luxembourg. This could be because its population is so small (just over half a million) so the odds of meeting one of them outside the country are simply very slim. On the other hand, perhaps they know something we don’t, and so they never leave. It has … Read more