N70, where have you been all my life?
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
Après nous le déluge
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 its report, it occurs to us that this sentiment may
Splendor in the Grass
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
The monumental trees of Arnhem: A BIRCH TOO FAR
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
Point to Point walking
Belgium is once again leading the way in introducing a brilliant new idea: point-to-point walking. They’ve had bike knooppunten for years, and recently began to make routes for walkers, based on numbered signs, an online map, and the possibility of devising and printing your own walk. Here in the Netherlands we’re busy catching up, and
Utrecht’s fabulous trees
One of the unintended benefits of staying closer to home since March of this year (2020) has been a better acquaintance with Utrecht’s many trees. In all frankness, we didn’t recognize many different species, until having read Peter Wohlleben’s “The hidden life of trees”, and afterwards Richard Powers’ Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Overstory”. We became curious
Walk: Hollandsche Rading to Baarn
Lage Vuursche – Pancakes and the Bunnyberg The Food We’ve often seen articles about how dining out in the Netherlands has improved over the years. These articles frequently mention our great Michelin three-star chef, Jonnie Boer, of De Librije in Zwolle and its sister restaurant, Librije’s zuster. In one interview, he charmingly let slip that
Boots and Bowtie in the Coronavirus Age
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
Cattle and horses and deer….oh dear!
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
Nice Ass!
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
Abcoude update
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
Luxembourg
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
About the bowtie…
We thought, and still think, that the name Boots and Bowtie neatly conveys the combination of quality food and drink and wholesome physical exercise. It has recently come to our attention that some people consider a bowtie an indication that a man is harmless, maybe even sexually harmless, all right, impotent. We would like to