By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Sponsored by the Tewksbury Library, the Dover Town Library (DTL) shared an online travel event that was sure to please! Recently, Illinois native Gene Flynn took us on a tour through the Netherlands and Belgium.
The highlight of this trip included seeing absolutely beautiful tulips, a vast array of windmills, stunning artwork by multiple artists including Rubens and Rembrandt, and some delicious chocolate treats from some amazing vendors.
Before we started our journey, Flynn detailed the history and geography about these two low countries. He mentioned, “First of all, we will be talking about their geography. The sea and land and then we will talk about the windmills, tulips, and art. So the Netherlands is a country with seventeen million people and it’s about sixteen hundred square miles. To put that into perspective, Massachusetts is about ten thousand square miles. So the entire country of the Netherlands is about fifty percent larger than Massachusetts and has twice as many people as well. And Belgium is about the same size as Massachusetts. So let’s jump in and take a look!”
After detailing the very interesting geography and history, Flynn then led us through his river cruise that he took throughout these two countries. The cruise lasted eight days and explored five different areas of each country.
Altogether, we were able to visit Amsterdam, Hoorn, Antwerp, Ghent, Kinderdijk, and Zeeland. Each stop was a pure site of beauty and Flynn was able to show us some amazing photographs that he took. While the tours were in the morning, Flynn was able to get some time to explore on his own and stumble upon some pretty incredible things.
One of the most incredible things that Flynn got to enjoy on his trip and share with us was the world’s largest tulip festival in Amsterdam. Over eighty acres long and filled with seven million flower bulbs, this festival runs for only six weeks out of the year. Unknown to Flynn at the time, he was able to see them at their peak and because of this, the pictures he captured were breathtaking.
In terms of his trip as a whole, Flynn stated, “This was a wonderful trip that I took in 2019. The people in the Netherlands were so wonderful and welcoming. Almost everyone speaks English. It’s an absolutely wonderful country to visit. … I’d suggest going during the off season. The summer has just been overwhelming for some of the European cities. Particularly Venice and Amsterdam. Go off season. These cities are wonderful year round. And they really will appreciate you when the crowds are a little thinner. Keep on traveling!”
For information about events like these, please visit the DTL’s website at www.dovertownlibrary.org.
