Miniature marvels

Imagine walking through the Netherlands in a single hour. I managed to accomplish this incredible feat but, of course, the buildings I strode past were miniature versions of the real thing.

These included such famous Dutch icons as the Dom Tower in Utrecht, the Peace Palace in The Hague and Amsterdam’s Magna Plaza and Schipol Airport. I felt like Gulliver stomping around in the land of Lilliput.

My visit to the lovely theme park of Madurodam in The Hague was fascinating. Here, they have painstakingly created dollhouse-sized replicas using synthetic materials. The miniatures are precisely 25 times smaller than the originals.
Delf pottery

Madurodam is the Netherland’s smallest “town”, covering 18,000sq m and boasting 66,000 “inhabitants”. I saw a mini train chugging into a tunnel, a plane circling an airport terminal and a boat making its way through a pond in different sections of the park.

It is enlightening to see how the Dutch have put their world under a microscope. Visitors from all ages can have their share of fun at this endearing spot. For children, there are oodles to learn about, such as architecture and history, while the adults cannot help but marvel at the intricacies of the wee structures.

Madurodam is also a war memorial which opened in 1952 to commemorate war hero and resistance fighter George Maduro. He died in 1945 in the Dachau concentration camp. His parents financed the miniature town and donate the profits to charity.
Posing in a clog outside a clog shop.

This was the final stop in my nine-hour tour around the scenic spots of the country. Costing ‚57 (about RM285), the bus I came in earlier had brought us to Zaanse Shaanse, a windmill museum where we also learnt about the cheese-making process. According to our guide, only 945 out of 10,000 windmills had survived. The rest had fallen by the wayside due to technology and progress.

Our next stop was the tourist haven of Volendam. Although this was my second visit here, the little shops lining the pier with their boats and yachts still held their charm. However, if crowds and shops stocked with souvenirs are not your cup of tea, then give the place a miss.

Amidst this lively atmosphere, the village is a riot of colours, shapes and sizes. Here, we took an express boat to Marken, where we got an insight into the art of making clogs.
Zaanse Shaanse, a windmill museum.

A local told us that clogs had been handmade from the 1500s until the early 1900s when the human touch was overtaken by machines. The afternoon saw us visiting the town of Delf which is world-famous for its distinctive blue-and-white pottery.

We were allowed to peer behind the scenes during our tour around a factory. I was tempted to buy one of the exquisite works of art here but the hefty price tag made me turn on my heels before I got lulled by the beauty that surrounded me.

Call it a case of sour grapes if you wish, but I don’t think the Delfware would have survived my journey back to Malaysia in one piece anyway.

Getting there

Malaysia Airlines flies directly from Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam (www.amsterdamtourist. nl).

WHEN TO GO Between May and September.

WHAT TO BRING Cap, body lotion, comfortable walking shoes and disposable raincoat.

COMMUNICATION Most locals there can converse in English.