Saturday - The fabric market in Utrecht

Saturday is market day in a lot of places and in Utrecht on the Breedstraat and Begijnhof  from 8.00 to 13.00 there's a large and very colourful fabric market, which apparently, with its 400 years, is the oldest of the country.

Although the family's sewing and knitting enthusiast is my mum and I normally get uncomfortable the moment I step into a fabric shop, I must admit that it's hard to avoid letting yourself go with dreams of crafty projects and hand made bags and skirts when you walk through this market.

http://www.bezoek-utrecht.nl/event/lapjesmarkt

Friday - Take a gilded tour of Amersfoort

Amersfoort is a very picturesque little town not far from Utrecht.

Every day at 14.00 a walking tour departs for the Gilde Amersfoort's office and will take you to the most photogenic and historically relevant spots of the city, among them the Koppelpoort gate, which could be a building out of a fairy tale.

Winter tours end in a tea shop, always a good thing to look forward when you have been walking one and a half hour in the cold.

http://www.gildeamersfoort.nl/index.php

Thursday - Beer making and tasting in Limburg

A couple of years ago we visited this brewery in the Limburg and I can warmly recommend it, with or without kids.

It's not a fake tour through a fake brewery, like the Heininken Experience in Amsterdam, but a guided tour through a real, functioning plant, with the lovely smell of yeast and hop filling the air and dark caves where older and even cuvee beers are kept.

At the end of the tour every participants is given a coupon for a beer which can be redeemed in the nearby pub. The funny fact about this is that there's a pipe that carries the freshly made beer from the plant straight into the bar's taps.

http://www.hertogjan.nl/site/12-Ervaar-de-brouwerij.php

Wednesday - A trip back in time with the Ambassadors' parade in Den Haag

Two posts in a row about Den Haag go against the rules, however I have discovered that several times a year (but always on Wednesdays) newly posted Ambassadors to the Netherlands deliver their credentials letters to the Queen at her office/palace on the Noordeinde.

The notables are taken to the palace on a royal carriage accompanied by coachmen and footmen, like in an episode of Downton Abbey. The Master of Ceremony will welcome them while a brass band is playing.

Not easy to plan attendance in advance as, due to security reasons, the event is announced only shortly before its scheduled date.

http://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/

Tuesday - Follow the Poppy trail

On display at the Humanity House in Den Haag until the 24 February, "Poppy" is an exhibition that follows the trail of heroin's trafficking, from Afghanistan to the UK.

The journey of the 2 authors, told through a 45-minute audio-visual experience, is also a trip through the history of that troubled area, from the mujahedeens' fight against the Soviets, via the Taliban to the aftermath of 9/11.

The exhibition is open during the weekend and (by appointment only) during the week.

http://www.humanityhouse.org/en/museum-agenda/exhibition-poppy

Monday - A trip to the Library in Delft

Sticking to the topic of Dutch star architects already touched yesterday, I would like to mention today another building worth seeing: the Techinsche Universiteit (TU)'s library in Delft.

Built at the end of the Nineties by Mecanoo, the world renown architects' practice based in Delft itself, it has a curios slope-like structure and a roof covered with grass.

It makes for the perfect picnic spot in Summer (when there is one), while in Winter, given the lack of hills in the country, it's used by snowboard-fanatic students to practice their tricks.

Inside, floor to ceiling book shelves line the walls and several study rooms and facilities are available. It's open every day of the year from 8.00 to 24.00.

http://www.library.tudelft.nl/

Sunday - The weekly art fix in Rotterdam

Although it has been recently in the news because of the theft from its premises of some valuable masterpieces from Monet, Matisse and Freud among others, this venue in Rotterdam is absolutely worth seeing.

Mainly dedicated to contemporary art exhibitions it has the occasional dive in the past and hosts several different displays at the time, covering all form of artistic expressions including but not limited to paintings, video art, installations and performance art.

The building is a piece of art in itself since it has been designed by the Dutch star architect, Rem Koolhas.


http://www.kunsthal.nl/