A visit to ‘De Haar Castle’ and Haarzuilens

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Europe is all about castles and the Kingdom of the Netherlands is obviously not exempt. Interestingly, ‘Kingdom of the Netherlands’ is the official name of the country and whenever we think of kingdoms, images of castles, forts and knights comes into picture. I am sure cousin Dr. Balin will get to see a lot of castles and forts in Italy as she will be staying there for a month for work. She does non-profit medical work back in the Philippines, educating and treating the poor people in the south of the country—a very noble profession and cause by the way considering that she could have practiced medicine commercially. So anyway, I made sure she gets a taste of the Dutch version of castles.

I chose ‘Kasteel de Haar’ (De Haar Castle) in Haarzuilens, Vleuten to show her because it’s the most beautiful castle in the Netherlands and its just 8 kilometres from Utrecht. Luckily, last weekend was ‘Open Monument Day’ so entrance fees to the castle and its gardens are waived. However, the queue to the castle tour was awfully long and they were only letting in a few people per batch so we elected instead to enjoy the al fresco setting and roam the castle’s grounds and appreciate its beautiful garden park.

I have been to this castle a few times by the way but every time I visit this beautiful place I am always awestruck by its exquisiteness. The castle is breathtaking! My last visit here was in July 2009 with Blondine when we attended a country fair.

Here are the pictures of De Haar Castle:


Afterwards we went to the little village Haarzuilens that is annexed to the castle for some drinks. We settled at the terrace of Restaurant ’t Wapen van Haarzuylen for fresh mint tea and bitter lemon.



Visit Period: September 2012
Destination: Haarzuilens, Vleuten-DeMeern (Utrecht), The Netherlands

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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
Location: Utrecht, Nederland
Welcome to my world! After years in the fast-paced tech world, I am now in my 50s and embracing a slower pace of life in the Dutch countryside. This diary is a collection of my favorite things: the joy of country home life, my new journey into gardening, and my lifelong passion for travel. Whether I am nurturing my garden, nesting at home, or exploring places locally and abroad, I am documenting it all. Come on in. I hope you enjoy your stay!

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