Netherlands

The Netherlands is a triumph of engineering over nature. It is a flat, wind-swept land of brick and water, where the bicycle is the apex predator of the road (do not step into the bike lane if you value your life). Beyond the canal rings of Amsterdam, this is a country of sharp contrasts: the moody, medieval streets of Utrecht, the stark, post-war modernism of Rotterdam, and the quiet dunes of the North Sea. It is clean, pragmatic, and painfully direct. Travel here is efficient—the trains run on time, the English is perfect, and the design is world-class.

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