The Dutch Page

OK, so by now you've realised that Dutch Land Rovers are cute.

Here's a little taste of some other things that the Dutch do best...

DYKES

"God made the world but the Dutch made the Netherlands" or so

someone told me. Huge chunks of the country are actually below

sea level. The Dutch have been very busy over the years

reclaiming land from the sea by way of a vast system of dykes and

land drainage. This has produced an area (known as the Polders)

with extremely fertile soil, ideal for growing tulips. Which brings us

to our next subject...

STRIPES

Take a trip to the Netherlands this spring and see for yourself. Everywhere you look you'll have stripes before your eyes! The bulb fields are a truly spectacular sight, with flowers of the most vivid colours arranged in stripes stretching to the horizon. But that's not the end of it! These stripes are reproduced all over the place; they can be found on everything from clothes and handbags to book covers, crockery and mobile phones. Stripes rule! (Even the national flag is stripey).

LIQUORICE

Mmmm, lekker! Whole shops full of the stuff. Take your pick from sweet

or salty; Lorraine likes the sweeter stuff but Gareth's favourite are

Salty Herrings.

VLA

The dictionary defines this as custard, but it's nothing like anything you've ever

seen or tasted. Coming in a variety of flavours including banana with chocolate

balls and stripey dubbel-vla (you'd better believe it). Thicker than Blue Circle!

EURO-PROG

Giving the likes of Yes, Pink Floyd and ELP a run for their money, check out

the sounds from Earth and Fire. Undeniably European in sound, they also

packed a hefty prog punch with brilliant tracks such as "Storm and Thunder",