If you love craft beer, this post is for you! Read on to find the best places to quench your thirst and discover new spots in Barcelona, Dublin, Munich, Amsterdam and Prague.

From Blanes to Portbou, the Costa Brava is an idyllic place thanks to its beautiful coves, nature, exceptional cuisine and many charming towns.

I’ve never heard about the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas, since not long ago. It’s funny and charming, also pretty controversial. For many years, every December 5th a Dutch friend of mine gathers us at her place to celebrate it; she explains where the tradition comes from, we sing the Dutch traditional songs the best we can and eat the typical sweets from these dates.

There is no doubt that this is the most anticipated day in the year for the Dutch kids because, as night arrives, Zwarte Piet (Peter) will get down the chimney to deliver presents if they behaved well. Before that, they must leave a shoe, a carrot for the white horse named Amerigo and a drawing that shows how well they have behaved.

This is when the mess starts. First of all, according to the tale, Sinterklaas comes from Madrid by boat… “Wait, what?! This makes no sense. From Madrid to Amsterdam, by boat? What the hell?”

The tale says Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) comes originally from Turkey and once he died, the remains were taken to Bari, in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, where Charles V would be the king. Once Philip II became his successor in the Kingdom, which covered the Low Countries, Spain and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the story was taken to Spain, specifically Madrid, as the starter of the trip, to make it simpler.

“¿Don’t you think Peter, the ‘assistant’ as a black person is a bit racist?” Apparently, many controversial voices argued that ‘Zwarte Piet is racisme’, which means that Peter, Sinterklaas assistant, being a black person was racist. After that, Peter’s color have changed annually, from blue to red to yellow. Other people argue that Peter is black because of the pollution in the chimneys. Both options set great debates in the Netherlands.

Finally, my friend says that when they’re kids and they behaved wrongly, the tradition was to say "Sinterklaas will take you to Madrid.” I was like “Whatever. What kind of punishment is that?”

Sinterklaas in the Netherlands

It’s clear that Sint’s arrival to the Netherlands is a great event, with many parades previously. On December 5th, at night, families gather at home to sing, read poems and make little presents.

Every year, a Dutch city is chosen to broadcast the Sinterklaas parade on national television, an event followed my many people. This year, the chosen city is Gouda, by the north of Rotterdam, known as the origin of a world-famous cheese.

But Amsterdam is the city with the greatest Sinterklaas parade. He arrives by boat along the Amstel river and to the Maritime Museum, where is received by the Major of the city on Sunday, November 16th. With him, great amounts of cookies to deliver to kids and many different Peters to assist him, like Book Peter, who takes a big book with notes of what all the kids want, there is also absent-minded Peter, Peter the acrobat or Gifts Peter.

Sinterklaas sweets

These delicious cookies that Sint brings are called pepernoten, what means spiced walnuts. They are small and have a very intense caramel and ginger flavour. There is also the to speculaas, with Christmas or Sinterklaas related pictures and made of many spiced and cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and white pepper.

Other typical sweets from Sinterklaas are chocolade letter, big letters made of chocolate that are usually gifted with the initial capital letter of your name, or schuimpjes, with funny forms and colours.

Pictures Sinterklaas by MarkDB and Michell Zappa

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The bicycle is clearly one of the identity traits of the Netherlands, as are their canals, windmills and tulips. The flat terrain, with hardly any slopes, and the fabulous infrastructure available for this ecological means of transport, makes it the ideal land for cyclotourism. Following is our selection  of four itineraries for discovering Holland from a healthier perspective, both in terms of environment and fitness.

Route Through Amsterdam

A comfortable, entertaining way of touring the Dutch capital is by emulating most of its inhabitants and pedalling through it on two wheels. Riding comfortably along the city’s streets poses no problems, as Amsterdam is fully cycle-aware and caters specifically for bicycles. You should, however, be mindful of the rules governing the use of cycle lanes and cycling areas; otherwise, you are more than likely to be on the receiving end of a reprimand.

In addition to getting about the historic centre in search of landmarks, we recommend you head for Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest), where you can indulge in nature to the full. Located four kilometres from the centre, this huge park acts as the city’s green lung and leisure area. Take note!

Tulip Route

The best way to enjoy spring in Holland is by pedalling through the countryside carpeted in tulips. The most spectacular sightseeing period is in April and May, when the tulips come into flower. This route, which starts and ends in Amsterdam, will bring you into contact with nature in all its splendour. It runs for 305 kilometres and lasts 8 days, taking you to such towns as Gouda, known for its cheese; Delft, famous for its blue ceramic; Leiden, the birthplace of Rembrandt, and Haarlem, where you should make a point of visiting the museum dedicated to the painter, Franz Hals. The highlight of this itinerary is Keukenhof. This huge park, regarded as one of the most beautiful in Europe, is located between the towns of Leiden and Haarlem.

Windmill Route 

Another iconic landmark of the Netherlands are its windmills, which also have their own bicycle route. The point of departure and arrival is Bunnik, located next to Utrecht, and the itinerary involves covering 200 kilometres in six days. The high point of this trip isKinderdijk,a polder situated at the confluence of the rivers Lek and Noordt which is drained by a system of 19 windmills built around the year 1740. The route will also take you past Dordrecht, one of the oldest cities in Holland, and Gokum, set amid some fantastic scenery.

North Sea Route

The North Sea coast has some beautiful spots that make a cycling getaway well worth your while. To see it in all its splendour, we propose an itinerary of under 50 kilometres, running from The Hague to Zandvoort, which affords some beautiful sea views and takes you past lovely beaches.

You can obtain maps of these and many other routes, with details of each itinerary, from the Dutch Tourist Board. Book your Vueling here and venture through the Netherlands on their star means of transport – the bicycle.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên, Mandie, Tarod