This is where I live.

Who would have thought that I would pack up and leave Canada?  Move to another part of Canada yes, but leave the country I love so much?  To be honest, if you had asked me this question 2 years ago I would have said “not me”.  But now I’m over the ocean to a little country called the Netherlands.  More specifically, a city in the Netherlands called Amersfoort.

 

Amersfoort is located about an hour by train from Amsterdam, 30 minutes by train to Utrecht.  This central city of approximately 130,000 has a wonderful city centre where there are great shopping, restaurants, pubs, or ice cream parlours.  The centre square also has the market, festivals, and other special events.  You can watch the centre of Amersfoort by live feed web cam.  Click here –> http://amersfoortcam.vedor.nl/ maybe you’ll see us sitting out on the terrace enjoying a drink.

With its large train central train station, Amersfoort is one of the main connection stations on the rail route.  It also has two other stations, Amersfoort Schothorst and Amersfoort Vathorst, plus a decent bus system.  Public transportation is very accessible in Amersfoort.

 

Amersfoort is one of  the “walled” cities in the Netherlands. The whole city was walled, originally by an earthen wall, later by a stone wall. Some remains can still be seen.  A first defensive wall, made out of b rick, was finished around 1300. Soon after, the need for enlargement of the city appeared and around 1380 the start of a new wall took place, which was finished around 1450. The famous Koppelpoort is part of this wall. The first wall was demolished and at its place houses arose. The Muurhuizen (wall houses) street is at the exact location of the first wall; the front wall of the houses is founded on top of the city wall foundations.

 

The nickname for Amersfoort, Keistad (boulder-city), originates in the Amersfoortse Kei, a 9-tonne (19,842 lb) boulder that was dragged from the Soest moors into the city in 1661 by 400 people because of a bet between two landowners. The people got their reward when the winner bought everyone beer and pretzels. Other nearby towns then nicknamed the people of Amersfoort Keihoofd (boulder-head). This story embarrassed the inhabitants, and they buried the boulder in the city, but after it was found again in 1903 it was placed in a prominent spot as a monument

 

Amersfoort is a really a beautiful city to visit and has all the stores and amenities that you need.  It is very diverse in culture, religion, language, and architecture.  And from the looks of things it is contantly growing.  I think I’m going to like it here.