Fortis
Breukelen: aka where the richies live!
Earlier this summer we received a letter from our Dutch bank inviting us for a day cruise in the countryside. It was free and sounded fun, so we thought why not! Little did we know we were getting a sneak peak into THE rich enclave of the Netherlands.
We hopped onto a small wood and brass cruise boat and we're surprised to discover that we were the only people under age 45 and two of a handful who did not have grey or white hair. Thankfully we had dressed up a little, as everyone was dressed very chic in very expensive clothes. We were kindly sat at the "Dutch is not your first language" table, where everyone spoke English.
After a typical Dutch lunch (rolls, sliced cheese, deli meats, and pate, in case you're curious- but don't even think about making it into a sandwich- that is NOT Dutch!). All along on the sides of the river were gorgeous homes on small estates. We could help but wonder- where are we?!?
Apparently, during the 17th century a number of Amsterdam merchant families built these opulent mansions along the Vecht River near Breukelen. The New York borough of Brooklyn was actually named after this area.
We went inside a reception hall to a room with a concert grand and were treated to a private piano concert from a semi-famous (we think) Dutch pianist. While we were lisenting we heard this whirling in the background. In the pasture next to us a brand new private helicopter landed- we're still in the Netherlands right?!?
I'll take this one....
One our way back we saw another of these beautiful mansions that actually had peacocks strutting on their lawn! Again.. where are we??? The peacocks were the cherry that put the whole experience over the top!
It was fascinating to see where the wealthy merchants of past (and present) live! And a wonderful experience all courtesy of our bank! I'm convinced that our name got on some list by mistake, but like the card in the Monopoly game, "Bank error in your favor" works for us.
Earlier this summer we received a letter from our Dutch bank inviting us for a day cruise in the countryside. It was free and sounded fun, so we thought why not! Little did we know we were getting a sneak peak into THE rich enclave of the Netherlands.
We arrive at this beautiful mansion turned Town Hall after a 45 min train and bus ride.
We hopped onto a small wood and brass cruise boat and we're surprised to discover that we were the only people under age 45 and two of a handful who did not have grey or white hair. Thankfully we had dressed up a little, as everyone was dressed very chic in very expensive clothes. We were kindly sat at the "Dutch is not your first language" table, where everyone spoke English.
After a typical Dutch lunch (rolls, sliced cheese, deli meats, and pate, in case you're curious- but don't even think about making it into a sandwich- that is NOT Dutch!). All along on the sides of the river were gorgeous homes on small estates. We could help but wonder- where are we?!?
Apparently, during the 17th century a number of Amsterdam merchant families built these opulent mansions along the Vecht River near Breukelen. The New York borough of Brooklyn was actually named after this area.
We disembarked at one of these amazing houses that also had several barns. In addition to thoroughbred horses there was another barn full of antique carriages. I think most of them were from the 18th and 19th centuries, I enjoyed seeing what Jane Austen called a barouche actually looked like! Everything was polished and even in the stables, there wasn't a piece of hay out of place.
We went inside a reception hall to a room with a concert grand and were treated to a private piano concert from a semi-famous (we think) Dutch pianist. While we were lisenting we heard this whirling in the background. In the pasture next to us a brand new private helicopter landed- we're still in the Netherlands right?!?
As we were walking back to the boat, we saw a beautiful classic Porsche (not pictured, Brent drooling).
I'll take this one....
One our way back we saw another of these beautiful mansions that actually had peacocks strutting on their lawn! Again.. where are we??? The peacocks were the cherry that put the whole experience over the top!
It was fascinating to see where the wealthy merchants of past (and present) live! And a wonderful experience all courtesy of our bank! I'm convinced that our name got on some list by mistake, but like the card in the Monopoly game, "Bank error in your favor" works for us.
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