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Just outside and east of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is to the left. Along the winding river Vecht, the old town of Weesp, with railroad and station, 15 minutes from Amsterdam Central. If you zoom in a bit, you can clearly make out the fortified centre.
At the top where the river flows into the former "Southern-sea" (Zuiderzee): the fortified town of Muiden and its medieval castle.
To the east, you first see a couple of lakes (natural reserve "Naardermeer") and then a star-shaped structure : the uniquely well preserved fortified town of Naarden.
Continue east and you enter drier woodland, intersected with wide plains covered with heather, and sand dunes.
At the top of the picture : the new land Flevoland. Nothing but water until the 1960s.

Holland is a pretty crowded country. But even here there still is a lot of open space and nature, as you can see.
For the time being, because here also, there are massive building programs on the drawing board ...
Conveniently close to Amsterdam, the region on this picture (called "Gooi and Vecht area") is ideal for learning more about history and culture of the Netherlands.
Various landscapes and many historical locations within a short distance. Abundant illustrations of the elements that formed this country and its people during the last millennia.
It's all here to see, and discover.
On your own, or with a little help to focus and guide your attention, and to provide a framework so that you fully understand what you see. Because, as people shaped and reshaped this land over the centuries, things are not always what they seem to be at first sight.