The Netherlands

The Kingdom of the Netherlands may be small in geographic size, but its historical and cultural influences loom large even today. Not only did the country possess one of the largest trading empires of the 17th and 18th centuries, but the country is also a vanguard of social progressivism in areas like general equality and urban sustainabilities. As a traveler, Dutch cities and landscapes mesmerize me. The Dutch showed us that tradition and modernity could coexist peacefully, from the quaint gabled townhouses to the reclaimed farmland. This is a country that we could visit repeatedly and never seem to be amazed by their ingenuity and their search for a good living.