Beautiful traditional houses with a thatched roof on a small island in a Dutch town of Giethoorn. Typical flat bottom boat in a canal. Giethoorn is sometimes called "Venice of the Netherlands" because of its many canals.

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Overijssel

With the majestic IJssel River forming much of its western border, it's not surprising that this small province in Central Netherlands is called Overijsse or 'Across the IJssel'. In the east, next door to Germany, the lay of the land is refreshingly hilly, while 'flat and soggy' sums up the former coastline – now landlocked by Flevoland's Noordoostpolder – in the west.


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