Bourtange

On Sunday 28th, most of my day was spent in the Groninger Museum. It did have several interesting exhibitions, but then again the entrance fee WAS a whopping 20 euros, and with that price you really do expect something amazing.

On Tuesday 30th, a disaster struck again - for the second time during the internship, I felt too ill to go to work. While I know it's not really something I can control, I still felt disappointed - time flies by so fast, there are only a limited amount of workdays, and missing even one feels like you've missed a lot. Luckily though, much like during the first week, it was over in a day.

So on Wednesday, 1st of May, I was able to go on a little road trip with Margriet. We started out by driving to restaurant Bij De Molen in Ten Post. The restaurant was, as the Molen in the name suggests, by a windmill.

After lunch, we headed almost to the border of Germany, into the village of Bourtange, which is known for its fort: one of the most well-known tourist attractions in the province of Groningen. Funny enough, when Margriet told me we were going to Bourtange, I had no idea what that was, BUT as soon as I saw the image of the star-shaped fort, I recognized it from a variety of tourist attraction sites and brochures. Basically the fort has been converted into one big museum, using the tagline "Welcome to the year 1742".

Margriet and I both appreciated how picturesque it all was, as we shared an interest in photography. Her camera was a lot more professional than mine, though.

The fort was decently sized, but not so big that walking around it would have taken all day. And it's always nice to visit places that manage to be both entertaining and educational. I enjoyed the combination of nature (like the canals and lakes, which the fort uses as moats) and the quaint, old  buildings.

And I think sometimes, to a Finnish person, it's easy to forget that Netherlands is actually a pretty small country and everything is fairly close-by. It's only about an hour's drive from Groningen and you're already at the German border - and only a few hours from Amsterdam to get to Groningen. Contrast that to driving from Oulu to Helsinki - you'll be stuck in a car for seven hours.

All in all a lovely little place, definitely worth a visit, and I'm very grateful for Margriet for taking me there - I would have missed out on seeing it altogether if it wasn't for her!