AMSTERDAM – It’s an honest question from someone wanting to immerse themselves in this country’s food culture: “Where does a visitor to the Netherlands find authentic Dutch cuisine and what are the favoured dishes among the locals?”

VEERE, THE NETHERLANDS – A nattily-attired server makes small talk while settling me into my table overlooking the lovely salt water lake (Veerse Meer) which laps the shores of this tiny town located in enchanting Zeeland, this country’s southern-most state.

AMSTERDAM – There are officially 1,200 museums in the Netherlands , a country that has produced some of the world’s greatest artists.

ENKHUIZEN, THE NETHERLANDS - Two, cute little Chinese girls run to the front door of a pioneer home dressed in traditional Dutch costumes, complete with Flying Nun bonnets, and ask their mother take a photograph.

MIDDELBURG, THE NETHERLANDS- I’m such a pushover for small Dutch cities and towns. I fall in love with them so quickly.

ROTTERDAM – The elderly cabbie grumbles and throws up his hands in frustration as we hit another construction roadblock just outside this city’s central rail station.

AMSTERDAM - Vincent van Gogh has never looked better. And in this country, where they pronounce van Gogh as though they have something caught in their throats, he has never been more popular.

MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS - This city is an endless series of unexpected thrills. From its ancient buildings and Roman remains to its outdoor cafes and high end fashion district located along narrow streets where once Napoleon and his army marched, Maastricht and its 120,000 citizens never cease to amaze tourists.

HOLTEN, THE NETHERLANDS - A young Dutch girl patiently rearranges a tiny white cross that a cool March wind has toppled in front of a soldier's grave.

SANARY-SUR-MER, FRANCE - If it weren’t for my favourite dystopian novel, I wouldn’t be here, in this picturesque town, gazing out at a perfect scoop of a harbour, where fishing boats and pleasure craft jostle for room.