Zwolle: Netherlands' Eastern Capital
After a brief stop in Utrecht, our Netherlands road trip brought us east to Zwolle. The shops here were also closed but the parking was free (yay for Sundays!). It was later in the day and everyone was enjoying the sun at an outdoor cafe. The lineups for ice cream were unbelievably long, and while I would have loved a creamy Dutch cone, I didn't want to wait. Instead we walked around to see the old walls of the town, at least what was remaining.
Just off the main inner city, we found this adorable little restaurant, De Gillende Keukenmeiden and ordered their Afternoon Tea. We took our tea in their garden, which faced Waander In de Broeren, a place I had been looking forward to seeing. A girl brought out a lovely spread of cakes and sandwiches and chocolate with our drinks; we barely managed to eat it all. It was very relaxing to sit and indulge for an afternoon. If you haven’t had Afternoon Tea, I highly recommend it. Although it’s traditional in the UK, you can find equally wonderful versions just about anywhere.
It was certainly a feast: both for the stomach and the eyes!Zwolle didn’t have much for shopping, but we did manage to find a couple cute shops. Waander In de Broeren was the cream of the crop. Imagine a bookstore inside an old church - its really just a dream come true for any book lover and has all the right fairy tale vibes. Climb to the top and discover a unique ever changing art gallery.
While Zwolle is often overlooked as a Dutch destination, I really enjoyed the quiet city and the surrounding areas. It's very peaceful and the food in the region is excellent! It really is a hidden gem.
