The Illegal From Holland, by Michael Durack - Book Review

Honesty may be the best policy for going through life, but certainly not the easiest way to pass a US Border Patrol checkpoint when you are with your wife who happens to be in this country on an expired visa from Holland. So began the spiraling complexity of circumstances stemming from the arrest, detention and deportation of Michael Durack's wife as he recounts the events of the true story of what happened to them in his book, "The Illegal from Holland."Written in a first-person narrative format, Durack tells of the foibles of the immigration agents as they maneuver detainees from place to place; from hearings to detention centers, from visitor meetings to feedings, and eventually to airports and deportation.



Yes, hurry up and wait. Weeks and months are of little concern as taxpayers pick up the bill for this slow moving processing of non-violent individuals, moving them back to their country of origin, mostly to Mexico and South American countries.When Michael Durack's wife falls into this system, he is forced to cope with the circumstances necessary to achieve her freedom from detention, and allow for the correct paperwork for her legal presence within the USA. This process takes him on a trip of quite a varied journey, throughout Holland and Europe, and over a year and a half before settling back to California as a married couple.



"The Illegal from Holland" is a fast read, a bit light with regards to impact as the situations discussed are rather mundane and non-eventful. After all, being caught for simply having over-extended your entry visa seems to be thought by Durack as having the same severity as driving with an expired license, filing a late tax return, or amassing some parking tickets. Nothing worthy of being instantly detained, or for a better use of terms, jailed.Michael has written his true story admittedly as his opinion, stating in the forward that to some readers the fact his wife was in violation of the law speaks adequately to the wrath of events that became her ordeal.



Justice, although harsh, is known to those prior to making the decision to remain in this country beyond stated times and consequences should come as no surprise if caught. His logical appeal is to the reading audience: it's my wife, a nice girl, and not a criminal - so to speak. I'd wonder what the Dutch would do if the tables were turned, and Michael was illegally in Holland traveling with his wife. Would they say, "Fine, have a nice day Mr. Durack and please leave soon?" Perhaps that could be a good concept for a sequel.

First Stop to the Tulips Time Festival in Holland - Windmill Island

The Orchestra Parade (or Muziekparade) in Holland made a remarkable impression on me and my friends even more than our visit to the Nelis' Dutch Village and Windmill Island in Holland. Having lived in large cities, perhaps we had come to expect more entertainment than what was offered to tourists; but still, we had a great time and enjoyed every moment while visiting the imitation of the Dutch Village Netherlands and the Authentic Windmill.I had been in Holland, Michigan before, but it was a long time ago, so I was glad to go back - especially in such difficult economic times when traveling far from home is difficult.



The three-hour drive to Holland for a mini-vacation this time was well worth it.It was a last day of Tulips Time Festival with a Meijer Muziekparade. This festival is for people who love flowers and enjoy seeing dance performed in wooden shoes. Despite an unusually windy, rainy day, we started with a visit to Windmill Island. The parade was supposed to start at two p.m., so we had ample time to spend on Windmill Island.We walked through a row of reproduction old-style Dutch storefronts, such as you would see in Amsterdam, and a replica of Dutch bridge over a canal, leading to the tulip field and the real windmill.



A guided windmill tour is offered during the Tulip Festival. Surprisingly, we had to wait in line for some time to be able to enter the "De Zwaan," a 248-year-old working Dutch windmill. The windmill's name is Dutch for "The Swan" or "Graceful Bird." It is the only authentic, working Dutch windmill in the United States.The story of this remarkable windmill's arrival to the United States is quite interesting. Holland, Michigan residents Willard Wichers and Carter Brown were looking for a way to pay homage to the city's Dutch heritage, so they started a project to bring a Dutch windmill to the United States.



However, many windmills had suffered serious damage in World War II, and the Dutch government banned the sale of windmills outside the Netherlands.Wichers and his group were able to gain an exemption by selecting a heavily damaged mill known as De Zwaan. In 1961, Holland businessman Carter Brown orchestrated the relocation of an authentic windmill from the Netherlands as a memorial to the city's Dutch heritage. As a result of Wichers' and Brown's efforts, in October, 1964, De Zwaan arrived to USA.



It took approximately six months to reconstruct the mill after its deconstructed arrival.The windmill tour was guided by a local elderly woman dressed in a Dutch costume. Her description captivated our attention. Each of five floors has a different story. We spent several minutes at the observation balcony enjoying a nice peaceful view of the park and colorful tulip fields below. Per agreement, Windmill Island still runs the windmill at least one day per year and still grinds flour and bags with flour selling out quickly.



In addition, we visited a Posthouse museum (a replica of a fourteenth-century wayside inn), where we saw a reproduction of the Dutch house room. Windmill Island features beautiful gardens with approximately 150,000 tulips in bloom, including even "Queen Night," a black tulip. We observed a very fine diorama of a Dutch village located in one of the storefronts. Also, there was an antique carousel with handmade wooden horses, and a working antique Amsterdam street organ. We finished our tour by visiting souvenir shops and buying unique gifts to remember our visit to Windmill Island.



We also stopped by a tiny greenhouse.After our visit to Windmill Island, we were excited to head to the last of the three Tulip Time Festival Parades in Holland, Michigan. We were fortunate to find a place to park the car and an excellent place to watch the parade exactly across from a local TV station recording this remarkable event.©Rachel Madorsky

10 Reasons to Visit Holland

If you've never been to Holland, then there's never been a better time to visit Holland, and see what the fuss is about, and why so many people go back to the Netherlands time and time again.1. Amsterdam has so much going for it, and whether you want to explore some of the excellent shopping outlets, the brown cafes, or the night clubs, you'll find plenty to see and do here. Although popular with the generation, there are still plenty of things to see and do if you're not coming for the nightclubs or the latest fashions.



2. Holland is known throughout the world for its flowers, and its tulips especially. If you've got green fingers, or just enjoy flowers, then you'll definitely want to make sure that you visit Holland when the flowers are in bloom.3. The Netherlands is a flat country, and so is ideal for cycling holidays. No matter whether you haven't been on a bike for years, or are looking for a club ride with a difference, you'll find that Holland is a very bike friendly country.4. You might be coming over as your football team is playing a Dutch team in a European game.



Why not extend your visit, and explore more of this amazing country?5. Holland is well known for its museums, and there are plenty to see in all of the major cities. If you want to learn more about the past, then you'll want to make some time to visit some of the museums here.6. Some of the most famous paintings and artists in the world can be seen in the art galleries of Holland. Whether you like Van Gogh, Vermeer, or Rembrandt, you'll find plenty of art to look at too.7. The Hague offers lots of art and culture to experience, and there are over 30 museums in the city itself.



With a beach, the world famous miniature city at Madurodam, and the Royal District, you'll find lots to see and do here. Don't forget to visit Delft, which is famous for blue and white pottery, whilst you're here.8. The Arnhem region of Holldand played an important role during WW2. If you're interested in this period, then why not visit the battlefields and see what it was like for yourself? You'll also want to visit the War and Resistance Museum at Liberty Park in Overloon.9. Rotterdam is also well known for its culture.



With many museums, as well as festivals, there's always something going on here. You won't want to miss the cruise round the harbour, or the impressive architecture of this great city.10. As it's quick and easy to get to Holland, you'll be able to spend more time here and less time travelling. With flights to Holland landing at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, you'll be in the perfect place to explore Holland.Now you know more about what there is to see and do here, isn't it time you booked your flights to Holland and discovered this amazing country for yourself?

The Green Elf of Giethoorn in Holland

Giethoorn is located in the area of nature reserves in de Wieden of Overijssel in northeast of Holland. People in any cities of Holland can first get to Steenwijk station by train and then go there by taking bus 70 or renting a bike. Giethoorn is known as Holland's Venice. This time, I do not have time to go to Italy to have a look at Venice, but having a look at Holland's region of rivers and lakes is also so good. As of the name of "Giethoorn", it is said that the earliest peat workers find many wild goat angles when they mine coal.



Giethoorn is famous for its thatched hut, the sunlight-proof and rain-proof reed roof which makes the room warm in winter and cool in summer is the substitute of bricks and tiles which the poor could not afford before. Now the price is dozens of times of the bricks and tiles, becoming the building materials which only the rich man can afford. People who are not the inhabitants here are not allowed to buy houses here because here is inside the nature reservation. So it is impossible to buy a thatched hut for spending holidays here.



The majority of hotels distribute in the village periphery. In the village, the dining rooms and shops are on the west bank while the rich live in on the east bank facing the river. You can charter a boat or rent a bike here for playing. Of course, you can walk. Considering it being a area full of water, naturally we choose the boat. Although the children encountered in the dam tell us that the lake is just so so and there are many mosquitoes, we still choose to travel the great link as it is not easy for us from so distant place to come here.



Renting a power boat with a map of summary, we start a journey to explore the village of Giethoorn. It is easy to operate the boat and the waterway is one-way, so you need not to worry about collision. There are also clear signs at the road forks. For more information about traveling, please have a look at http://www.affordablecruisestours.com

Holland America Line Review - To the US and Beyond

The Holland America Line is one of the longest-standing cruise lines on the planet, having been founded more than 130 years ago. Founded in the Dutch port of Rotterdam it provided services to the Americas, and initially was known as the Dutch-America Steamship Company. It played a major part in early European immigration to the United States, with a total of more than 850,000 passengers taking the opportunity to become part of the then still-young nation.For the first twenty years of its life, the Holland America Line was concerned with passenger and freight transport, but in 1895 it began the service for which it is now known - vacation cruises.



It was much later, in 1971, that it brought an end to its direct transatlantic services and two years later it sold off its cargo shipping arm, becoming concerned solely with its cruise package. In 1989 it was purchased by the Carnival corporation, and has become part of the overall Carnival family which is also now the subsidiary owner of another venerable passenger line, the Cunard crusie line.Its 14 ships today travel to seven different continents, and carry 700,000 passengers each year - an average total of 50,000 passengers per ship.



Among this fleet is the Prinsendam, a luxury liner purchased from the Seabourn line which carries 793 passengers. Among its other interests are the Alaska and Yukon-based Westmark hotel chain, the Gray Line bus companies of Seattle and Alaska and its own private island - the Caribbean hideaway of Little San Salvador Island, which has been renamed Half Moon Cay by the company. Nearly all Holland America cruises that pass through the area stop at Half Moon Cay for at least one day.The chairman of Carnival Corp.



, Micky Arison (son of Carnival founder Ted Arison), has recently stated that no new ships will be built for the Holland America Line until such time as an improvement is seen in the global financial situation. This still leaves a weighty fleet, of course, and there is no immediate concern over the future of the line. Indeed the company can still boast proudly of a service operation that sees each ship having nearly one crew member for every two guests on their cruises - allowing a real feel of convenience and quality.



This commitment to quality is borne out by the numerous awards won by the line garnered by its well-reputed level of service.The Holland America cruise ship line is pitched at the higher end of the market, with the company's website expressing its determination to provide an enriching experience for its customers. This is borne out in its portfolio of activities, with the Prinsendam for example offering gourmet cooking lessons and a well-stocked library, and all its ships priding themselves on the high quality menu served in an elegant atmosphere.



It is towards this end of the market that Holland America cruises will continue to direct its operations, and with over 130 years of shipping experience they as much as anyone can be trusted to provide a continuing high level of service.

Day Trips and Tours in Holland

Compared with France, Germany, the UK, or the US, The Netherlands may seem small, but it is full of interesting places to visit outside of Amsterdam. There are many Holland tours available as day trips from Amsterdam, as well as longer tours in Holland that spend significant time outside the country's largest city.Holland Tours to The HagueThe Hague is a very popular spot for day trips and longer visits. It is the third largest city in the country and also the seat of government. The Dutch constitution requires that Amsterdam be the technical capital, but The Hague is where all government business occurs, where the queen resides, and where all foreign embassies are located.



One of the most interesting attractions in The Hague is the United Nations judicial courts and infrastructure. Whenever the United Nations convenes a tribunal or a special court, it is held in The Hague.Exploring RotterdamJust a short drive away from Amsterdam visitors will discover Rotterdam. The heart of the city was bombed during World War II by the Nazi Luftwaffe, forcing the Dutch army to surrender and allowing Hitler to move forward. Ultimately, the damage caused by the bombing began to be repaired, and today tours in Holland show a rebuilt city center and business districts.



The new architecture is beautiful and striking, built by some of the newest visionaries in Europe. Renewed and refreshed, Rotterdam is an ascendant hotspot.DelftMade famous by the painter Vermeer, this small city is a beautiful example of classical Dutch architecture. The city center is crisscrossed with canals that are home to fish and flowering lilypads, creating a picturesque setting that photographs beautifully. In addition, there are old buildings and museums that easily merit this city's inclusion on Holland tours.



Traditional Costumes and Lifestyles in VolendamIn Volendam, the traditions of old Holland continue to thrive. The women's costume of Volendam is among the most widely recognized Dutch costumes, and the old fishing customs are still in force. Volendam was originally a town of fishermen and their families, founded upon traditional ideals. Visitors can explore a museum highlighting the town's history and showing the origins of its unique dress, and also get a photo taken in the distinctive traditional costumes.



Wooden Houses of MarkenFormerly an island, there is now a causeway connecting Marken with the rest of Holland. Tours here must connect through that bridge, but after the drive visitors are rewarded with some of the best examples of wooden houses in Holland.Planning a VisitTravelers from other countries often overestimate how long it will take to travel between areas in Holland, but anyone seeking tours in Holland should plan carefully if intending to cover a large amount of the country. It is possible to see all the sights within a reasonably short period of time, but a tight schedule typically must be maintained and planning must be done beforehand.



Many find it easier to consult a planning company for advice rather than trying to orchestrate all details with no assistance.

Amsterdam - A Unique Travel Destination

Amsterdam is an exciting and rather unique travel destination because it is a place that appeals to a wide variety of travelers. If you like culture and history then Amsterdam is a wonderful travel destination as you can visit attractions such as the Vincent van Gogh museum, the Anne Frank House and the Rijksmuseum. If you are on a stag or just looking for lots of fun then Amsterdam is also a great city to visit as you can visit one of the infamous Dutch coffee shops, the red light district or perhaps one of the spectacular dance clubs.



Millions of tourists from all over the world visit Amsterdam each year and many people just keep on coming back as they can’t seem to get enough of the Dutch capital. This article provides visitors with a great overview of some of the most popular tourist attractions of Amsterdam. Anne Frank HouseAnne Frank was a Jewish girl who wrote a diary whilst hiding in the attic of a building in Amsterdam during the 2nd World War. She was captured and sent to a concentration camp together with her sister and father.



Her father, Otto Frank, was the only one to have survived the camps. The diary was found and later published by her father and it became one of the most sold books in history. The Anne Frank House museum is located in the actual building in which Anne Frank hid during the war. If you are visiting Amsterdam with your children then be sure to take them to the Anne Frank house as it is an important part of world history. The opening hours vary depending on the time of year so please check in advance.



Tickets for adults cost 8.50 Euro and tickets for children cost 4 Euro. Van Gogh MuseumVincent van Gogh is one of the most famous Dutch painters of all times. The Vincent van Gogh museum houses the largest collection of paintings and drawings by this Dutch master. There are over two hundred paintings at the Van Gogh Museum as well as nearly six hundred drawings and a large selection of personal artifacts. The Van Gogh Museum is located in the Amsterdam Museum Quarter and is located only a few minutes’ walk from the Rijksmuseum.



This popular Amsterdam tourist attraction is open daily for visitors from 10:00 until 18:00. Red Light DistrictThe Netherlands is known as one of the most liberal countries in the world which is why it should come as no surprise that Amsterdam has a giant red light district which is filled with many coffee shops, erotic stores and ladies of ill repute. Nearly every tourist that visits Amsterdam will at some time go for a walk through this famous Amsterdam landmark. It is rather safe to walk there so please do not fear as it is just as any other part of Amsterdam.

Holland Travel - Amsterdam, Van Gogh, Anne Frank

Holland certainly has a reputation with travelers. Known for having a very liberal attitude on social issues such as prostitution and drugs, the reputation is not always deserved. Yes, marijuana and prostitution is legal, but there is so much more to the country. Many look at Amsterdam as Holland, but visitors know there is much more. If you desire to travel to Holland, also known as the Netherlands, donย't miss these attractions.AmsterdamSimply put, Amsterdam has something for everyone. The city is an incredibly beautiful collection of old world European architecture elegantly partitioned by canals.



In truth, the city is built on roughly 90 small islands, although you can hardly tell. Transportation is best undertaken on foot or by bicycle. With a cool climate, youย'll barely break a sweat.Contrary to popular opinion, Amsterdam is not just a city of liberal policies. Yes, coffee bars sell things other then just coffee. Yes, there are women in windows that are awfully friendly. Still, there is so much more to experience in the city.Van Gogh MuseumThe Rijksmuseum Vincent van Gogh houses the world's largest collection of the work of Vincent van Gogh.



From his early work, the museum contains 700 artistic works and 850 letters. After moving to Paris in 1886, van Gogh entered an impressionist period, of which the museum contains a large collection. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the collection is the organization. The entire collection is arranged chronologically from the first to last work. As you walk, you can clearly see the evolution of this masterย's skill.Anne Frank HouseWho hasnย't read the intense diary of Anne Frank? Hiding from the Nazis, she and her family lived in an annexed section of an apartment in Amsterdam for two years.



In 1957, the house was donated to the Anne Frank Foundation and turned into a museum. A visit will send chills through your spine. The museum contains films, the annexed area and the original notes of Anne Frank. A must see for anyone traveling to Amsterdam.Beyond AmsterdamFor those needing a break from Amsterdam, there is much to be seen in Holland. If you are looking for a color explosion, consider taking the bulb cycling tour out of Noordwijk. Windmills your thing? Head to the De Zaan district to see them in action.



Prefer to spend a night in a castle? Try the Castle Hotel Engelenburg, which even lets you ruin a good walk by playing golf.Travel to Holland and you wonย't regret it. Whether you want to ย"investigateย" the countries liberal policies or simply bike through fields of tulips, Holland will satisfy.