"Am I in a fairytale land??" Hoorn by jaam

Tucked into the Ijsselmeer, an inlet of the Atlantic that the ever-enterprising Dutch diked off to form a freshwater sea in 1932, Hoorn makes it easy to imagine life in the heyday of Dutch shipping dominance.

The picturesque harbor, still a favorite mooring for yachts, served as the center of Dutch trade and as one base of the Dutch East India Trading Company (founded in 1602) throughout the 17th century.

sooo quaint....

Distinctive house facades, complete with colorful shutters and wood carvings, decorate a good day trip of leisurely walking. Much quieter than Amsterdam, Hoorn is a smart place to take the family and ride bikes since traffic, and life, moves at a slower pace here.

• Pros:oh so charming...
• Cons:and small......
• In a nutshell:A really charming historical little city....