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Dive into the long history of Taiwan and Holland
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Religion is deeply embedded in the roots of Taiwan. Taiwan is southeast asia’s most densily built countries with many temples and places of worship. In total Taiwan has almost 15,000 temples which is about one building every square km! I would like to show you a list of the most popular temples in Taiwan. If…
When I think of Taiwan Immediately one of the things which come in mind is the Taipei 101 tower. The unique design makes it an amazing tower to see. Whether it is in the day time or during the night-time, when every day of the week the Taipei 101 is lighted with a different LED…
Every year in August an amazing natural event happens when during two weeks the Dutch Heide (English: Heather) starts to flower and the Heide turns into a purple see of flowers. I always thoroughly enjoy this so I make sure I plan (a couple) of weekends unscheduled so I can go and enjoy it. It…
When you think of Holland, most people will think of windmills, wooden shoes and Tulips. The Tulip is our national flower, we even have a National Tulip day celebrating the opening of the Tulip season. On that day Tulips are handed out for free in Amsterdam to everyone who wants to enjoy. But why is…
With the Vermeer exhibition often in the news lately (I already booked my tickets!) It made me think, maybe it would be good to give an introduction to some of the famous Dutch painters and make an overview of where to go to see their paintings. I have to say the list of artists is…
Tomorrow, Saturday 11th of March 2023 the Taiwanese baseball team plays against the team of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the 2023 World Baseball Classic tournament. The Taiwan team WBSC rank is currently 2nd while the Kingdom of the Netherlands WBSC rank is currently 7th. You can’t ask to wonder, how did baseball become…
#update II: March 11th, Exhibiton now really sold out, if you want tickets now all you can do is look at the secondhand market. #update I: March 6, due to popularity more tickets are on sale RIGHT NOW. Rijksmuseum have decided during weekdays the exhibition will be open also during the evenings and they will…
Spring brings many festivals to Taiwan, there is the Shilin residence Tulip festival but also this year the Taiwan Lantern Festival returned to Taipei city. Since 2001, the Taiwan Lantern Festival has been held in different cities across Taiwan, and now, after 23 years, it was time to return to Taipei where it was first…
If you live in Taiwan and like Holland and Tulips or always wanted to go to Keukenhof but don’t have the chance to travel to Europe then maybe the Shilin Residence Tulip Festival is something for you! From February 9 until February 19 the 2023 Shilin Residence Tulip Festival will take place in Taipei City,…
Taiwan is frequently visited by Typhoons. Most of them are moving passed the island but sometimes they also hit the island. When I lived in Taiwan I only once had a Typhoon struck northern Taiwan. Back then I lived in Taipei city, and apart of some rain and stronger wind, in the city center it…
Dear reader: This article contains affiliate links. These will help this website grow, but will not cost you anything extra. Keelung is a large port city in north east of Taiwan. The city of Keelung is also nicknamed the rainy port because it rains a lot, but don’t let that put you off visiting this…
Keelung has quite a long history and has been an important port for Taiwan for centuries. Due to this importance, local rulers felt the need for defensive structures. Nowadays they are not in use anymore and are popular tourist destinations. Today I would like to go with you through the list of historical forts and…
Although I have never seen it for real, every year I try to watch the Taiwan fireworks online. I thought maybe I can share some of the streams with you so you can also watch it! Taiwan 2023 fireworks show Scroll down to go to the livestream of the fireworks. I’ll keep on updating during…
Worldwide about 23 million people speak Dutch. And even though this is maybe not a large number and Dutch is not among the popular languages to learn as a foreigner, today I would like to share with you some locations in Taiwan where you can learn the Dutch language. [1] image credit Dutch approach DUTCH…
Formosa files is easily my favorite podcast about Taiwan. Currently in its second season it airs an episode every Thursday. Formosa files podcast is sponsored by the Frank Chen Foundation and started in September 2021. It covers history of Taiwan but in a wide variety of topics. It is hosted by John Grant Ross and…
This is the story of the Dutch conquest of Fort San Salvador and the Spanish town La Sanctissima Trinida ( current day Keelung) in the year 1642 as described by P.A. Leupe in his work “DE VEROVERING VAN HET FORT: LA SANCTISSIMA TRINIDADE, OP FORMOSA, IN 1642″. In his work he both uses descriptions as…
When Traveling in Taiwan you probably see many Temples and most likely you will come across some kind of religious celebrations and/or ritual. Therefore I would like to give you some background information about the Religions which are practiced in Taiwan. What is the most popular religion in Taiwan? Taiwan has a long history of…