A Little Town Called Hoorn

Once upon a time, about half an hour’s train ride away from Amsterdam, there was a little town called Hoorn. Though Hoorn might look like a smaller, wonkier version of Amsterdam, it was once an important base for the Dutch East India Company, and the hometown of the ruthless adventurer and trader Jan Pieterszoon Coen.

I’m not going to lie to you, Hoorn really is a smaller, wonkier version of Amsterdam. However, there is something quite special about this little town that actually got me thinking twice about living in the capital. There is a relaxed atmosphere in Hoorn, an atmosphere that is missing in Amsterdam. My level of alertness was instantly brought down from 90% to 10% as soon as I exited the station and walked along the wide side streets, without fear of speeding taxis and red light running careless cyclists. It reminded me of the red brick architecture of small towns in New Jersey and New England, with invitingly open door cafes and flower shops.

As I walked towards the city centre, Hoorn morphed back into a typical Dutch reworking of one of their old Renaissance towns. The old weighing house is now a cosy bar with outdoor seats and heating, and the town court has been transformed into a Dutch heritage museum.

It was the harbour that really struck me and though it was somewhat empty on a cold Winter day, I imagined hoards of boats arriving and departing during the warm Summer months. I will definitely be going back to Hoorn in the Summer to catch one of those flaming fire red sunsets that I love and miss so much during this time of the year.

There is nothing that really stands out about Hoorn. It’s not hip, or fast paced, there isn’t much of a variety when it comes to places to eat or drink, basically it’s not Amsterdam, but that’s what makes it special to me.

Originally published at www.whatalicedidnext.com on February 21, 2015.