A Little Corner of Europe

17:54 Alyson 0 Comments

One of the goals I have made for work travel is to get out and see something new (or an old favourite). It is so easy to fall into the business travel trap of room service and working til midnight or you fall asleep.

Instead, I try to take in a sight, then work until midnight or you fall asleep. Some places I've traveled to frequently, it can get tough. The Netherlands and Belgium have been one of my work hot spots, so when I went at the end of last year, I was excited to be traveling to a new part of the country, with new things to see.

A few of us had read about this phenomenon online: a tripoint. A spot where 3 countries border. 

There are 157 of these around the world - many in Europe, and a lot of them also on bodies of water, so hard to clearly demarcate.

However, there just happens to be one for the Netherlands AND Belgium that was near to us.

We drove up to the point, which is also close by to the Netherlands' highest point in the country. A whopping 322.7 m high. Right on the borders, it's truly out on its own. Other than the things set-up to celebrate the point itself, including an observation deck and coffee shop, you are surrounded by woods.

In the middle of winter, the area was dead so we had the spot all to ourselves. We found the marker with Netherlands, Belgium and Germany's borders clearly delineated. And with some maneouvering, I managed to find myself in 3 countries at once.

We grabbed a cup of tea, did some landscape watching, then went on our way. While it may not be the attraction of the Red Light District or the Manneken Pis, it was nice to see a little something before heading back to my land of suits & presentations.