LAW1-3, Floris V-pad, Amsterdam - Muiden – Bergen op Zoom, 245 km

Who was Floris the Fifth? Back in the 14th century, Floris V was count of Holland, popular with his people, feared by his enemies. Ultimately, he was murdered by a bunch of rivalling nobles. The Dutch Golden Age was still a dot in the future, but in Floris' times, the foundations were laid for the trading and agricultural economy, which in later centuries brought so much prosperity to the Netherlands. Floris has contributed a great deal to the country's development.

Of course, there's not much left from these mediaeval times. A good thing though: the castle of Floris, the Muiderslot, is still there, and the trail passes right by. The castle is open to visitors.

The trail starts in Amsterdam, nice for us. In Floris' times, Amsterdam was probably nothing more than a collection of wooden houses. Floris appointed a toll-free zone to Amsterdam, by which he actually awarded the death sentence on his own beloved city of Muiden.

After Amsterdam, we pass through Weesp and then to Muiden. At that time, this town on the Zuiderzee coast was pretty much an international trade hub. You might spot the vessel of the current royal family in its harbour. The town, or what is left of it, is colourful. However, nowadays the Dutch do not build their own houses anymore, because there are more rules than people. Unhappily, the southern part of historical Muiden is now disgraced by a series of massive low-cost stone pimples, the product of a shrewd pact between Capitalism and Communism (called PPS, or Public-Private partnership).

Let's move on – later on we will pass the lovely cottages and villas of our contemporary P-governors and P-developers. Large parts of the trail go through the – what the Dutch call - Green Heart of the country. This is really special: very old polders, still pretty authentic. Moreover, we pass lovely old towns. These polders, villages and rivers continue to guide us all the way to the border with Belgium. Here, the GR12 takes over, and by this trail we will eventually reach Paris. (HN)

Visit Traildino's overview page for the Way of Saint James / Camino de Santiago.