Whoever lives in Den Helder knows what wind is. The most important nautical city in the Netherlands is surrounded by the sea on three sides. But the dreariness of yesteryear, caused by the hasty construction after the devastating bombing, is no longer there. The messiness has disappeared, and the city has regained its zest. A wonderful fresh breeze is blowing through the city centre of Den Helder. Everywhere there are restorations, new buildings and a varied range of shops; people live, work, shop and especially enjoy the city centre. Den Helder is more alive than ever!
If you drive through the beautiful North Holland landscape with Den Helder as the final destination, you will be surprised by the beautiful, newly constructed station square on arrival in the heart of the city centre. It marks the turning point; the maritime city has rid itself of the grey post-war yoke! We cross the street to our hotel, a stone’s throw from the station. We are pleasantly surprised by the trendy design. We check in and then walk towards the renovated Beatrixstraat. We stroll past the first stores and detect the delicious smell of fried fish in the air. It’s one of the many benefits of living on the salty sea. The delicacies are brought ashore weekly and end up on your plate the same day. How fresh do you want it?!
We restrain ourselves and look curiously into the beautiful shop windows. There is clearly an extensive range of shoes and we are tempted to walk inside. Oh, so much choice. We walk on because its wiser to find a new outfit first and then find shoes to match. We don’t have to go far to see two perfectly dressed ladies watching us from the other side of the shop window. We gladly become acquainted; we try on outfits, spin around in front of the mirror and are helped in the friendliest way. It is hard work that shopping; now it’s really time for a cup of coffee with some goodies.
The first terraces beckon, but our noses catch the scent of freshly baked bread. Stepping inside, we have no regrets. We stock up on the first souvenirs for home: “Helderse Boterharinkjes”, a “Helderse Broeder” and “Helderse Taai”. The friendly saleswoman tells us that we can find many more local products at the tourist information centre on Willemsoord, formerly the Royal Navy shipyard. After years of restoration, it is now a unique cultural heritage with restaurants, theatre, cinema, museums and nautical shops. She explains that, in addition to their own products, you can buy flower bulbs from Julianadorp, Den Helder beer and locally produced cheeses there. We certainly intend to take a look, but first coffee!
It is clear that today Den Helder is also the sunniest city in the Netherlands. It is tempting to just sit on the cosy terrace and continue to enjoy the warm rays, but we have a mission: “Shop till you drop”! After a delicious cup of coffee, we walked towards Keizerstraat. What a nice range of shops and what beautiful buildings!
We wander around a wonderful store full of gadgets and then walk into a beautiful, spacious fashion store again. Gosh, what a choice and what nice brands. On the other side of the street we see a design store and we get very greedy there too. If we keep up this pace, we’ll have to book an extra night! And we still need to have lunch. We don't have to look far. On the same Keizerstraat is a contemporary eatery where we indulge in dishes such as tomato lentil soup with fennel and parsley yogurt and chocolate cheesecake with marmalade and chocolate shavings. Pff, we are stuffed but still have another nice cup of coffee.
On a side street of Keizerstraat, we discover an especially fun little shop with nice presents and fresh, tasty teas. From there we walk to the Kroonpassage. This is an indoor shopping mall where some of the more famous stores can be found. Via the other side we walk out again and stand at the beginning of the Spoorstraat with various shops and wonderful sunny terraces. We stop once again and quench our thirst with a delicious Den Helder beer. Then we walk further down Spoorstraat and, for far too long, we look all around in a shop, where old things get a new life. An eye-catcher here is a bedside table from grandma’s time that has been given a new lease on life with old black and white photos of Den Helder.
Halfway along Spoorstraat, we turn right into Breewaterstraat, where at the corner we secretly daydream for a moment after seeing the romantic wedding dresses. We decide to walk down the narrow street, Californiëstraat, and peer in through the windows at a tapas restaurant. Maybe something for tonight? Via this street we enter Keizerstraat again and walk back to Beatrixstraat to turn left. At the liquor store on the corner, we taste a local bitter called the “Juttertje”, which is the nickname for people from Den Helder, originally tough seafarers who brought home treasures from the sea as extra income.
After browsing around in a tasteful flower shop, we walk towards a fashion store that is connected to a brasserie inside. In the clothing store we cut loose again. Even for the men we succeed here effortlessly. They have been sitting on the terrace out front, having reached their shopping limit! We have too actually. When we discover a charming pizzeria next to the fashion store, the choice is quickly made: we are not going to walk any further! Before we enter, however, our curiosity overcomes our tiredness. Passing the beautiful new library that, as we read on the window, is the best in the Netherlands, we take a look at Willemsoord. The saleswoman had not exaggerated; the restored monumental buildings surrounded by water and picturesque boats look beautiful. The terraces of the many restaurants call to us, but we turn around with a wonderful thought: tomorrow we will discover this cultural heritage site. What fun!