A Trip To The TOP (of Europe's Lowest Country): And Why It Wasn't Quite As I Expected...

Join me as I seek out this geographical gem and discover its bonus feature!

Filmed on Thursday 11th July 2024
Thumbnail designed using Canva
This video is not sponsored and all opinions are my own

I don’t pretend to be a travel expert, but I love what I do and would be honoured if you came along with me. My channel focusses on the wide-eyed wonder and excitement of finding somewhere new, and my genuine reaction to it. You may not get a history lesson in my videos, but who knows, you might pick up some useful travel tips along the way, add a few destinations to your bucket list and hopefully be entertained by what you see. Thanks for watching, it means a lot to me :)

I do ALL of this myself. Planning, filming, editing, promoting, all with a weekly upload schedule, so please understand not every video will be an epic adventure. But my pledge is to always do my best in any situation and KEEP THE CAMERA ROLLING :)

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FAQs:
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I was born in Glasgow but have lived in Carnoustie, Dalgety Bay, Stonehaven, Edinburgh, Montrose, and further afield (Salamanca, Spain & Devonport, New Zealand)
WHEN DO YOU UPLOAD?
Saturdays at 10am Scottish time. Occasionally a bonus midweek video will pop up (in which case, likely to be Tuesday at 5pm)
WHY IS THERE A DELAY BETWEEN TRIP AND VIDEO APPEARING?
This is both my business model and a result of doing everything myself. Editing takes time and I also like to schedule videos a bit in advance in case of any problems/illness/cancellations etc. Keeping my uploads appearing every Saturday is important to me, so I don’t want anything to get in the way of it. Also, I occasionally need some time off to recover from trips! But more than anything else, it's about budgets. I generally need to film a number of videos on each trip to break even. And each one of these take a while to fall into place on a Saturday morning.
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE?
WHY DON'T YOU SPEND LONGER AT DESTINATIONS?
The usual suspects I'm afraid - time and money! Hotel prices especially these days make my eyes water like a true Scotsman. Also my weekly upload schedule means I need to keep on the move.
WHERE'S ALICJA?
Alicja will feature whenever possible, but she has her own life and a proper job so it can take a while for our schedules to match up. Trust me though, I prefer it when She is there too!
DO YOU PAY FOR YOUR OWN TRAVEL?
Yes I do. I've only ever accepted a complementary ticket as compensation for a previous problem. All my opinions are frank and honest reflections of travel as I experience it.
WHY THE ADS?
It's my income, I can't do this for free. Notice I don’t have mid-roll ads though!
CAN I CONTACT YOU?
I used to list my email address but felt bad not having the capacity to respond to everything so took it down (and I got a LOT of spam so missed many genuine messages along the way).
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THE CHANNEL?
Watching my videos is of course support enough, but if you'd like to support further, I'll pop links in here for Paypal and Patreon. All kind donations are super-appreciated and will go 100% towards future filming trips.
DO YOU ACCEPT SPONSORSHIPS?
I don't like to upset the flow of my videos, so I don't even include mid-roll ads anymore (at significant loss of income to myself), so I prefer not to include sponsorships either. I'm open to a small slide at the start/end of each video, but I don't want to get into talking about products, it's something I don't like as a viewer myself (especially as a viewer who pays for YouTube Premium). So it's probably a polite no, although all of this goes out the window if you offer me something which can give me the chance to make a video for my audience that would otherwise be impossible.

#SteveMarsh #HighestPoint #Netherlands

[Leviwosc]

Your pronunciation of Dutch words is pretty darn amazing for a native English speaker. The bus driver replied to you in Dutch and not in English. Consider that a compliment.

[rogiersimons]

Your Dutch saying of "Maastricht, alsjeblieft" was so convincing that the bus driver answered you back in Dutch "Enkele reis" 😁

[pepo]

Fun fact, in the past it used to be a four country point. Namely, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Neutraal Moresnet. Neutraal Moresnet existed for a 100 years.

[bishwatntl]

Translation from the screen. The Belgian war memorial you saw was erected in memory of a 20-year old Belgian volunteer, killed there on Christmas Day 1944 during what they call the battle of the Ardennes - more often referred to in English as the Battle of the Bulge. According to the inscription, he was a member of the 6th Fusilier Battalion that was attached to the American Army. The memorial quotes a citation by General Eisenhower, acknowledging the achievements of the battalion which, after crossing the Rhine, went on to liberate a concentration camp on the way to Leipzig, where they met up with the Soviet Army. The other side is the inscription from "his inconsolable parents", who say he gave up his youth fighting for the cause he gave himself to.

[marinusdejager]

Beautiful movie. Thank you so much. As a Dutchman, now living in Canada, I want to thank you for taking me to the "Drie Landenpunt". I have never been there.

[Dripfed]

Lived in Maastricht as a child in the 80s (dad worked in a NATO base). I remember this place. You've inspired me to go back.

[barball]

Morning Steve,
What a legend the workman letting you into the site, a unique experience.
Great video as usual thank you.

[kaycee]

Imagine a street cleaning machine in the woods! That’s taking cleanliness to another level. That was a lovely walk and so peaceful too.

[lisakars]

I want to commend you on your Dutch! Almost everyone speaks English well, but we really appreciate it when people try a few words in Dutch. And your accent is great too! 👏

[juanap]

One of the aspects I really appreciate about your channel is that you're walking outside the tourist areas. Really exploring! Thank you for taking us along!

[petergoddard]

Everywhere is so clean!! That trail area is brilliant, so well done and easy for families. Perhaps not for the hardened adventurer, but certainly that early in the day, very tranquil. The town seemed lovely too.

[brianb]

This is why I love Steve’s videos. I get to live vicariously through his travels!

[carolrayk]

Steve, you can't believe how excited we get when we realize you have posted a new vlog! People in the Netherlands seem to take great pride in their country---so clean and beautiful. We envy you and your ability to travel to all these countries with ease. Take care and we will see you in the next one.

[smveerman]

Nice video! Two remarks though:
- Don't hassle with tickets. You can use any bank or credit card with the card readers, just check-in when entering a bus and check-out when leaving the bus. Often even cheaper than tickets sold by the driver.
- Bus 350 runs until half past midnight.

[MustangShelby]

If you like borders you should check out Baarle-Nassau/Baarle Hertog, where the Belgium and Netherlands borders just goes insane. Crossing back and forth all over town, even through houses 😉 Think you could make an epic video out of it

[jimmymorrison]

I love these beautiful, apparently random places you take us to. Thanks Steve, you're a legend.

[marcsand]

7:09, that is the place where I got married, exactly 17 years ago today.

[carolyn]

I lived in the Netherlands for a year and also have been there many times. Every town is spotless like this. Such a joy to walk around these villages. Thanks for the great video.

[bartonone]

Wonderful video, Steve. There is something to be said for early morning and having the place to yourself. In 1972, I traveled with my best friend through Western Europe for three months. I remember crossing the Rhine on a train as we pulled into Köln. When I spotted the Cathedral, a memory surfaced of Köln after the bombings in WWII. The Cathedral was the only building left standing. I said to my buddy, we have to get off and see that church. For some reason I can't remember, he was in a hurry to get to München. So we remained on the train. Later, as we pulled into Heidelberg and I spotted the ruin of the old Schloss overlooking the town, I knew I had to see it. Occasionally, we would separate briefly if a place caught our eye. So, we agreed to meet at the München Hauptbahnhof the following evening when this same train arrived. I paid for twenty-four hours to deposit my small suitcase at the Heidelberg station and set off to find a b'n'b. I found a quaint one not far from the station. The kind lady spoke no English but with my limited German, I managed to say I needed one night's accommodation. I paid her and she explained, in German, the time for breakfast. It was evening by this time, and I walked around looking for a street vendor selling wurst. Dinner out of the way, I returned to the b'n'b and that same kind lady gave me the key to my room. It was April and a bit chilly. My bed had the largest down comforter I ever saw, and it kept me toasty warm the entire night. Breakfast the next morning was equal amounts of hot milk and coffee, a hunk of cheese, jam and butter for the best slices of pumpernickel bread I ever tasted. I bid the kind woman goodbye and set off in the sunshine to climb the hill to the Schloss. It was early morning, and well before it opened. The site was on a country road, which I proceeded to walk, alone, catching views of boat traffic on the beautiful Neckar River. I remember feeling the exhilaration of being young and carefree, enjoying the stunning views of the town. I was on my own little adventure. TBH, I don't remember much about the Schloss. And I met my best friend that evening in München. Sadly, he is no longer here. But in my old age I have these great memories of him and our time together on that trip so long ago.
Chuck in Northern New England

[papaquonis]

322 meters? I am so jealous of the Dutch mountains - here in Denmark we can only dream of such dizzying heights.