This semester, I’m studying abroad in the Netherlands
through Emerson College. We’re allowed to travel every weekend and, for the
most part, I’ve taken advantage of that arrangement. I’ve been to a Swedish
autumn festival in Stockholm, taken a ride on The London Eye, wandered the
alleys of Venice, and attempted to avoid death-by-bike in Amsterdam, among
other adventures. There are a few things I wish I could do more of though. One
of those things? Visit cool bookstores.
I thought I would easily find a few on
my travels, but nothing ever caught my eye until I visited Platform 9 ¾ at
King’s Cross Station in London. After being a typical tourist and taking my
picture with the shopping cart halfway through the wall – positioned to look as
if there really were a magical platform beyond – I wandered into the bookstore
next door. The Casual Vacancy, J. K. Rowling’s new book, occupied a bookstand
by the cash register. Yet I didn’t find what I really wanted until I moved to
the back of the store. Harry Potter books occupied an entire wall, which I took
a moment to appropriately stare at. It was amazing to see my favorite series in
the country in which it was first conceived – in the very station that Harry began his
journey to Hogwarts. Yet, besides its impressive collection of Harry Potter,
the store was like any other.
That’s why my heart was set on visiting this quirky
bookstore in Venice that I’d read about. The place apparently kept its books
everywhere from shelves to canoes to bath tubs, and had a staircase of books you
could climb for a view of the canal. It had gotten many positive reviews on
Trip Advisor, my travel Bible. Everything sounded great – the smell of old
books, the large selection, the eccentric Italian shopkeeper and his cat. I was
so ready to immerse myself for hours just to find unique books to take home. Unfortunately,
I didn’t have time to visit before my weekend was up. Libreria Acqua Alta, as
it was called, would have to wait for my next trip abroad. I was sad that I
couldn’t fit it into my schedule, but more disappointed in the fact that I’d
only visited one bookstore in the month and a half I’d been in Europe. So when
I decided to stay back at the castle one weekend, I was determined to find some
of the coolest bookstores in The Netherlands.
I was not prepared for the truly awesome bookstores in
Nijmegen. On the recommendation of a friend who lives there, I ventured with a
few classmates to the Antiquariaat Van Hoorn. This old bookstore is a gem in my
opinion, even though most of the books are in Dutch. With three levels, the
Antiquariaat has everything from old postcards to literary magazines to popular
trade books like Lord of the Rings. There are three floors, all filled to the
brim with books. There are books on the stairs, on shelves, in Chiquita banana
boxes stacked in the middle of the room – simply everywhere. The lower level is
dedicated to maps and science books, the middle to a variety of Dutch
paperbacks along with some random knickknacks, and the upper level to classic literature
and contemporary fiction.
The English language section occupies a small corner of the
upper level, yet has a fair selection and range. I was excited when I found
multiple copies of The Fellowship of the Ring, all with unique cover art. There
were popular books as well as lesser-known works, and a beautiful thing called
the “two-euro box”. I couldn’t resist buying a few books from there. The prices
were very good for my poor college student budget.
However, the best thing about the place was the bookcases.
Not only are they filled to burst with books of all kinds, oh no – they have
bookcases behind them! We were sorting through our finds in the English
language section when a girl searching for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
came up to a bookcase and casually pulled it open. Astonished, we went to see
what was behind the door of books only to find another bookcase. It was like finishing
a great book only to flip the page and discover an epilogue. So naturally, we
opened up all the bookcases and took pictures with them. I’d enjoy the look of
surprise on my other friends' faces when they saw a seemingly normal bookcase
open up to reveal even more books. I’d never seen anything like it before. The
place was bursting with books and I loved every second of the hour we spent
there. If you’re ever in Nijmegen, I highly recommend going to the
Antiquariaat.
The bookstore I visited in Maastricht was an interesting
contrast to the one in Nijmegen. Though it also had full shelves and a large
selection, it was a chain bookstore. Why did I go then, you ask? The Selexyz
Dominicanen, while being a modern chain bookstore, is also in a very old
church. It was a little hard to find at first, but well worth visiting if you
enjoy books, architecture, and unexpected combinations. Here, you walk into a cathedral
and you find a bookstore. A lot of the items are in Dutch, but there are still
English language sections and you can find a decent amount and variety of
books. Displays on the ground floor lure you in, while an open metal structure
in the middle of the room creates more levels within the high-ceilinged space. The
books are organized by topic with clear lists throughout the store so you know where
to find what you’re looking for. It’s all very structured, unlike the chaos of
the Antiquariaat in Nijmegen. It was packed with people and had the distinct
scent of fresh ink, surprising to find in a thirteenth century Dominican church.
This is the place you go to if you want gorgeous architecture as well as the
newest bestseller. There’s even a small coffee shop at one end serving hot
beverages and all kinds of pastries.
I like to think of the
Selexyz Dominicanen as the Barnes and Noble of The Netherlands, with this
location being their most prized unique store. Therefore, the books are a
little pricier than from any old bookstore. No two-euro box here. The selections
are new and understandably priced to reflect this. Nothing was overly
expensive, but it wasn’t like you could find anything uncommon at a low price.
I liked the wide selection but since it was a chain bookstore, it lacked some
of those hole-in-the-wall finds that small, independent shops occasionally
stumble upon. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend buying anything in the Selexyz
Dominicanen in Maastricht unless you absolutely love it. That being said, there
were still quite a few interesting books that I wanted to get, so there are
some cool finds. It just depends on what you want to pay for them.
If you like books and you’re in The Netherlands put these
stores on your to-see list. You won’t be disappointed. The Antiquariaat will
test your book perusing skills like no other store can. You might find an old
postcard written in 1917 or a charcoal sketch or an antique map, as well as a
Jane Austen novel or Harry Potter book. You can lose yourself among rows and
rows of Dutch stories or head straight for the English language section and
comb through boxes of old books in search of the perfect one. If you’re ever
looking to start a home library, let the “two-euro box” be your friend. You can
walk out of there with 10 books for only 20 euro, whether they be from a
popular series or books that hardly anyone has ever heard
of. On the other hand, the Selexyz Dominicanen gives you everything else that
the Antiquariaat cannot: new books, an organized system for finding books, a
caramel macchiato. Finding a modern bookstore in an old church is like biting
into a hard chocolate and realizing there’s a soft, chewy center. It has all
the modern comforts tucked away inside the beauty of an ancient building. You
don’t see something like this every day. And that’s exactly why you should
visit both the Selexyz Dominicanen and the Antiquariaat Van Hoorn. These
bookstores are beautiful and unique, with large enough selections to fulfill
any book-lover’s dream.
By Alexandra Kowal
