Yes indeed the worldcup crazyness has come and gone. Yes indeed, it left on a bit of a low note as the boys in orange lost in the final. But on the other hand, it left the country with alot of good memories and funny moments, many of which captured in images and videos... the way we like it here at trippist!

Yesterday the team returned to Amsterdam were greeted with a thank you/welcome home parade. However perhaps the funniest and most eye-catching images are from the day of the final against Spain.

Here is a photo collection by our pal Marc at Amsterdamize.com, entitled "World of Orange"

This is your chance to go to Amsterdam! Check out the contest tab on the Holland Facebook page (or laugh at some of the hilarious entries!). All you have to do is Go Orange for Holland and upload a picture of yourself displaying your orange spirit for the final World Cup match. The most stunning display of orange-hued flair will win two tickets to Amsterdam (from any major international airport). The contest started yesterday and ends on Tuesday at noon - the grand prize winner will then be chosen by public vote.

Kunstliefde, an artists collective in Utrecht, is hosting Steunkleur Groen, an exploration of what it means to be green these days when surrounded by an urban environment. A variety of artists working in different mediums and materials explore the concepts of guerrilla gardening, balcony gardens, vertical gardening and much more. The exhibit also makes use of Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare to explore these green spots around town even further.

The exhibit runs through August 8, and includes work by Cultural Oil, Hans van Lunteren, Angeliek de Jonge, Myrthe Basket Makers, Wieteke Opmeer, HIK Design, Kommer Troost, Dennis, Workshop CORVE. Kunstliefde is located at Nobelstraat 12a, Utrecht.

The Source Festival in Utrecht is expanding this year to fill two days (10-11 July) with electronic music, theater, fashion, video and more. The festival runs Saturday 11:00-23:00, with five stages offering music and artists from the Netherlands and beyond. Some of the artists include Moderat & Pfadfinderei, Theo Parrish and DJ Koze. Sunday, the festival runs from 13:00-23:00, with three stages, as well as all of the accompanying activities that seem to make up any festival. There will also be a big screen set up for anyone wanting to watch the World Cup final.

The festival takes place at Nedereindse Plas, and special bus tickets can be purchased to get you from Utrecht Jaarbeursplein to the festival grounds. Tickets are €24.50. More info can be found at the official website (in Dutch).

The American Book Center's blog recently published their Spectacular Summer Reading Extravaganza for non-fiction titles. Despite my love of the novel I always find myself more intrigued by non-fiction, and ABC has done a great job of tempting me into one of their stores in the coming weeks.

If you're interested in learning more about the Dutch, they recommend a number of great books. Under the category entitled "Travel, Foreign Languages & Local Interest," they list the classic The UnDutchables, a must-read for any expat in the Netherlands. But there's also Manners in the Netherlands and the Xenophobe's Guide to the Dutch. Don't forget to check out Bicycle Mania, where American photographer Shirley Agudo provides an inside look at the Netherland's unique cycling culture.

It seems that ABC has lots of options to get you through these hot summer months, and help you better understand your host culture.

It's a big moment for the Dutch - they made it to the World Cup final! The parties just keep getting bigger and bigger in the Netherlands, and Sunday will disappoint no one.

If you'll be in Leiden on Sunday evening, there will be plenty of bars packed full of fans. But if you prefer an outdoor viewing, the parking lot in the Lammermarkt (about a five minute walk from the Central Station) will have two giant screens broadcasting the match.

Even if you don't know where it is - there's no doubt the noise will help you find your way. The weather should be beautiful so get ready to cheer on your favorite team - whether it's the Netherlands or Spain!

The entire Netherlands has gone completely world cup insane. Anywhere you turn there is something orange hanging from something else. At any hour of the day you can hear a vuvuzela trumpeting for no specific reason. And leading up to the huge Spain-Netherlands final on Sunday, everyone is planning where to watch it and with whom!

My preference, on boat. No not a boat docked on the side of a canal... I mean on a moving boat. Yup, cruising the canals on a sunny day while watching the game on your boat. How does that look? Ill show you:

We here at trippist like to keep you up to date with the latest in the world of tourism in the Netherlands, and as the world of mapping and applications gets better and better, the options just keep increasing.

In a previous post you read as Janelle described a useful google map guide to Amsterdam, well here comes a related item: A new national mapping system dedicated to tourism. It is called Hollandtoer.nl and it provides some extremely smooth panoramic views of must-see spots throughout the country.

Hollandtoer has some very funny and useful menu options for activities in both the day and night, in it does a good job of cutting right to the most important spots in a long list of great cities many tourists come to see. It also makes it easy to save and share through social networking the spots you choose. Here I'll test out their "post this photo on your site" option:

At the moment the site is only in Dutch as far as I can tell. Of course its no good for those looking to get off the beaten path. But if you are making plans to come to the Netherlands or if you're far away and wanting to take a pleasant virtual tour from your office somewhere else in the world, you'll enjoy this site and the images it provides.

Amsterdam-based bloggers keep coming up with great material for visitors and expats alike.

A couple months ago, blogger Lily Margaret (from Wanderlust with Lily Margaret) published a favorite Amsterdam spots map (here's a larger version). She's highlighted the places she loves to go - from museums to restaurants to tearooms to yoga studios. She's even color-coded these places according to category. For example, blue markers stand for places to eat, yellow for shopping and markets, and green for parks.

This kind of resource is invaluable to new and seasoned visitors to Amsterdam. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to decide where to eat or which museum to visit - but maps like this one let you know what an Amsterdam enthusiast has already endorsed.

If you want to make your own map, just visit Google maps and get started.

The World Press Photo exhibit is here in Utrecht for a few more days. It runs through July 8 at Janskerk. If you haven't gotten around to visiting yet, head in while you still can. It's always an impressive experience, with photos ranging in subject matter, leaving you laughing, horrified, amazed and pretty much everything in between. If you're a bit short on cash after buying a few extra drinks to celebrate the Dutch team's success in the World Cup this year, don't worry, entrance to the World Press Photo show is free this year. The exhibit is open from 10:00-17:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and open from 10:00-21:00 on Thursday.