Maastricht, the NetherlandsIn the spring of 1997 I was on a class field trip to the southernmost corner of the Netherlands, near the border with Germany and Belgium. We were headed to a distinct geographic area—the only place in the country with some hefty hills. I can still picture what we came to see—holloways, lanes that have been hollowed out deep within the landscape, edged with knotted willows while other trees and plants clung to their steep slopes. On the bus ride home, I decided I had found it—the most beautiful part of the country.  

Holloways are found in Dutch and Belgian Limburg—both countries have a province of the same name—sometimes several yards deep and often lush with vegetation. They were carved