Our Travel Diary - Holland and Belgium
Tulips and Windmills River Cruise
April 13, 2009
With great anticipation we board our overseas flight to Brussels.
April 14, 2009
Welcome to Belgium! After a short drive from Brussels to Antwerp, we board our ship – The River Empress. In Antwerp, the diamond capital of the world, we’ll spend our next two days. The heart of the town is an easy walk from the ship. The opportunity for amazing photography is everywhere – to be honest, I think I filled my first memory card in Antwerp!
April 15, 2009
On our walking tour we visited the delightful Grote Market (Market Square), in the middle of the city, as well as the inspirational Cathedral of our Lady (built from 1352 – 1521). Surrounded by stunning guild houses that boast ornate 16th century facades topped by gilded figures, there are architectural reminders of the Renaissance everywhere. It is absolutely beautiful!
April 16, 2009Our second day while based in Antwerp takes us to Bruges, one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We viewed the town as its original visitors did – from onboard a canal boat. It is easy to see why Bruges is often called “Venice of the North.” Bruge is a very historic and picturesque town that should not be missed, when visiting Belgium!
April 17, 2009After cruising throughout the night we arrived in the beautiful little town of Veere by daybreak. Following a fantastic breakfast we departed for nearby Neeltje Jans to visit an engineering marvel known as the Delta Works. This was an extremely interesting presentation that helped us understand how the Dutch are coping with the threat that the sea poses.
By afternoon we were back on our floating hotel for a relaxing (and delicious) lunch. With our ship docked in the cozy harbour of Veere, we spent the afternoon strolling through the cobblestone streets of Veere and enjoyed its abundance of medieval charms. The advantage of river cruising is that you are only footsteps from the quaint cafes and shops of each town where you dock.
Back onboard by 4pm we set sail for Rotterdam, the second largest harbour in the world. With the April weather being the best they’d seen in 25 years, we admired the scenery from the top deck, as we enjoyed a cocktail before dinner. (the crew joked that we had brought the warm weather from Canada)
Local treats
Zeeland (literally land of the sea) is well-known for its mussels, eels, oysters and shrimps and most restaurants serve freshly caught fish. Among the typical dishes you’ll find in restaurants are filled lobster and mussel soup.
April 18, 2009
With our arrival in Rotterdam, we set out for the Kinderdijk Windmills. The relaxing drive was enhanced by blue skies, spring blossoms and glorious weather
Kinderdijk is a small village at a distance of only 16 kilometres from Rotterdam and a little bit less than 10 kilometres from the city border of Dordrecht, the oldest city in Holland. Kinderdijk is unique for its 19 windmills dating from the 1500s.
Kinderdijk is the only place in the world where you can find so many windmills concentrated on such a short area. This is one of the reasons why Kinderdijk has been added to the UNESCO world heritage list.
In case of emergency the windmills still can be used and have been operational up to the Second World War. As we learned at the Delta Works project: The Dutch citizens have large history in their battle against the water.
To visit the website Kinderdijk click on this link below:
http://www.kinderdijk.org/hist.shtmlA Dutch Treat was in store for us that evening! Following a fabulous dinner, we were entertained with a special performance of the Shanty Choir “De Maeze Sanghers” As a talented choir who sing purely for the joy of it, they were great fun and we all loved them!
April 19, 2009
We spent the morning cruising, all the while admiring gorgeous scenery. By noon our ship had arrived in Nijmegen. A beautiful port, this charming town boasts a high concentration of outdoor cafes along the Waalkade which runs parallel to the river.
After another wonderful lunch onboard, we departed for a scenic drive to the world renowned
Kroller - Muller Museum.
At the Kroller - Muller Museum we admired the incredible collection of Vincent Van Gogh. Although Van Gogh sold only one painting in his life, the aftermath of his work is enormous. This collection of 278 works by Van Gogh was left to the Dutch state by Helene Kroller- Muller who spent her life and fortune amassing this incredible collection.
April 20, 2009
On our arrival in Enkhuizen after breakfast, we enjoyed a lovely walking tour in this 650 year old town. After lunch we sailed to the next port of Hoorn. From a leading seaport in the 1600’s to a welcoming town known today for its delicious cheese and vibrant horticulture, Hoorn has a rich and fascinating history. Again, I filled a digital memory card here! I couldn’t resist the sight of all the tall ships and the rich maritime history of Hoorn.
During the afternoon some of the gals chose to soak in the ambiance of Hoorn or explore the shops of this charming little town, while others chose to take advantage of the Bulb-Grower Experience. On this optional tour the ladies drove past endless colourful fields between Enkuizen and Hoorn. They were given exclusive access to the flowering fields, as well as valuable information about flower bulb cultivation from a local grower.
April 21, 2009 This morning at 0800 we arrive in Holland’s largest city, Amsterdam where every street has a story to tell! To get an overall feel for the city we start off with a scenic tour that takes us past all the important landmarks of this beautiful city. The highlight this morning is a visit to one of the most prestigious museums in the world - Rijksmuseum.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Following our morning city tour, we visit the Netherlands’ greatest museum, the Rijksmuseum. In this turreted neo-gothic museum, there are 150 rooms full of the country’s finest works, including Old Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 -1669) magnificent The Night Watch (1642) on the upper floor. The enormous king-size canvas is Rembrandt’s best known painting and one of the worlds most famous, has a grand hall all to itself. The Rijksmuseum houses the largest and finest collection of Dutch paintings anywhere in the world!
By early afternoon we return to the ship, anxious to see what delicacies our chef has prepared for lunch. To give everyone some free time we have our afternoon at leisure. Amsterdam is such a captivating city that there are countless ways to enjoy your time here. The Anne Frank House is a very popular destination and many of the gals chose to make that their first stop.
A precious piece of history preserved – The Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
The hiding place of Anne Frank is one of Amsterdam’s most visited sites. The swinging bookcase that hid the secret door to the attic is still there; so are the black and white pictures she clipped from movie magazines and pasted on her wall. I think you’ll agree that a visit to the attic of her modest 1635 canal house is very powerful.
Farewell Dinner – Tonight we enjoyed a very memorable dinner with the captain and the crew. Following incredible food and wine we were entertained onboard by the Broadway show tunes of “Lady Gray.”
April 22, 2009Today, we enjoy the greatest flower spectacle on earth – the Keukenhof Gardens – a historic, once royal park where more than 6 million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths cover 70 acres. Ten miles of footpaths wind past imaginatively manicured flower beds, fountains, tree shaded ponds and large greenhouses that showcase some 500 tulip varieties, among them the purplish “black tulip”. Click here to view Keukenhof
http://www.keukenhof.nl/Back at the ship by early afternoon we relax over another fabulous lunch. This afternoon we see everyone choosing their favourite activity. Some gals head for the shops, several board a canal boat for an enchanting cruise past stately canal side houses, each built with fanciful gables, and others choose to pamper themselves onboard the ship with a relaxing afternoon.
Prior to dinner we met for a private champagne reception, as well as had a few laughs over our “Lyrics of Holland” contest. You’ll recall this was a challenge we put out there to write a poem about our river cruise adventures. Congratulations to Susan Greer for her prize winning poem!
Our evening was spent with yet another five star dining experience. Following dinner, our cruise tour manager, Wouter organized a walk through the famed “red light district” for cruise passengers who were curious about this notable area. Interestingly, a nocturnal stroll through the medieval heart of downtown ranks on most tourists’ agenda up there with the museum shrines to Van Gogh and Rembrandt!
Amsterdam has long been known as an “open city” and these denizens of the night are registered, regulated, taxed, and represented by a union since 1984. Throughout the walk Wouter gave us a very informative explanation of this unique area and then guided us back to our ship.
April 23, 2009Today, we say farewell to the fantastic crew of the River Empress and Wouter, our wonderful tour manager
We leave the ship with memories that will last a lifetime of this fascinating destination. I think I speak for everyone, when I say that we would love to return to Holland and Belgium!
To see our trip photos that include the greatest flower spectacle on earth, please click on this link:
http://www.broadhorizonsnetwork.com/album/viewgal.php?cat=&subcat=Hol849
Enjoy!
