Tulips in Amsterdam
We sailed with Scenic, this was our second time and they once again were brilliant, from our huge veranda stateroom complete with butler, all inclusive gourmet food and drink plus all the excursions included as well - so we really didn't need to spend a Euro. Our itinerary covered some lesser known Dutch towns and also touched in Belgium - we selected this trip as we love medieval buildings and historic sights, it was pretty flat (important as I was pushing my mum in her wheelchair) and allowed us to sample the best of Dutch food, from cheeses to waffles galore.
Our first stop was to the infamous cheese town. The Dutch select their cheese by the age rather than a particular variety (unlike the French) but have 100’s of flavours from beer, pesto to truffle! Gouda is a beautiful small town of around 75K people with lots of well preserved medieval buildings built around a meandering canal. The market square is the hub with the cheese market taking place every Thursday along with local crafts. The very impressive town hall built in 1450 used to be the prison and execution zone but now has gigantic colourful flags and a mechanical chime with puppets on one of its facades. Gouda is known for its food, with cheese options galore, hands down the best waffles we’ve ever eaten and don’t miss the Stropwafel shops!
We sailed overnight and the next day visited the very quaint town of Veere in the SW Netherlands, it boasts a population of 1,500. A beautiful historic town with a small bustling harbour, it’s a lovely place to wander around for a couple of hours. Many of the houses date back to the 15th and 16th century and the town was founded on the Scottish wool industry so you’ll see blue and white flags on lots of the buildings. There’s a small museum and town hall plus the oldest hostelry in the Netherlands and lots of boutique shops selling local produce.
For day 4 we were offered either diamond centre Antwerp but plumbed for he Belgium city of Ghent or the “City of Three Towers” which is a great alternative destination to Bruges, rich in culture and has historic buildings galore. This large university city was a major powerhouse in the Middle Ages and still retains its marketplaces and large public squares. Top sights include The Castle of The Counts, the Ghent Belfry and St Bavo’s Cathedral plus the many waterways connected by small bridges and dotted with bars and restaurants.
Next up was Arnhem and just a 20 minute drive away is the Netherlands Open Air Museum. Spread out over 108 acres of beautiful parkland, the attraction won European Museum of the Year in 2005. A tram connects the 6 various areas of the museum and you can travel back in time and visit historic houses, farms and factories from different parts on the country to experience the lives of the working class from days gone by. Arnhem is immortalised in the epic war movie “A Bridge Too Far” which recounts the story of the failed 8 day Operation Market Garden in WWII, where Allied forces deep in Holland tried to capture strategically important bridges to advance in the occupied territory against the Germans. The Germans destroyed the bridge and pushed the Allied Forces back. Today there’s a replica bridge and a small museum on the port side and then the larger Arnhem Airborne Museum with original uniforms and weapons and the associated cemetery. The city itself was decimated but retained a few beautiful historic buildings but the centre is mainly modern with a large shopping centre.
One of my favourites stops was the very picturesque town of Hoorn. With over 300 monuments dating back from around 1357 in the historic centre, Hoorn was part of the Dutch Golden Age and a base for the Dutch East India Company who leveraged its harbours (one of which is horn shaped and thus the town is named after). With two medieval churches, the old town hall (dating from 1613), a gate from the original fortifications, Bossu houses from the 17th century and an almshouse to name just a few - this is a beautiful town to wander around.
Finally it was back to Amsterdam. The photos really don’t do justice to the Keukenhof Gardens. Dating back to the 15th century these were originally the hunting grounds for the castle, transformed to its modern day reincarnation in 1950 when it opened to the public. The gardens are around a 50 minute drive from the city. Only open 2 months of the year (late March to early May), these stunning gardens feature 7 million tulips and other flowers including an orchid pavilion. The riot of colour is just breathtaking and the range of tulips from feathered varieties to waist high flowers is mindblowing. There’s a lovely boat ride you can take, sculptures scattered throughout the park and a life sized windmill you can climb to see the surrounding tulip fields. This is a must visit attraction but get there early as from 12noon visitor numbers can swell to up to 40,000!
Amsterdam never fails to make you smile. It’s been around 4 years since I was last here and it hasn’t lost its appeal. If you want the perfect destination for a city break that’s very walkable (or great for getting on your bike), with stunning architecture, great museums, lots of shopping opportunities plus amazing food and fun, fun, fun nightlife add this to your list. Oh and did I mention canals? They are omnipresent!
River cruising is fast becoming one of the fast growing holidays and with itineraries like this, you can certainly see why they are getting so popular
