Tulips & windmills from Viking Sky, and other places

[bearsfolks]

A quick(!) recap of a visit to Keukenhof.

 

We arrived in Amsterdam on Wed morning, and it took us about an hour to get through luggage, customs, etc., change money at ABN Amro, get a SIM card and store our luggage in lockers. Then it was on to catch bus 58 to Keukenhof—warning—be prepared to stand for the whole ride to the gardens. We had prebought our tickets, including the bus, just one fewer thing to do, but it did not seem to be needed.

 

It was a glorious day to be out (it had been pouring back home), and I had kept an eye out while landing to see any color from the air, but didn’t—maybe due to landing patterns, or I was on the wrong side of the plane. Anyway, it was only when we were fairly close to Keukenhof, that we started to see the fields with huge swatches of color—surprisingly, I was most impressed by the blue!

 

Keukenhof was doing brisk business, but not at all crowded—in fact, there were very few times when I muttered to my wife, "There’s another case of ruining a perfectly good picture by artificially interposing a person in a beautiful scene"—a pet peeve of mine!

 

We’ve all seen the pictures of Keukenhof, so I knew what to expect. But nothing prepares you for the actual visual and olfactory impact you actually experience, and this happens again and again, until your senses really suffer from overload. (I’m glad I’m going back in a couple of weeks just for this reason, if no other!) You almost don’t know what to focus on. Do you examine a single flower, in all its perfection and individuality, or do you look at it surrounded by both its mates as well as other species? The sheer exuberance of colors, shapes, species, designs of the colors in each petal, whether it is variegated or not, whether the flowers look up, or delicately hang down like a cluster of bells, the subtle shades of analogous colors, the subtle and overpowering fragrance—all combine for a sensory feast unlike any other. Plus the entire cycle of life is represented , from flowers that were just coming out of the ground, to those that were just opening, to those in at peak, and ones past peak. By the way, just to put things in context, I am a fairly jaded, bah humbug, traveler!

 

Don’t forget to go to the farthest NE part of the garden, look across the canal, and see the mesmerizing fields of color!

 

We hear about the tulips, the hyacinths and other such flowers, but I was totally amazed by the variety of orchids that were on display in a building (and that’s not a flower I usually care for!) Not only were the colors and designs incredible, but they were displayed with an imagination that was truly creative (and that includes the containers). In fact, both here and in other buildings of displays, the designs seemed to be heavily influenced by Japanese Ikebana, in particular the modern Sogetsu School.

 

Imagine for a moment that Keukenhof did not have its flowers. It would still be an amazing garden, because of its variety and magnificence of its shrubs and trees. Look at the shades of greens, interspersed with blues, the ferns in various stages of growth, and the sheer vitality of plants that have been afflicted by diseases back in the US (the rhododendrens, in particular, were so robust!), and you still could have a great experience. My wife has a degree in gardening, and there were varieties of plants there that she had never even heard of—she was truly a kid in a candy store!

 

Plus there is a Japanese garden with a Tori gate, wonderful designs in the water as it flows over rocks and swirls from wider to narrower areas, a windmill, and the occasional duck couple out for a stroll! Plus a hut with a slanted chimney made entirely from woven reeds, a giant chess set for kids (including 60+ year old ones) to play with and the place could be considered to be a sculpture garden in its own right also.

 

The other thing that was a delightful surprise that suddenly sneaks up on you is the realization that the Dutch have a very sneaky and subtle sense of humour! Nina had talked about smiling at the Orca, and you just can’t help doing so affectionately, but there were several other examples. The one that really got me was that they have a “Walk of Fame”, a la Hollywood, which is a long path where they have planted flowers that have been named after famous people. Keep an eye out for tulips named after Donald Duck, the Teletubbies, Sponge Bob, The Lion King and Pink Floyd!

 

All in all, a perfect day, and, although by the end, we were really emotionally (and physically) exhausted, we would still whip out our cameras to take another shot!

 

What tips can I give you? As you enter the Gardens, you’ll see a couple of girls in traditional colorful garb (if memory serves, they were 400+ years old (the designs, not the girls or the dresses!), and they are perfectly happy to pose prettily for you. They sell a book with a tear-out map for €4—not a lot of money. If you want a souvenir, get it, otherwise it’s not of much use, plus there are similar maps all over the garden. Bring water-bottles, camera, back-up batteries, and a large memory card in your camera (I took over 200 pictures—it’s free!)

 

Oh, yes, be prepared to be wowed!

 

From there, we took the train to Centraal Station (you have to line up to get the tickets, and be ready to pay in cash if you have a US credit card without a chip), and then over the cobblestoned streets dodging the cyclists (given their number, I really felt that I was in danger of being run over by a member of a swarm of Angry Birds!) to our B&B which is only 10 mins from the Centraal Station, but feels much longer because of the luggage--and we travel light! I have driven in cities like Rome and Paris, to say nothing of New York and Boston(!), but I'd be scared to drive a car here, what with all the bicycles and mopeds. And in some cases, I thought I was on a slightly wider than normal pedestrian sidewalk, only to find that I was sharing it with cars, with barely enough room for the car and a human with luggage to pass!

 

I myst admit that memories of my youth came flooding back at the smell emanating from the coffeeshop! We were early, and knew our B&B host was out, so I called her to let her know we were there, and while my wife swat on the stoop with the luggage, reading about our trip and people watching on the pretty, peaceful canal, I went over to the Neuwe Kirk to get the Museumkaart--they do take US credit cards, but their system was down, so out with the cash again! Not something I'm used to, as at home I rarely have more than $20 on me!

 

Wandered out, and took pictures of the exterior of Tussaud's, Kaminsky Hotel, De Bijenkoff, and then meandered back to the B&B on Herengracht.

 

After resting for a while, we went to the Openbare Bibliotech to see the view from the cafe--not really worth it, grabbed take-out (a cheese croissant and brownie for my wife, and a wonderful gelato for me!) and then made it back to the hotel and collapsed! I think that today we'll take it somewhat easy, until we get onto the ship.

 

P.S. I apologize for being so wordy, but I was brought up under an education system that believed in never using a sentence when an essay would do!

[Bowie MeMe]

We will be going to K Gardens on Sunday. I can hardly wait. Meantime we have had a wonderful visit here in Amsterdam. I would highly recommend the Royal Palace and the Rembrant house. Those are my 2 favorites so far. Have a great time and watch out for the bicycles. (They cause spontanious outbursts of frightened cussing:p)

[Ine]

A quick(!) recap of a visit to Keukenhof.

 

We arrived in Amsterdam on Wed morning, and it took us about an hour to get through luggage, customs, etc., change money at ABN Amro, get a SIM card and store our luggage in lockers. Then it was on to catch bus 58 to Keukenhof—warning—be prepared to stand for the whole ride to the gardens. We had prebought our tickets, including the bus, just one fewer thing to do, but it did not seem to be needed.

 

It was a glorious day to be out (it had been pouring back home), and I had kept an eye out while landing to see any color from the air, but didn’t—maybe due to landing patterns, or I was on the wrong side of the plane. Anyway, it was only when we were fairly close to Keukenhof, that we started to see the fields with huge swatches of color—surprisingly, I was most impressed by the blue!

 

Keukenhof was doing brisk business, but not at all crowded—in fact, there were very few times when I muttered to my wife, "There’s another case of ruining a perfectly good picture by artificially interposing a person in a beautiful scene"—a pet peeve of mine!

 

We’ve all seen the pictures of Keukenhof, so I knew what to expect. But nothing prepares you for the actual visual and olfactory impact you actually experience, and this happens again and again, until your senses really suffer from overload. (I’m glad I’m going back in a couple of weeks just for this reason, if no other!) You almost don’t know what to focus on. Do you examine a single flower, in all its perfection and individuality, or do you look at it surrounded by both its mates as well as other species? The sheer exuberance of colors, shapes, species, designs of the colors in each petal, whether it is variegated or not, whether the flowers look up, or delicately hang down like a cluster of bells, the subtle shades of analogous colors, the subtle and overpowering fragrance—all combine for a sensory feast unlike any other. Plus the entire cycle of life is represented , from flowers that were just coming out of the ground, to those that were just opening, to those in at peak, and ones past peak. By the way, just to put things in context, I am a fairly jaded, bah humbug, traveler!

 

Don’t forget to go to the farthest NE part of the garden, look across the canal, and see the mesmerizing fields of color!

 

We hear about the tulips, the hyacinths and other such flowers, but I was totally amazed by the variety of orchids that were on display in a building (and that’s not a flower I usually care for!) Not only were the colors and designs incredible, but they were displayed with an imagination that was truly creative (and that includes the containers). In fact, both here and in other buildings of displays, the designs seemed to be heavily influenced by Japanese Ikebana, in particular the modern Sogetsu School.

 

Imagine for a moment that Keukenhof did not have its flowers. It would still be an amazing garden, because of its variety and magnificence of its shrubs and trees. Look at the shades of greens, interspersed with blues, the ferns in various stages of growth, and the sheer vitality of plants that have been afflicted by diseases back in the US (the rhododendrens, in particular, were so robust!), and you still could have a great experience. My wife has a degree in gardening, and there were varieties of plants there that she had never even heard of—she was truly a kid in a candy store!

 

Plus there is a Japanese garden with a Tori gate, wonderful designs in the water as it flows over rocks and swirls from wider to narrower areas, a windmill, and the occasional duck couple out for a stroll! Plus a hut with a slanted chimney made entirely from woven reeds, a giant chess set for kids (including 60+ year old ones) to play with and the place could be considered to be a sculpture garden in its own right also.

 

The other thing that was a delightful surprise that suddenly sneaks up on you is the realization that the Dutch have a very sneaky and subtle sense of humour! Nina had talked about smiling at the Orca, and you just can’t help doing so affectionately, but there were several other examples. The one that really got me was that they have a “Walk of Fame”, a la Hollywood, which is a long path where they have planted flowers that have been named after famous people. Keep an eye out for tulips named after Donald Duck, the Teletubbies, Sponge Bob, The Lion King and Pink Floyd!

 

All in all, a perfect day, and, although by the end, we were really emotionally (and physically) exhausted, we would still whip out our cameras to take another shot!

 

What tips can I give you? As you enter the Gardens, you’ll see a couple of girls in traditional colorful garb (if memory serves, they were 400+ years old (the designs, not the girls or the dresses!), and they are perfectly happy to pose prettily for you. They sell a book with a tear-out map for €4—not a lot of money. If you want a souvenir, get it, otherwise it’s not of much use, plus there are similar maps all over the garden. Bring water-bottles, camera, back-up batteries, and a large memory card in your camera (I took over 200 pictures—it’s free!)

 

Oh, yes, be prepared to be wowed!

 

From there, we took the train to Centraal Station (you have to line up to get the tickets, and be ready to pay in cash if you have a US credit card without a chip), and then over the cobblestoned streets dodging the cyclists (given their number, I really felt that I was in danger of being run over by a member of a swarm of Angry Birds!) to our B&B which is only 10 mins from the Centraal Station, but feels much longer because of the luggage--and we travel light! I have driven in cities like Rome and Paris, to say nothing of New York and Boston(!), but I'd be scared to drive a car here, what with all the bicycles and mopeds. And in some cases, I thought I was on a slightly wider than normal pedestrian sidewalk, only to find that I was sharing it with cars, with barely enough room for the car and a human with luggage to pass!

 

I myst admit that memories of my youth came flooding back at the smell emanating from the coffeeshop! We were early, and knew our B&B host was out, so I called her to let her know we were there, and while my wife swat on the stoop with the luggage, reading about our trip and people watching on the pretty, peaceful canal, I went over to the Neuwe Kirk to get the Museumkaart--they do take US credit cards, but their system was down, so out with the cash again! Not something I'm used to, as at home I rarely have more than $20 on me!

 

Wandered out, and took pictures of the exterior of Tussaud's, Kaminsky Hotel, De Bijenkoff, and then meandered back to the B&B on Herengracht.

 

After resting for a while, we went to the Openbare Bibliotech to see the view from the cafe--not really worth it, grabbed take-out (a cheese croissant and brownie for my wife, and a wonderful gelato for me!) and then made it back to the hotel and collapsed! I think that today we'll take it somewhat easy, until we get onto the ship.

 

P.S. I apologize for being so wordy, but I was brought up under an education system that believed in never using a sentence when an essay would do!

 

Thanks for your report, I hope you will have many more nice days during your stay and cruise.

Just a short remark, I think the Hotel you mention is the Krasnapolsky (?), never heard of Kaminsky....

And I always warn people in Amsterdam not only for the bikes, but also for the trams. They travel fast and have to stay on track. It happens tourists are hurt or even killed since they arenot familiar with that.

Yes Keukenhof is beyond believe this time of the year and every year many designs in display are different.

[retiring soon]

Hi!

 

Your post caught my eye as I was scanning the topics. Thanks for such a great essay on Keukenhof.;) It brought back memories of our visit there but in the rain. Will you be

posting any pictures?

 

The Anne Frank house is also worthy of a visit if it appeals to you. I was surprised by the line up there.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[bearsfolks]

First, a quick response to the comments:

 

Yes, you're right, it is the Hotel Krasnapolsky. I doubt if I'll be posting any pictures as I haven't had time to look at them, let alone select among them. I probably will not go to Anne Frank, not because I doubt that it is a moving experience, but because I realized that there is so much anguish going on in today's world, I do not need to relive the enormous pain of that time, and be reminded that we just don't learn. This is my opinion, and not meant to detract from or even challenge that of others, and, I could end up going to see it when we get back to Amsterdam.

 

More of my experiences and reactions in Amsterdam that I started writing yesterday morning and completed this morning:

 

The ship is sailing out of Amsterdam.

 

It’s about 5am, and we’re sailing to Hoorn. I woke up to movement and slight noise, and realized we were leaving. We sailed into, what I am guessing, was a lock, and stayed there for a while. And then this other ship that looked like a barge sailed by us. And it kept coming, and coming and coming—for just a moment, what flashed through my mind was the opening scene of the first Star Wars movie, where this Death Cruiser keeps sailing over you, and it is enormous! I guess they must have closed the gate behind us, and then opened that in front, although there was no physical manifestation of the fact that we were rising, and then we sailed past the ship and are out in the sea. Dark, gloomy skies and dark gray waters as far as the eye can sea, reminiscent of an Atlantic crossing—however, it is 6:30, and, will not last all day (unlike the Atlantic!)

 

We had spent a couple of days in Amsterdam, and took it a bit easy. My wife had been sick last week, and she does not want to fall ill, or get a bad cold. Plus neither of us slept on the flight over, and we are still really badly jet-lagged.

 

Some early impressions of the Viking Sky. The room was actually bigger than what I had expected (I have stayed in “quaint” NY hotels that were much smaller. The bathroom, as one might expect, is for single-person occupancy only, but the shower works well, and you can get steaming hot water 0f you want—I like hot showers! The bed’s comfortable, and plenty large, with thick fluffy pillows, lots of blankets, and the usual inability to get a steady comfortable temperature in the room. Viking is, supposedly, adding some ships this year or the next, and I do not know if they are going to refurbish some of the ships before they start to look and feel tired. Let me be clear—the Sky does not feel tired, but it does nor feel new or in it’s prime either—not a complaint. The staff has been courteous, helpful and they have a rich sense of humor. The food has been pretty good, and the flavors have been subtle and quite delicious. A thing that one notices, is that all the portions are much smaller than what one is used to getting—you definitely do not go hungry, but your plate is not pile up so high that your food is in eminent danger of spilling over onto the tablecloth! I just wish that the seating was a tad earlier. By the time you get to the main course, it is 8:30-9, which is a lot later than I like to eat—just a personal preference.

 

The vast majority of the passengers are American, and it is an older crowd than on the Regent Baltic cruise last year. But a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting group of well-travelled people. And, yes, we’ve already found the one person who wants to have a personal conversation with the guide while the tour is going on!

 

Impressions of Amsterdam

 

I’m not going to talk about everything we’ve done, and won’t give an account of each place, but just shoot for my perception of the city and the places. Remember, these are just my opinions based on a single exposure—your experience may vary; in fact, it is possible that, had I visited the museum at a different time, my opinion of it may have been different.

Our B&B was on the Herengracht (towards the North end), and it was really nice, with a wonderful hostess with, again, a quick wit! The room was very large, and overlooked the canal, and we were concerned about the street noise—I became extremely familiarly with the intimate recent events of several strangers passing by!) So we were concerned about it keeping us awake, but the noise died down completely after about 10am. It may be different on a weekend,

 

We were doing one of Rick Steve’s tours that covers the Dam and beyond, and you’re walking down the busy streets—a typical noisy, bustling city that could be almost anywhere in the world, and then we entered the Begijnhof, and it was as though someone had hit the mute button! It was a tiny little simple area which was immediately calming. No fancy gardens, just a small park, surrounded by houses and a church, with some statues, but it was magical.

 

The Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum. There is currently a Picasso exhibit also (the Paris years) at the Van Gogh Museum. Seeing the work of these two giants, and how quickly it developed and hanged over a short period of time, made you realize what a humbling experience it is to be in the presence of two true geniuses (genii?). Both men changed the way we see things, but the contrast between van Hogh’s anguish in doing so, versus Picasso’s enjoyment and confidence in what he did comes through so vividly in their work. While we have seen many of the museum’s collection in other touring exhibitions, seeing so much of it gave me a much deeper appreciation of both the man and his work. While enjoyable, it was also a draining experience.

 

Unfortunately, we visited both museums on Friday, and I don’t know if it a regular thing every week, or whether it is just because this is a big weekend in Amsterdam (the Flower Parade). In any case, both were mobbed with tours as well as school kids on field trips. The Van Gogh museum could take it, but, as one of the guards at the Rijksmuseum, it was too much for its current smaller size. Plus there were some groups of kids that were acting as though they were on their playground, to the point where I saw the guards literally chase them out of the museum. In one case, the guard also told one of the teachers to tone done her shouting as she was lecturing. In any case, the result was that, in some of the rooms, it really detracted from the experience. It is also worth it (as Rick Steve points out), to go online and get tickets for this museum, to avoid the lines, even with the Museumkaart. Despite all this, after the Van Gogh emotional experience, the Rijksmuseum is art to be enjoyed (not an original though—again, Rick Steve’s view, and he is right). There is no anguish, no major revolution in art, just wonderful paintings of normal people, in most cases, enjoying life (paintings of Potato Eaters or victims of suicide need not apply!) There is sly humour in many of the works (in both museums, the description of each painting was insightful). After the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum was a cathartic experience, and I would recommend seeing them in that order.

 

The Royal Place is open, and well worth a visit, not so much for the insides on its own merit (again, my opinion based on my tastes), and nowhere near the jaw-dropping opulence of, say, Catherine’s Palace in St. Petersburg (these are the Dutch, after all—not a criticism, but an observation of the frugal national character), but because they have done such an incredible job of restoration. Watch the video in the main hall for a few minutes that shows the work involved, and then look at the shine in the metal, the luster of the wood, and the colors of the paintings on the ceiling—they have done an amazing job! Also, they found things that they did not know they had, like a silver and platinum(?) chandelier that was in its individual pieces, and they had to put it together like a giant 3D jigsaw puzzle! Well worth the time to visit, and, again, free on the Museumkaart.

 

I wandered through the Red Light District, and it was nowhere near as sleazy as I expected, probably because it is integrated into a very normal area. I mean there is a huge church right there in the middle of the circle, and ordinary citizens living there also! The Our Lord in the Attic Church is under reconstruction (entrance is now half-price, but they don’t give you a partial refund on your Museumkaart!) so the paintings are not there, and areas have been ripped up. Nonetheless, I thought it was worth a visit, just to see how they hid the church, and connected the buildings!

 

I have to admit, that, in a way, I was disappointed with Amsterdam at this point. Yes the museums were magnificent, the buildings with their gables were different from other cities, and the people were wonderful. But I had expected something a bit more quaint, and this is a modern busy city! I guess, I had expected more character in the canals, and, having been mainly in the new city, frankly, I felt that if you’ve seen one canal, you’ve seen them all!

 

And then I meandered over to the canals one and two blocks East of the Red Light district, and I suddenly experienced the magic! Quiet canals, with smaller ones branching off from them, with trees in early bloom reflected in the water, and hardly a soul visible, and in many places I was the only person delightedly taking pictures! This was the Amsterdam I had come for, and a part of the city I could thoroughly enjoy living in. I can’t wait to go back to it and spend at least some time (in between the daytrips we’ll be making) to explore it further!

[bearsfolks]

Hoorn, Medemblik and Enkhuizen:

First, some more notes on the Viking Sky. Apparently, some people are on their 5th Viking cruise, and they said that they were disappointed with the ship, i.e., its condition. I think I mentioned that it looks tired, and I think that they are going to replace it in their next season with one of their new ships. While this is true, in the opinion of many I’ve talked to, it is perfectly adequate. I just wish they would start dinner a tad earlier—the food is generally good, (although we haven’t had lunch yet on the ship), but by the time you get to the main course, it is later than I would wish—personal opinion.

Hoorn

We got to Hoorn yesterday, and there were several walks that had been organized varying by severity, and there was an optional trip via bulb fields to some place where they re-enacted a Dutch auction of vegetables. We did not do either, but people enjoyed the walks, and the bus trip apparently did not show a lot of bulb fields, but the auctions was supposed to be fun.

Our guru, Rick Steve, had said that Hoorn did not have much to offer, so, instead, we wandered through the town—it was actually quite nice in parts, and made our way to the main train station, and then over the tracks to the Old Train Station. We did not have time to see the museum there, which I would have liked to (they demonstrate how they used to throw the switches, and you can apparently walk through where they take care of the old steam engines and walk into one), but made it to the train. It really was a time machine, with old time conductors in costumes, wooden seats, windows with straps. At the major intersections, they had the normal gates to stop traffic, but at the minor roads, one of the conductors would hop off run ahead, and stop traffic with a flag, and when the engine came through, he’d hop back on. People along the way would wave at you, and it was great fun! Oh yes, the whole cost of getting there and going to the Enkhuizen Museum was free with the Museumkaart.

And then there were the fields, which is why we had decided to take the trip in the first place. Broad patches of colors in straight lines running both parallel and perpendicular to the train. It was gorgeous and, yet, soothing. According to my wife, there were even peonies coming up (although not yet in bloom). And sheep that looked as though they were ready for shearing, horses, cows, ducks and other animals. At the first stop, there was enough time to get off and wander to the old station, and take pictures of the train and go into the locomotive.

After about an hour and a quarter of a really fun and relaxing journey, we got to Medemblik, where we wandered around for an hour till the ferry left. A very pleasant trip for an hour where it was pleasant enough to go to the top deck and watch the action on the water, and then we were in Enkhuizen Zuidersee Museum, where they have transported and, in some cases, copied the homes of people when the Zuidersee was diked off in 1932 to create a lake and land was reclaimed, so the people who had lived in these houses lost their means of support in that area. It is a relatively small area, with really interesting buildings, both inside and out, with people doing demonstrations of the old crafts, and many of the visitors, particularly the kids, in what looked like classic Dutch traditional costumes. And it was amazingly tranquil and soothing!

We took a “regular” train back in order to make it to the boat, which is the only part of the trip we paid for. It took 22 minutes. A couple of cautions regarding this. There was no person at the train station where you could buy the tickets, nor could you buy it on the train. The machines at the station would not take my US creditcards (not a surprise), but they also rejected my debit card, and they would not take money either. I had to go across to the VVV, and get the tickets there (they prefer cash—credit cards cost 5% more—amusing!) and by the time I got back, the train had left, and we had to wait a half-hour for the next one. Also, the electronic signs on the train do not announce the stop, the loudspeaker announcement was hard to understand, there did not seem to be any signs on the station platforms themselves that I could see, and there are two Hoorns! Net, net, we got off at the first Hoorn, which did not look at all familiar compared to the one we had seen that morning. Fortunately, the conductor came out to blow his whistle, and told us that Hoorn Centraal was the next station (or a half-hour walk from where we were—there’s that Dutch humour again!), and so we made it back to the “correct” Hoorn! So, if you do this, either count stations, or listen very carefully, or ask a local fellow passenger, or watch the time, or take an unplanned half-hour walk!

After comparing notes with my fellow passengers over dinner, I’m glad we did this. (Many thanks to the folks on TripAdvisor who showed me how to get back to the ship on time, and told me that it was all free on the Museumkaart.)

[gnome12]

You could probably have bought a train ticket from Enkhuizen back to Hoorn at the regular train station in Hoorn before you got on the steam train (if you had time).

 

It is a pity that you didn't have time to do the museum at the old Hoorn Station; I really enjoyed that.

 

Did you just look at the bulb fields from your seats, or did you get up and stand at the platform at the back? I spent much of the trip from Hoorn to Medemblik on the platform, looking out at bulb fields, windmills and animals.

 

All in all, I agree with you totally, a very worthwhile excursion. (I actually did it from Amsterdam on one of my additional days there; I paid for regular train service from Amsterdam to Hoorn and from Enkhuizen to Amsterdam, and the Museumkaart paid for all the rest.)

[bearsfolks]

Nomi, I did want to go to the Train Museum but we did not have time in the morning, and we were exhausted in the evenng--in fact we took a taxi back to the ship. By the way, we have taken two cabs so far on this trip, and in both cases the drivers were extremely friendly and honest--I definitely was not taken for a ride! Along the same lines, we were surprised that no one asked to see our tickets on the train ride back to Hoorn--I guess it's the honor system!

 

Having to go to the VVV and waiting an extra half hour was not a big deal--I just mentioned it for the benefit of someone else who might do this excursion also.

 

Along the same lines, I forgot to mention that we took the ferry that takes you back from the Zuidersee Museum to the Enkhuisen Station. It docks at the same place where the ferry from Medemblik drops you off, and it's free. Or you could walk to the train station if you wanted.

[Ine]

Like in any vacation one sometimes have to make choices what to or not to see or do. I agree you have made the best excursion with the steamtrain and the Zuiderzeemuseum.

It is one of these things I often advise people when they have time for that.

Best way to see an interesting part of NL.

I love to read your reports.

[bearsfolks]

I had some free time this evening, as we skipped dinner (decided to live off the fat of the land) and I created some rough collages of pictures from the Keukenhof Gardens.

 

The other thing I want to report on is the Kroller-Mueller museum on an optional tour. It is an amazing museum, and we spent all our time looking at the art, which is high quality, and is also very interesting because there were so many excellent painters that one had never heard of (and this was also the case with another passenger who had been an art major, and had even been a deocent at a museum. The museum is difficult to get to from Amsterdam, but, no matter how you do it, I'd recommend you find a way to get there , as it actually deserves a minimum of two visits!

 

We're currently at Nijmegen where we wandered through the town, and found an amazing square that survived the bombing (it is around the Grote Kerk) that looks like it stepped right out of medievel times. What's interesting is that the ship docked there before 9, the officer announced it, and then, just in case you'd missed it, mentioned the casino right across from the berth! Do you think that played any part in the decision of where to locate the casino?

 

 

 

==========================

[bearsfolks]

I missed a few days because we’ve been so busy! And tired. One of the things I don’t like is that they usually open the dining room for dinner between 7 and 7:30 pm, and that means that you are eating your main course around 8-8:30, which is a bit late for many people, and what with the extremely tasty food they serve, it interferes with the sleep of many people.

The cruise has been truly excellent, and the staff in each area has been helpful far more that one could expect—the most common response that you hear to any request is “no problem”! The only negative is that the luck of the draw has not been with us in the local guides we have had, with the exception of the one in Amsterdam. As a result, in a couple of cases, we just split off from the group, and did things on our own. Not a big deal, but we’ve had guides in the past (and have eavesdropped on other groups on this trip) who have truly provided a different insight than what you get from guidebooks.

We reached Antwerp around dinnertime, and, after dinner, a bunch of us walked to the town center—a 20 minute walk (30 if you stop every 5 seconds to take pictures like I do. The modern architecture on the riverfront is bold, striking, and very attractive. Somehow, despite its extremely avant garde looks, they have still managed to harmonize with the ancient buildings—I couldn’t figure out how they have done this, but the results are impressive. The sights of Antwerp in town, in my opinion, are more striking at night than they are during the day.

The next day, we went back to Antwerp with a tour, and I must say that I was surprised by the city, For some reason, I had expected a somewhat dour city, but the parts that we were in were simply delightful, We started with a bus tour, that took us to a kot of the places we had wanted to go to, and then broke off from the guided tour towards the end of it, and started to make the rounds of the chocolate stores that are unique to Antwerp (as well as the more normal Neuhaus, Leonidas, etc.! The distances that one has to walk are much smaller than I had expected. We made it to the Museum Plantin Moretus, which supposedly has the oldest collection of printing presses in the world, and also has a a fascinating collection of beautiful books, a room with leather wallpaper, and a charming and peaceful little garden. The Meir pedestrian area was really fun! Because it was one of the first really warm days, the local inhabitants were out in full force, and everyone was having a great time. There was a string group playing classical music, and they were really great. While we were there they played part of Vivaldi’s Four seasons, and it was enchanting! We went into the Stadsfeestzaal, which has been made into a shopping center, and it was a jaw-dropping experience due to the size, the opulence, and, yet, good taste shown! Although we had seen it on our drive-by, we went back to the Centraal Station, and also went inside. It is truly more akin to a castle (without rooms) than to a railroad station! (If you want to see what it looks like, watch

).

From there, a cab ride to the Zurenborg area (again, covered on the bus tour, but you really couldn’t see the buildings very well) and we kept stopping the cab to hop out and see the gorgeous belle époque, neoclassical and art nouveau house facades (and we are much more into modern!). Truly gorgeous! And then back to the ship.

At Gent, while almost everyone went to Brugges (and had a great time), we stayed in Gent, as we will go to Brugges after the cruise. A cab took us from the ship to some of the more distant areas, like the Klein Begjinhof , a very different feel from the Begijnofs in Amsterdam, and then dropped us off in the city. Gent is truly charming on the streets, and awe-inspiring inside the buildings. The elevator up the Belfry gives wonderful, unobstructed by glass, looks over the city. St. Bavo's Cathedral is gorgeous on the inside, and St, Michaels has been recently refurbished. the Graslei and Korenlei buildings consist of one beautiful façade after another, and we also wandered through the cute streets of Patershol. A canal boat ride gives you a wonderful perspective, and an opportunity to take pictures of housed and trees reflected in the water. Back to the ship for dinner, and then another trip back to town to see the towers lit up (not as spectacular as I had hoped), and the lit-up streets of Graslei and Korenlei—magnificent and filled with people.