Post cruise Amsterdam or Brussels in Dec.

[hugueys]

Ending our river cruise Sunday morning Dec. 6 in Amsterdam and flying out of Brussels 10:40 AM on Wednesday Dec 9. Can't decide what to do! Amsterdam or Brussels each for 3 nights or should we spend a day in Brugge, Antwerp or Ghent or others. DH has been briefly to both on business trips and is leaving decision to me :confused:.

 

We are active, early 60's and don't mind exploring on our own.

 

I think we will come back to Amsterdam at a future date when tulips are blooming. We also will do a trip to Normandy beaches (maybe Seine River depending on how our first river cruise goes) since my father landed on Omaha Beach D-Day so we could go to Belgium then. Help please; all suggestions are appreciated.

[Hoyaheel]

Tough decision! I love Amsterdam & Brussels (and Bruges). I love Amsterdam & Brussels in all seasons but prefer Bruges in the spring. But I'm odd- I tend to love grey dark cities! Both have good food (better beer in Belgium - I'm biased there, though) and good museums. I think Brussels has better Christmas decorating & markets than Amsterdam (though neither are like Germany, still nice!)

 

Brussels would have an edge for me right now, but that's because I've been to Amsterdam more recently. If I'd not been to either, I'd visit Amsterdam first....

[capriccio]

Having lived for 3 1/2 years in Belgium and traveled to Amsterdam a number of times (as recently as last month at the end of a Budapest to Amsterdam river cruise) I would pick Brussels. I give the edge in food and beer to the Belgians. In addition to sightseeing in Brussels, do go to Bruges and I would also recommend Flanders if you are interested in history and specifically WWI. The weather has the potential to be cold and damp in either place.

[xpcdoojk]

I say skip both Amsterdam and Brussels or at least minimize them, and go to Brugges. Far, prettier, and nicer, and very compact.

 

jc

[hugueys]

Thanks so much for the input. We could stay in Brussels and take day train trips around Belgium.

I am thinking we might stay the day in Amsterdam because DH would like to go back to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. We would head Sunday evening to Brussels and explore from there.

[retiredslug]

We were in that area last year and since we had been to Brussels, Brugge, and Amsterdam previously we decided to take a chance on Utrecht, a university town near Amsterdam. Turned out to be an excellent choice. Gorgeous small town with canals similar to Brugge. If given the choice we would actually return to Utrecht over the others.

 

Spending two nights in Utrecht and the final night in the Sheraton Airport Hotel in Brussels would be our itinerary.

[Hydrokitty]

You can't go wrong with any one of them!! If I had to choose, I would pick Brussels only because of the time of year you're going. Amsterdam will be cold and gray for sure, while Brussels might be a little nicer. Brugges is also a beautiful city. But then in Amsterdam you have the Rijks and its next door neighbor, the Van Gogh, so if it's really cold and dank, who cares....like I said, you can't make a wrong choice here.:D

[hugueys]

My DH is an early morning person so we will off our boat quickly on Sunday (Christmas Markets on the Rhine). A brief time in Amsterdam and on the train to Utrecht or Brugge (spelling?) Any recommendations for places to stay? Seems like some things are closed on Monday in Belgium?

 

Thanks all

[retiredslug]

My DH is an early morning person so we will off our boat quickly on Sunday (Christmas Markets on the Rhine). A brief time in Amsterdam and on the train to Utrecht or Brugge (spelling?) Any recommendations for places to stay? Seems like some things are closed on Monday in Belgium?

 

Thanks all

 

My German friends insist I use the German pronunciation and spelling, Brugge. We rented apartments in both cities so that won't be helpful but we highly recommend the convenient Sheraton Brussels--excellent Belgian beer in bar.:D

[capriccio]

We were in that area last year and since we had been to Brussels, Brugge, and Amsterdam previously we decided to take a chance on Utrecht, a university town near Amsterdam. Turned out to be an excellent choice. Gorgeous small town with canals similar to Brugge. If given the choice we would actually return to Utrecht over the others.

 

Spending two nights in Utrecht and the final night in the Sheraton Airport Hotel in Brussels would be our itinerary.

 

Another nice town near Amsterdam is Leiden; actually the Netherlands is so small if you have a rental car you can also see Delft and Kinderdijk.

[notamermaid]

Perhaps after a day of doing the museums in Amsterdam, head into Belgium. For medieval feel, Brügge (Bruges) any time of the year! But I did go in December and while I could not sail on the canal it was still great. For a Christmas market, yes, allow some extra time in Brussels. Brussels is famous for Art Nouveau (the continental arts & crafts, if you like) architecture and is the comics / comic books centre of Europe, so they say.

 

For a chilling experience of war in Europe Ypres has been "recommended" to me.

 

Trying Belgian beer and waffles is a must. I also recommend trying the savoury "galettes".

 

notamermaid

[xpcdoojk]

Perhaps after a day of doing the museums in Amsterdam, head into Belgium. For medieval feel, Brügge (Bruges) any time of the year! But I did go in December and while I could not sail on the canal it was still great. For a Christmas market, yes, allow some extra time in Brussels. Brussels is famous for Art Nouveau (the continental arts & crafts, if you like) architecture and is the comics / comic books centre of Europe, so they say.

 

For a chilling experience of war in Europe Ypres has been "recommended" to me.

 

Trying Belgian beer and waffles is a must. I also recommend trying the savoury "galettes".

 

notamermaid

 

Ypres is indeed a solemn experience. (pronounced Wipers)

 

jc

[Hoyaheel]

Ypres is indeed a solemn experience. (pronounced Wipers)

Not to those who speak French;) (also, as I studied at UCL-LLN, I spell it "Bruges")

 

As someone who prefers savory to sweet, I'll always pick moules frites over gaufres :-)

Edited September 29, 2015 by Hoyaheel

[xpcdoojk]

Not to those who speak French;) (also, as I studied at UCL-LLN, I spell it "Bruges")

 

As someone who prefers savory to sweet, I'll always pick moules frites over gaufres :-)

 

I just know what the English soldiers who died there called it. Really horrifying battles there in WW1. They do a memorial each evening called the "Last Post" at 8PM at the Menin Gate. I think they have been doing it since the late 1920s. Very moving.

 

jc

[Hydrokitty]

Not to those who speak French;) (also, as I studied at UCL-LLN, I spell it "Bruges")

 

As someone who prefers savory to sweet, I'll always pick moules frites over gaufres :-)

 

I purchased a magnet in Brugge and that's how they spelled it, so I'm going with that. :D

 

Your right about Ypres...apparently I've only heard the French pronunciation...I must confess, never heard "wipers"....only epray....probably depends on where you're from.

 

But any way you pronounce them...all 3 cities are wonderful and there would be no bad choice.

[capriccio]

Ypres is indeed a solemn experience. (pronounced Wipers)

 

jc

 

I just know what the English soldiers who died there called it. Really horrifying battles there in WW1. They do a memorial each evening called the "Last Post" at 8PM at the Menin Gate. I think they have been doing it since the late 1920s. Very moving.

 

jc

 

Our son was in 5th grade in Waterloo, Belgium in 1997. His 3 day class field trip was to Flanders and Bruges. At the Menin Gate one of the 5th grade teachers (the 'old' one :D) read the famous poem "In Flanders Fields" and then told the students that her father had survived WWI having spent most of his time in the British Army in Flanders. Driving around the area you frequently come upon small but well tended graveyards. In addition to the museum in Ypres, there are a number of small museums where you can see WWI trenches - it really is sobering how little progress was made despite years of fighting.

[Hydrokitty]

Our son was in 5th grade in Waterloo, Belgium in 1997. His 3 day class field trip was to Flanders and Bruges. At the Menin Gate one of the 5th grade teachers (the 'old' one :D) read the famous poem "In Flanders Fields" and then told the students that her father had survived WWI having spent most of his time in the British Army in Flanders. Driving around the area you frequently come upon small but well tended graveyards. In addition to the museum in Ypres, there are a number of small museums where you can see WWI trenches - it really is sobering how little progress was made despite years of fighting.

 

I've been to Normandy, Luxembourg, Pearl Harbor and of course, Washington DC. Perhaps if every world leader contemplating going to war were to spend a full day at any of these places contemplating the rows of white crosses they might reconsider and try a little harder to come to an agreement everyone can live with.

[capriccio]

I've been to Normandy, Luxembourg, Pearl Harbor and of course, Washington DC. Perhaps if every world leader contemplating going to war were to spend a full day at any of these places contemplating the rows of white crosses they might reconsider and try a little harder to come to an agreement everyone can live with.

 

Amen!

[xpcdoojk]

The world is controlled by the excessive use of force. In a rational world these things make sense. In the real world, there are people/groups that do not use rationality. Anger, religion, nationality take over, and it isi kill or be killed. In MHO, we are entereing one of those super dangerous times.

 

jc

[Hydrokitty]

The world is controlled by the excessive use of force. In a rational world these things make sense. In the real world, there are people/groups that do not use rationality. Anger, religion, nationality take over, and it isi kill or be killed. In MHO, we are entereing one of those super dangerous times.

 

jc

 

Absolutely jc....and it's really frightening.