Tulips, Castles & River Cruising: Part 2 of 4

Amsterdam has the motto "live-and-let-live", if you have not been – you need to visit at least once in your life. On Friday, the group started the morning off to the Keukenhof Gardens to see the tulips – a can not miss, only open for 6 weeks each year.  It is truly a floral rainbow of beauty like none I had ever seen. Once inside the park, it was an explosion with all of the varieties and quantities of tulips and other flowers. We could have spent all day there and not seen it all. Even though the weather was a little brisk with sprinkles, the park was still packed full of people enjoying the beauty.  An interesting fact was the workers cutting back the blooms from what we thought were perfectly good flowers.  We were told that they do this as the season starts to close to help preserve the bulbs.

After a short drive from the Keukenhof, we arrived in the quaint town of Zaanse Schans, a historic windmill village.  We spent time looking around and went inside an active windmill that was making oil from peanuts.  The process was very interesting to watch, no modern technology just good old fashion know-how and common labor making up to 100 quarts of oil a day from nuts and seeds. Two additional mills that were open but not active, a lumber mill that made planks from logs and one that grinds dyes.

After a brief stop for lunch in Edam at the Dam Hotel across from City Hall, the group then enjoyed learning how cheese is made and tasted several types. Of course, cheese has been a very popular dessert option each night as there is nothing better than fabulous cheeses from the Netherlands.

The official welcome dinner at Het Tuynhuys was fantastic. The group enjoyed a three-course meal with wine pairings. Seafood, Lamb, and Duck were the best of what we tried that evening.

Saturday started with a three and half hour walking tour of Amsterdam. Our guide, Antoinette, showed the group many interesting, historical sites along our walk. She explained the many different aspects of the way homes were built, the important meaning of the door width for tax purposes, and the architecture that makes them each very distinct from each other like the six different types of gables – point, bell, step, spout, neck and cornice.  We visited two homes – Museum Van Loon and Geelvinck House that are now museums showcasing the look and feel of how people lived in the 17^th and 18^th centuries as well as their amazing courtyard gardens. One of the interesting things about Amsterdam is when you walk down the street you might think that there is very little vegetation or gardens.  In fact, almost every house has a lovely garden on the backyard many could be on the cover of a magazine.

With the afternoon free for the group, a few of us enjoyed lunch at a quaint little place called Seasons with Dutch type of food but there was something for everyone. One of the owners, Peter, served us with assistance of his adorable black spaniel, Roxy. Dinner was on your own but several of us went to d’Vigff Vlieghen (The Five Flies) located in five 17^th century buildings. If you are seeking excellent service you will not be disappointed here as the staff ensures you like what you order. They offered a 3, 4, 5, and 6 course option with wine pairings but we all choose the ala carte menu and ordered single type of wine.  Each course was more unique and delicious than the next.

Sunday, we started with the best of intentions to see Muiderslot and drive along the river Vecht but two things prevented this plan: Muiderslot did not open until noon which was unexpected and the Giro d’Italia’s path blocked many areas of our scheduled drive. Improvising we visited Vollendam that has an incredible view of the sea and then on the way to the ship we stopped at Gassan Diamond – because who does not need to learn more about diamonds?!  The tour is fun and informative but the best part was where they show you individual stones and box upon box of jewelry.

In the afternoon, we checked into our cabins on board the Viking Sun.  Key things to know about Viking is:

• there is no room service – some people were not aware of this fact
• many people on board are first timers – so don’t be bashful mix and mingle
• the cabin has a closet that is 30” wide with 2 shelves on top and shelf on bottom, 3 standard clothes drawers and 2 sets of shelves with doors
• the cabin also has 4 plugs – one on either side of the bed and 2 by the dressing area and desk.  There is one plug in the bathroom for razors
• cabins on deck A & B have french doors that open and let in lots of light but when docking can let in fumes if not closed
• the bath room is not huge but has ample cabinet space, although if you are taller than 6'3" you will need to walk with bent legs in said bathroom area
• the luggage is stored under your bed which is raised in such a way that you will fit 4 standard pieces of luggage with ease
• the safe is slightly larger than many hotels safes fitting my laptop, two cameras, assorted bags of stuff with space to spare
• if you like to drink soda or alcohol then consider the beverage package – they have very happy bartenders and well stocked bar
• if you are prone to seasickness this is a good cruise option with the movement being very negligible

We cruised through the night to arrive on Monday in Dordrecht, where the group visited the UNESCO site of Kinderdijk after breakfast. This site has 19 working windmills that people still live in today. The Netherlands had at one point over 9000 active windmills, now they only have 1000 remaining.

On Tuesday, we arrive in Cologne early and set off on our walking tour of the old city in small groups with a local guide. He explained the people in Cologne are very familiar with each other – keeping that small town feel.  This is not something you will find in other German cities. The cathedral  – a must visit in Cologne, may not be as wide as the Duomo in Milan but we were told it is taller. It was very impressive that it survived the war when almost 95% of the city was destroyed.

No trip is complete with out a traditional German meal or two, so we stopped for lunch at Peter’s Brauhaus and it was very filling! Potatoe Soup, Schnitzel, Kraut, and of course Kolsch beers. Don’t be fooled by the waiters kidding you if you ask for water or tea – they have a great dry sense of humor and they love to kid locals and tourist equally. Another fun stop many people made was to the chocolate museum where you not only learn about the history of cocoa but taste too! The evening highlight outing was a Brauhaus Tour and tasting at each stop.

Which is your favorite stop Keukenhof Gardens, Zaanse Schans quaint village, Gassan Diamonds, Edam Cheese tasting, Kinderdijk Windmills, or the Cologne Cathedral?