Holland & Belgium in Springtime (2012)

Depart the U.S. today on your flight to Brussels. Please refer to your personal air itinerary for exact departure and arrival times.

Arrive this morning or afternoon in Belgium's capital of Brussels. A Grand Circle representative will meet you at the airport and assist with the transfer to your ship in Antwerp.

After an included light lunch, relax aboard ship or take a stroll around the neighborhood where it's docked. Back on board, gather for a briefing. During your River Cruise, whenever you have leisure time at a port along your journey, you'll receive a briefing about the port area and town prior to arrival so you can make the best use of your free time there.

Join your new travel companions for dinner onboard this evening.

 

After breakfast, you'll participate in a briefing and have the opportunity to learn about optional tours. Then join a guided walking tour of Antwerp.

Located on the banks of the Schelde River, Antwerp is Belgium's major port and has been commercially important in European trade since the eleventh century. Like Amsterdam, it is one of the world centers for diamond trading. In spite of damage suffered during both World Wars, Antwerp remains a city of beautiful historic architecture dating to the 16th century.

You'll explore Antwerp's well-preserved Old Town, built around the Grote Markt (Town Square), and graced by the lovely old Town Hall and beautiful guild houses. Marvel at the elegant spires of the Cathedral of Our Lady, graced with masterpieces by the great painter Peter Paul Rubens who lived in here in the 17th century. Stroll along the Meir (Antwerp's main shopping street), lined with wonderfully elaborate historic buildings.

Return to the ship for lunch, after which you have the afternoon free to rest or explore on your own.

On board this evening, meet the crew over a Welcome Drink and sit down together for a Welcome Dinner. Cruise toward your next port, Terneuzen, this evening.

This morning, visit one of Belgium's oldest cities and its fourth largest, Ghent, the jewel of Flanders. Enjoy an included walking tour here that will immerse you in the city's rich history.

Medieval and Renaissance buildings tell the story of Ghent's past reign as a textile capital from the eleventh century onward, both more populous and wealthier than London for several centuries. When the people of Ghent were under Spanish rule and rose up against Charles V to protest taxes, he punished the city by making its nobles parade before him wearing nooses around their necks. This led to the term stroppendragers—noose wearers—becoming the nickname for Ghent dwellers ever since. We'll enjoy free time in this Flemish treasure before returning to the ship.

This afternoon, make discoveries at your own pace. Or enjoy an informative stroll with your Program Director in Terneuzen, known in folklore as the home of the Flying Dutchman, immortalized in fiction and opera as the sea captain condemned to sail the seas forever after he cursed God.

Later, you'll have the chance to join your Program Director on an optional Cultural Zeeland tour—to discover a beautiful undiscovered area in the Province of Zeeland.

Begin with a scenic motorcoach ride through this peaceful, protected nature area—once the site of a World War II battle. Arrive in the quaint town of Axel, where you'll visit the well-restored 18th-century Grain Mill and, weather permitting, the miller will demonstrate it in action.

Next, you'll take a short walk to the Axel Museum, where you'll discover how the residents of this isolated Dutch Provence of Zeeland lived for the past century through its unforgettable exhibits, including traditional clothing, tools and furniture. After time on your own to peruse the collection, you'll go on to visit the town's oldest building, site of Axel's first practicing physician in the 1500s—and now a lovely cafe, where you might enjoy a typical Zeeland treat.

This evening, enjoy dinner onboard the ship.

After breakfast on board, disembark in Veere. You’ll get to know this picturesque village in a stroll this morning. Your Program Director will share information about this artist-friendly town of 1,500 and its past as a walled trading city in the Middle Ages.

Enjoy free time here before returning tothe ship for lunch on board.

You may spend the afternoon relaxing aboard the ship or exploring Veere at your own pace.

Or, join us for an optional excursion to the Delta Works, an engineering marvel designed to protect Holland from floods. Terrible floods in 1953 made clear that low-lying Holland, ever at the mercy of flooding, needed a plan to protect itself from future weather events. Over the next forty years, a complex plan led to the damming of four major estuaries, and the coordination of an extensive network of locks, sluices, channels, bridges, and gates. You'll learn about this challenge in a film at the site before enjoying time to explore at your leisure. Then, take in the final step of the Delta Works plan, the Storm Surge Barrier, comprised of two huge doors which can close off the New Waterway in times of extreme weather. Return to the ship late this afternoon.

Cruise toward Rotterdam this evening and enjoy dinner onboard the ship.

Early this morning we arrive in Rotterdam. After breakfast, you may spend the morning at leisure.

Or, join us for an optional tour to historic Delft. Dating to the 13th century, Delft was a long-time home port to the Dutch East India Company.

It is well known for its blue and white pottery called delftware, which was first produced in the 17th-century and styled after imported Chinese porcelain. You'll learn more about the unique pottery during a visit to a local porcelain factory. Then conclude your tour with a tasting of poffertjes, or Dutch pancakes.

Return to Rotterdam and reboard the ship in time for lunch, during which you’ll cruise to Kinderdijk.

 

In Kinderdijk, tour the windmills that have made this city famous, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Kinderdijk takes its name from a 16th-century legend involving a baby (or kinder), a cradle, and a cat that all survived being tossed into raging waters. For centuries, the Dutch were at the mercy of frequent floods. Around 1740, 19 windmills were built in the village of Kinderdijk. These innovative structures drain the excess water from polders—the reclaimed land that is situated below sea level—and pump it into nearby rivers and canals. This helps to evenly distribute water levels and lessen the threat of devastating floods. Nowadays, modern engines do the job of turning the paddle wheels, forcing them to scoop up the water, yet the country still has a unique bond with, and affection for, its many windmills.

The windmills have been well preserved, and the historic structures became protected by UNESCO in 1997. You'll walk to the famed windmills and have time at the site to take some photos of these nostalgic yet pragmatic creations. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure.

Dinner is onboard your ship tonight.

Enjoy breakfast on this ship this morning, and then disembark for an informative stroll of Nijmegen. You'll have time to explore the port on your own before lunch onboard.

Then you'll transfer by motorcoach to Venlo for a visit to Floriade, a World Horticultural Exposition staged once every ten years in the Netherlands. Here you'll discover some of the world's finest flowers, plants, and trees, as well as live entertainment of music, dance, and theater. Dozens of Dutch and international exhibitors showcase their lovely horticultural displays, some of which they nurture for years in preparation for Floriade, and your Program Director will help you find some of Floriade's most interesting exhibits so you can make the most of your afternoon. Enjoy this rare opportunity to immerse yourself in both nature and culture at one enriching event. Please note: Floriade visit is not available on March 21st and 23rd departures.

This evening, you'll transfer back to the ship for dinner and to set sail for Amsterdam.

 

Early this morning, immerse yourself in the spectacle of the Aalsmeer Flower Auction (the world's largest). Holland produces more than nine billion flower bulbs annually, and throughout the country more than 23,000 acres of land are dedicated to greenhouse production.

In Aalsmeer, the auction house itself comprises about 160 acres. Stationed at the visitors' gallery, you'll witness buyers from all over the world making deals at a lightning pace. Each day more than 19 million fresh flowers are sold during a computerized auction. As the clock for a group of flowers to be auctioned ticks down, the price lowers with it. Bidders bid by pressing a button (which is linked to the main computer) when the price of the flowers reaches what they are willing to pay—if someone hasn't already pressed his button first. So there is only one bid: the highest. Once purchased here, they are loaded onto airplanes and transported to florist shops across Europe and the U.S., usually to be sold the same day. Please note: The Aalsmeer Flower Auction is only open on weekdays, so the day of your visit may vary.

You then return to Amsterdam for the morning canal tour.

Begin your explorations of this city with a boat tour of its canals. View Amsterdam's landmarks, such as the 17th-century Royal Palace and the Mint Tower, which has retained its name even though gold and silver coins were minted here for only a couple of years. You'll also see the wooden double drawbridge, known as the "Skinny Bridge," that may remind you of Van Gogh's paintings.

You return to the ship and have lunch on board. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure.

Or, you may choose to join an optional tour of The Hague.

Just a 90-minute drive from Amsterdam, The Hague enchants with an 18th-century elegance befitting its role as a center of diplomacy and the site of the International Court of Justice. This morning, discover its highlights on an included tour that includes the imposing Peace Palace, built a century ago and furnished with objects donated by nations around the globe, as well as the red-brick Parliament building and the historic Old Town, which still bears evidence of the architectural blossoming of the Renaissance.

Enjoy ample time to explore on your own this afternoon. You won't want to miss the fine art to be found in The Hague, including works of the Dutch Golden Age master Vermeer.

Return to the ship in Amsterdam in the late afternoon.

After time at leisure in Amsterdam this morning, set off on a true "Holland in Springtime" experience. Board your motorcoach and ride to the Keukenhof Flower Park in the heart of western Netherlands' tulip-growing region.

You have the opportunity to stroll through the park—70 acres of lovely, tree-shaded grounds with ponds, winding paths, streams, and fountains. Once the kitchen garden of a medieval castle, today it is known as the "greatest flower show on earth," featuring more than seven million tulips and a variety of other flowers.

You have the balance of the afternoon to walk through the park, admiring its indoor and outdoor exhibits and soaking up the artistry of Dutch gardening. Please note: Weather conditions and seasonal fluctuations may affect flower-blooming season. The lush blooming of the park peaks from mid-April to early May. Not all blooms will be visible in March.

Return to the ship for dinner this evening.

After breakfast, disembark for a walking tour of Hoorn. Enjoy some time at leisure here, the main market town for the West-Friesland region. The town, once one of Holland's richest port cities, was a headquarters of the Dutch East India Company and dates back to 1357.

 

This afternoon, join an included Unique Holland tour, which will introduce you to a fascinating area in the province of North Holland. After a scenic motorcoach ride to the town Broek op Langedijk, you'll visit the Broeker Veiling Museum. Built over the water, this national monument features impressive mooring halls and 1,900 wooden posts that support the imposing wooden structure. Following a museum tour, you'll enjoy a boat trip to the fascinating Realm of the Thousand Islands.

Then get an intimate lesson on Dutch trading in a Historic Auction room from 1912. Experience the excitement of a traditional auction and help your group bid on fresh vegetables that you can enjoy later onboard the ship.

Return to the ship for dinner and a lively performance by your ship's crew.

This morning, enjoy a Discovery Series discussion about Modern Holland after breakfast and before you disembark for a walking tour of Enkhuizen (pronounced "enk-HOW-zen")—a striking, magnificently preserved town established between 1000 and 1200.

 

Enkhuizen became a city in 1355, prospering due to its herring fishing industry and trade from the Dutch East India Company. Enkhuizen reached its peak in the 17th century when it boasted the largest herring fleet in Holland. The tour concludes at St. Pancras Church, where you’ll enjoy a discussion on the famous murals as well as a brief organ concert.

The thriving port sat on the edge of the Zuider Zee, an inlet of the North Sea until it was enclosed in 1932. Now, Enkhuizen sits on the Ijsselmeer, the large inland lake created by the damming of the sea outlet. With a population of about 16,000, this historic city retains its old charms, and its harbors attract thousands of pleasure boats. You'll also see the Drommedaris, an old defense tower at the entrance to the harbor, and the many warehouses originally used by both the East and West India Company.

You then have some free time before returning to the ship for lunch.

This afternoon, enjoy a visit with a local family who'll be your hosts for coffee, cake, and conversation. Along with a friendly intercultural exchange, you might enjoy tasting a stroopwafel—a thin, waffle-like cookie sandwich with a sweet, chewy center.

Return to your ship for a Farewell Dinner with your fellow travelers.

After breakfast, your Program Director will assist you in transferring to the airport for your flight home.