Belgium and Holland
Trip Start
Jun 14, 2008
1
6
12
Trip End
Aug 22, 2008
Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
Monday, July 21, 2008
July 14, 2008
Today we arrived in Antwerp, Belgium. We were able to leave the ship around 10 am. After we left the ship we went with some friends to explore Antwerp. There was much more in Antwerp than we expected. We walked around for half the day before we had to be back to the ship for our tour of Brussels. Brussels was about a 45 minute drive from Antwerp. Brussels is the capital of Belgium and also the capital of the European Union. Our first stop in Brussels was the Atomium. This was an amazing structure built in 1958 for the world fair. The building is a replica of an iron atom, magnified 165 billion times. It includes nine large spheres connected by 20 tubes and stands 102 meters tall. Our next stop in Brussels was the St. Michael's Cathedral. We were not about to go inside, but left from here for a walking tour of the city. We walked for about 20 minutes to reach St
Buildings of Antwerp
. Hubert Arcade and Butchers Street. This open area was covered with restaurants, cafes and shops. It is also home to the famous 'Mannequin Pis' aka the peeing boy. We had learned about this statue on the ship, it was a fountain of a boy peeing. We were surprised to see how small the actual boy was, he was only about two feet tall. He was also dressed up in a musketeer outfit. The peeing boy is significant to Belgians because it lasted though both world wars. After seeing the fountain we had some free time before we had to meet on the bus. We strolled around the main strip doing some souvenir shopping, and eating the famous Belgian waffles and chocolates and fries. After our drive back to the ship in Antwerp, we meet up with some friends to have dinner. We found a café close to the ship and had a great meal. We spent the rest of the night observing the nightlife that Antwerp had to offer. July 15, 2008
Early this morning we left for a trip to Holland. First, we drove an hour and a half to the small town of Delft. On arrival in Delft, we left the bus for a short guided walking tour of the 17th century town. We then continued to a porcelain factory, 'Porceleine Fles'. 'Here we watched the process involved in creating the world famous Delft Porcelain. After the factory tour, we drove to lunch. This was the best meal we have had in a month! The Dutch know how to cook! Next to the restaurant was a small petting zoo
Butcher Street in Brussels
. We were able to see and pet donkeys, peacocks, goats and pigs. After lunch we proceeded to The Hague. The Hague is the political capital of The Netherlands. We got out of the bus for another walking tour. We walked from the Dutch government building to the Peace Palace. In front of the Peace Palace, there was a monument to all of the victims of World War II. We then drove from The Hague to our hotel in Amsterdam. We checked into a very nice hotel and were served dinner in the hotels main restaurant. After dinner we were eager to see the famous Red Light District. With a group of friends we walked about 15 minutes to the Red Light District, where the party had already started. We walked up and down the main canal of the Red Light District before calling it a night. July 16, 2008
We woke up early to catch breakfast before our city orientation tour of Amsterdam. During our drive to the center of the city, we passed the Royal Palace at the Dam Square, the Mint Tower, and the Weeping Tower. Our first stop was the Rijksmuseum. This was a collection of paintings by famous Dutch Masters. It also is home to the famous 'Nightwatch' by Rembrandt. After leaving the museum, we then drove a few minutes to a local restaurant for lunch. We walked from the restaurant to take a boat tour of the Amsterdam Canals. There are more than 60 miles of waterways in Amsterdam. Amsterdam contains more canals and bridges than Venice. After the boat tour, we disembarked close to the flower market, where we had another walking tour down a few of the main strips in Amsterdam. We continued to walk to Ann Frank's house. We took a tour of the house Ann Frank and her family went into hiding during the Nazi occupation of Holland. After Ann Frank's House we were taken back to the hotel for dinner. We went out again to the Red Light District after dinner. Amsterdam really is the party capital of the world
Hand Sculpture in Antwerp
. July 17, 2008
We left Amsterdam early in the morning for a tour of a few small towns outside of Amsterdam. Our first stop was Marken. Marken is an old fishing village that dates back to 13th century. Holland has a pleasant countryside, and scenic view included many old windmills. We were then taken to a cheese factory in Zaandam. Our tour of the cheese factory showed us how cheese is produced. After the tour we were given samples of all of the cheese the factory produces, which were delicious. We then drove to the town of Volendam for lunch. After lunch we had some free time to check out the stores around the restaurant. We had a guided tour inside a windmill. Volendam was replicated to look like the town had been in 1700. After our tour in Volendam, we drove three hours back to the ship in Antwerp, Belgium.
