Blogs from North Holland, Netherlands, Europe - page 3

Everyone seems to love Amsterdam. Count us in that group (if we can succeed in avoiding being run over by a bicycle). The architecture is quaint and colorful. The canals create a sense of openness missing in the winding streets of Brussels. The Dutch are friendly and pretty much all speak English. Although the map looks large and intimidating, like Rome, the actual city center is very walkable. Great food, great vibe. This place is going on my list for further exploration some day. Our task in the morning was to figure out how the trams (street cars/light rail) worked. There is a stunning lack of information on this but with more fumbling (our favorite pastime) we mostly figured it out. We need this information to get to the Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum Sunday as ... read more

FRI, 02 SEP 2022 – Day 21: Amsterdam: Optional Free Day - You have a full free day to experience the delights of Amsterdam! There are numerous museums and art galleries to choose from - why not visit Anne Frank’s house, the Van Gogh museum, take a bicycle tour or simply wander the streets and canals? Alternatively, you can join your Expat Explore tour leader on a Dutch countryside tour optional excursion, or indulge in modern and contemporary art at the MOCO Museum followed by a history lesson on Dutch Gin with a rewarding cocktail at the end! Overnight – Hotel Holiday Inn Express Amsterdam - Schiphol... read more

This is our first river cruise – my mom was always a big fan – and we thought we would give this travel mode a chance. We’ve been on lots of cruises, mostly in the Caribbean, and a couple of bus tours of Spain, Portugal, and Italy, so this time we thought we would try to see how the river cruise compares. We looked around for cruise companies and decided Viking is probably the best, and a 15 day tour from Amsterdam to Budapest is probably a good representation. Viking is more “all-inclusive” than typical cruises, as it includes shipboard wi-fi, beer, wine, and soft drinks (but they’re only free with meals, if you want a drink in the lounge, there is a charge). The ships are small, with 95 staterooms and about 190 maximum guests. ... read more

Wow, writing a blog post for the first time in almost three years, feels a bit weird I must say...those African adventures of our last excursion seem a lifetime away, and the ability/means to freely wander this planet having been paused for this long has been an eye-opener for me, having taken for granted the ability to go anywhere I wanted whenever I pleased...the pause has given me the opportunity to reflect on previous travels in a different light, and to realize how fortunate it is to be able to resume travelling again going forward, whatever that will mean in the near future...it does however feel great to be thinking/planning again! This getaway started as all good adventures do: with wine and vinyl on a Friday evening! We are always keeping an eye on where our ... read more

What a fabulous start to Mark’s A-Z of Amsterdam tours - ‘ART & ARCHITECTURE’ Located between two gentle canals in the heart of the city, The Grand hotel boasts a rich history; from a 15th-century convent to royal lodgings, to the headquarters of the Admiralty to the City Hall of Amsterdam. Mark had received special permission to visit the beautiful Marriage Room, designed by artist Chris LeBeau, who completed the room in 1926. The Marriage Room was used, amongst others, to celebrate royal weddings. The wall paintings, with unique colour combinations symbolize the story of love. There was so much detail to absorb which was well explained by Mark. We also went into the Council Chamber with its wooden panels and wall paintings. H.R.H. Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands got married here in 1966, being a ... read more