Most of our international trips have been to visit home and family in the Philippines and Asia, but we’ve also had a chance to travel to Europe just before the pandemic. We joined a group tour that took us to several European cities starting at Amsterdam in the Netherlands (aka Holland). It was a sightseeing tour on coach with hours of walking in between, which was both exciting and tiring. It was an experience of a lifetime, which we would love to do again, perhaps in some distant future, when the dust has settled in Eastern Europe. For now, let me tell you the highlights of that trip.
Amsterdam
We took a flight to Amsterdam two days in advance of the tour since we planned to visit places not included in the tour itinerary. We arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport in the morning, and after dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we borrowed a concierge map and wandered off to get to know this beautiful city of canals, museums, and beautiful historic homes. So what did we do?
We Lined up in The Museums
We boarded the train going to Museum Square, which houses the two famous museums Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum. There were looong queues in both.
After navigating the crowd and the long lines, we finally gave in to pangs of hunger and went on to grab our first meal of the day. We were starving!
After brunch, we walked towards the Anne Frank Huis (House) museum, about 15 minutes from Museum Square, the house where the family of Anne (she wrote the ‘Diary of Anne Frank’) lived in hiding during World War II. After two years in this house, the family got discovered and were sent to concentration camps.
In the city center, we passed by the Madame Tussaud Museum, which contains wax figures of royals and A-list stars in film and music. Here’s a picture of it from the outside.
We Saw Bicycles Everywhere
Walking along the streets of Amsterdam, we noticed a lot of bicycles and a lot of parking spaces reserved for them - in front of the museums and even near the canals. This city is very bike-friendly. They call Amsterdam the bicycle capital of the world. We did not know that before coming to Amsterdam. It’s the narrow streets, a want for a healthy lifestyle, and a healthier environment that motivates residents and visitors to hop on the bikes.
We Visited the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens
On day 2 of our stay in Amsterdam, we visited the world-famous tulip gardens called the Keukenhof Gardens. We spent half a day around tulips in full bloom, 800 varieties in all. We have previously posted a blog about this garden; if you want to read it, here
We Cruised along the Amsterdam Canals
On day 3, we met our tour director and fellow travelers in an afternoon mixer. First on our itinerary - is a one-hour boat cruise around Amsterdam’s canals to watch the city sights, while listening to the history of the city as narrated on tape. We cruised past historic mansions, charming canal houses and even floating homes called houseboats.
After the group cruise, we had free time on our hands so we ventured on our own again, walked along the canal, took pictures of visitors like us, and just hung out.
Volendam and the Countryside
We left Amsterdam the next day, and our bus proceeded to the countryside, passing by pastures and then stopping at a fishing village in the northeast in Volendam. Here, we visited a cheese factory and then a wooden shoe factory where we watched and listened to the making of wooden shoes aka clogs. We then visited the store where clogs of all sizes and colors were on display and available for sale.
Back on the road, we passed by a farm with a working windmill and we asked the tour director if we could stop and take a snapshot. And so did, but it was too windy so no one else wanted to leave the comfort of the bus. Ha. ha. Cowards! Not us. Hubby and I went down, braved the wind, and took the shot.
There were more colorful and beautiful windmills on the land mostly intended for visitors. Here’s some:
And so these windmills were the last ones we saw of the Netherlands. From here we crossed into the country of Belgium, to the cities of Bruges and Brussels. That’s a tale for another day.
Thanks for the read, hivers! Till next!
[//]:# (!pinmapple 52.367701 lat 4.905334 long volendam] d3scr)
Hi sisterhood2,
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the place is so breathtaking!
Thank you for your appreciation. It is really an awesome place.
Wow! So, this is Amsterdam, we can really learn from your post. I love the tulip beds, I just saw these in books and magazines lucky you have touched It.
It is through sharing that we get to see other places as if we are physically present there.
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Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #1524.
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