Southern Tulip Tour

When you arrive on board the ship between 12 pm and 1 pm, you can put your luggage away in your cabin and then enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while becoming acquainted with our guide, crew, and, of course, your fellow passengers. At 2.15 p.m. we’ll leave Amsterdam, cruising on the river Amstel to Ouderkerk a/d Amstel. At dinnertime, the program for the next day and the routine for the rest of the week will be explained. After dinner we’ll cycle our first kilometers.

From Oude Wetering we’ll continue our tour over country roads, banks and channels through the Green Heart and polders to the city known for its cheese: Gouda. Today we stop in Gouda. Anyone who’s been to Gouda not only thinks immediately of cheese, pipes, treacle waffles, and earthenware, but also of stained glass windows, a picturesque town hall, and romantic canals. Gouda is a real old-Dutch town with a virtually intact town center. As on most days, after dinner we’ll take a walk through the city.

From Gouda we’ll cycle past scenic polders via Kinderdijk to Rotterdam. Kinderdijk has the largest group of windmills (19) in the Netherlands. The windmills were still actively used until 1950. These days, a large pumping station is responsible for controlling the water level in the polder. Here you can visit a windmill. In Rotterdam we’ll embark and from there the ship will take us to Delft, the town famous for its “Delft Blue” pottery. Also worth a visit is the Prinsenhof Museum, housed in the former St. Agatha’s monastery. In 1572 William of Orange chose the convent as one of his residences. It was from here that he led the revolt against the Spanish tyranny of Holland. Balthazar Gerards, a Spanish sympathizer, murdered Orange on the steps of the Prinsenhof on July 10, 1584. Two bullet holes in the wall of the stairs bear witness to this event.

From Delft we’ll cycle in the direction of the Hague, through the Haagse Bosch, a large park, and past the Royal Huis ten Bosch Palace. A tranquil cycle path through the dunes leads you to Wassenaarse Slag. Here some remains of the Atlantikwall can still be seen. Five bunkers are connected by tunnels nearly 3,000 feet long. Now the underground network serves as a bat reserve. Continuing through the dunes, we’ll come to the old fishing village of Katwijk aan Zee. The old inhabitants of Katwijk still speak their own dialect, “Kattuks.” Following the course of the Oude Rijn (Old Rhine) river we’ll cycle to Leiden. Leiden boasts 14 museums, including an archeological museum connected with Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. Our ship is moored near the Zijlpoort, a gate that once formed the city walls.

Today we’ll visit the Keukenhof gardens, the most beautiful spring park in the world and the place where spring breaks in Holland. In the Keukenhof, various gardens and styles can be found: the English Landscape Garden, the Historical Garden, the Natural Garden, the Japanese Natural Garden, the Formal Garden, and three special color gardens. Spread throughout the entire park there are approximately eighty sculptures from well-known Dutch artists. There are also several other art objects, including the collection “Surprising Tulips.”

From Leiden we’ll cycle through wonderful flower beds in the direction of Haarlem. From March to May the bulb fields are blooming, starting with daffodils and followed by hyacinths, tulips, and lilies. Once in Haarlem we’ll make a short tour through the city to see some typical “hofjes” (almshouses), old houses around a central courtyard that used to house elderly people. These hofjes are definitely worth a visit. Haarlem, which gave its name to Harlem, New York, is a lively city with good shopping possibilities. Our ship will be berthed in the city centre, with a view of St Bavo’s Church and easy access to the Grote Markt with its many outdoor cafes.

From Haarlem we’ll sail to Spaarndam, a picturesque village on the edge of Haarlem, in the direction of Amsterdam. Spaarndam’s name comes from the dam built in the Spaarne River to limit the danger of flooding from the sea. A statue of Hansje Brinker can be found on the IJdijk. Hansje is a fictional character from a 19th century American novel who saved the Netherlands from flooding by putting his finger in the dike. The Buitenhuizen ferry will take us across the North Sea Canal, and from there we’ll cycle to the Zaanse Schans. The Zaanse Schans, with its traditional weatherboard houses, warehouses, and windmills, may give you the feeling of stepping back into the 17th or 18th century. This open-air museum is still a lively neighborhood where people live and work. Amongst other things, a cheese farm, a clog maker, and an old bakery can be visited here.

Our tour concludes after breakfast, with departure before 10 a.m.