Brussels

The Grand Place, Belgium, is like a fairyland of Gothic buildings. I and about 10 other women spent alot of time and money in the chocolate shop on the square. Soooooo good!
















The Atomium was built for the World's Fair. You can go up into it, going from sphere to sphere via escalators and steps.




While the ship remained docked in Antwerp, my group took a side bus trip to Brussels. When getting off the bus, we immediately smelled and saw wonderful Belgian Waffles. OMG!

More Food

I heard that in Belgium they eat their french fries with mayo based sauces. Hmmmm. So I had to try it. Sort of good.

Chololate

Chololate is everywhere and I love eating it. This is a fun example of many different ways chocolate can be shaped and sold. Ha Ha.

De Kathedraal

A fine, very tall Gothic marvel. The wonderful tower of this 14th-15thC Catholic cathedral, is golden and awe inspiring, as it dominates the skyline of the city.

Steen Castle

Our boat docked at Antwerp, Belgium. Our walking tour brought us to this wonderful castle, the Steen. I just love it.

Grote Market in Nijmegen

I walked around the Grote Market area in this lovely, old, university town. The building on the right is a weigh house from 1612, with imposing gables, and red and black shutters. It was a warm afternoon in April, and the square was filled with people outside at little tables, drinking beer, and laughing.

Nijmegen, the Oldest city

During the night, we sailed east across the top of the Netherlands, then the next afternoon, we swung around to the south near the German border and on into Nijmegen. I spent two whole afternoons there and was there twice of course.

Good Bye to Volendam

Good Bye, Volendam. At 4 PM, we sailed away from the pretty little houses, south accross a large lake and through locks and into rivers. During the night, the ship traveled east, accross the top of the Netherlands toward the German border. In the morning, we awoke in a new city.

Water drained from the Polder

The water is drained aggressively, and a polder or field is created. The fields are best used for cattle, because the newly recovered land is still fairly wet.

Walking in Volendam

We walked through streets, across little bridges, and EVERYWHERE is water being collected and channeled. Water can be so dangerous for these people, but it can also be reflective and beautiful.

Waterfront for Everybody

We took a lovely walking tour of the villages. The homes are adorable, like they are made for a toy village.

Water Control Gate

Gate separates a high water level from a low one. Water is controlled using tides and gravity to coax it back to the North Sea where it belongs.

Bikes on the Dykes

Several of us on the ship decided to bike around Volendam, to see for ourselves that the villages are below the level of the North Sea. The dykes we rode on protect the people from the flooding that drowned 1800 people one January night in 1954

Edam-Volendam

After a few days in Amsterdam, my river ship Amalyra, left the city, and sailed north several hours to the seaside villages of Volendam and a few miles away, Edam.

Good Bye Amsterdam

Time to leave Amsterdam and look and photos of the next city of my tour. Amsterdam is full of history, and the canals, bridges, and buildings are a charming mix.

Narrow little house

I love this narrow canal house located at #7 Singel, the
inner canal of Amsterdam. It is said to be the narrowest
canal house in the city, and is only as wide as the front door.
I would love to see the inside. It looks very squeezed between the two 17th century homes on either side of it. Poor narrow, little house!

Amsterdam: City of the canals

I found Amsterdam to be just lovely to walk around and look at the people, the canals, and the buildings and boats.

The canals in Amsterdam encircle the city rings within rings. Here is part of the famous red light district.

Van Gogh

I had a wonderful afternoon, looking at Van Gogh paintings, and had a nice lunch at the museum.

Amsterdam is home for awhile, ha ha.

Being in Amsterdam an extra number of days, allowed me to feel more comfortable using the city transportation system. Takes longer to figure out, but, hey, I HAD time, right? I spent a few days seeing museums, and walking around photographing Amsterdam, getting a better flavor of this interesting city.