Benelux



5-9 April, 2012

Chris and I decided to road trip it over Easter again this year.  We headed a little farther north this time.  Thursday afternoon we packed the car and drove to Luxembourg to spend the night.  Since it took several hours longer than expected due construction and holiday traffic we weren't able to see much of the city. 

The next morning we made a quick stop at the Waterloo battle grounds before heading on to Brugge, Belgium.

As Abba would say, "My my! At Waterloo Napoleon did surrender."  He was beaten by the English General Wellington.  The lion monument and hill overlook the main battlefields where Napoleon's forces were defeated. 


We finished out the day with a stop in Brugge/Bruges.  It was so cold, but we had mostly clear skies. 

The Belfry on the Markt

View of the Market Square (Markt).  We had a great walk around the city and found a couple of good boutiques for Belgian chocolate.   We thought that The Chocolate Line and Neuhaus were the best.  I think Belgium gives Switzerland a run for their money in terms of having spectacular chocolate. 

City Hall

Cute canal and houses on our morning walk.  All the people are looking at the dogs in the window who bark at people passing by. 

We had to stop by the Friet Museum.  When in Rome, right?  We had also heard that the museum also had the best fries in town.  I was not disappointed. 
That night we had a great dinner of mussels and more fries. 

We finished off the night with hot chocolate.  And....

A Belgian Waffle!  Oh so tasty.



We got up early again (I thought this was a vacation) and drove to the Keukenhof which is right outside of Amsterdam, Netherlands. 

The Keukenhof is a park open only in the spring to show off the beautiful flowers namely tulips. 
It was a little early for tulips in the fields surrounding the park and the park itself, but the daffodils and the amaryllis were in full bloom. 

They have to have every single type of tulip planted in a huge pavilion. 

It just goes on forever! 

The flowers were just starting to bloom

You can't tell but the windmill was spinning super fast.  It was so windy!

We were both getting pretty cold so we set off to Amsterdam

I was a little nervous when we checked into our hotel and there were two sets of ear plugs on the night stand with a note that said, "For our guests who are sensitive to noise." What?  So I chose a hotel with a great location that was close to everything that we'd want to see and do, but also one that was in Rembrandt Square (Rembrandtplein) which has a reputation for some late night parties and clubbing.  And yes, I must be getting old because I had to use them!

After getting settled we walked to the flower market along the canal and then continued our walk around the city. 

Amsterdam has to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.  Even in the bitter cold and drizzle it is hard not to be amazed at the interesting architecture, beautiful canals, intriguing history and the friendly people. 

In "Die Kaaskelder" or cheese cellar. 

We would have loved to have rented bikes, but because of the weather (wet and cold) we decided against it.  We just enjoyed walking around and exploring the city.  Later that night we toured the Anne Frank House. 


 We continued our walk around town and ended up in the red-light district. 

There were loads of tourists having a good time. 

The cannabis coffee shop and night club next to our hotel.  You could smell Amsterdam's finest every time you walked out the door!

The next morning we took a boat ride on the Grachtengordel (canals) and got to see the city from a different perspective. There were lots of pretty house boats. 

 Afterwards we took a tram to the Van Gogh Museum and learned about his life, style of painting, and the techniques they use to restore the art work. 

I thought the wooden shoes were just a big tourist souvenir, but then I noticed a couple of locals wearing (not the painted, colorful junk) real wooden clogs! 

We also visited the Rembrandt House and ate traditional Dutch pea soup and Poffertjes (Dutch pancakes). 
Monday we woke up early and headed back to the flower market to buy some beautiful tulips.  I think I bought around 120!  I don't know if I'm just getting sentimental because our European experience is coming to an end, but this was one of my favorite trips so far.  The cities were beautiful, the people were great and the food was fantastic.