Holland & Belgium river cruise
April 1, 2008

This was our first river cruise and our first time in Europe. The experience was truly wonderful. It was an eye opener to how the other world lives.

We loved the ship, crew, food and all the beautiful landscapes as the Amadagio sailed the rivers in Holland and Belgium.

First, some information about the Amadagio: Registry: Switzerland, Home port Basel. It was built in 2006. Length is 360 feet long, 38 feet wide. There are 71 staterooms (170 sq ft), suites 4 (255 sq ft). It contains 4 decks, one lounge, one dining room, an exercise room, smaller aft lounge, crew quarters, galley, bridge, sun deck, hot tub, library, game room and bicycles. There are 41 crew members.

The ship is small in comparison to ocean cruise lines, but was large enough to keep all 150 passangers happy for 9 days. The Amadagio is one of the most luxurious ships on the European waterways. The decor is modern, with high ceilings and modern paintings. The cabins are comfy, equipped with plasma tv, plenty of storage, a shower that has all the bells and whistles. I never did push all the buttons on the console. Also, hair dryer, personal care products ie: lotions, shampoo, etc. The electric current is 220 , so take along a converter.

Upon arrival the first day, we settled in our nice comfy cabin located on the violin deck, star board side. There was a large French balcony with a view of Amsterdam. The only negative; another ship was tied up next to ours, and from our balcony we could only see the windows of the neighbor ship. This was something I was not expecting.

The cruise director, Paul Van Pee, welcomed us and introduced the crew. Captain Viktor Semenov from Russia was a real jokester. He told us there would be no fire or safety boat drill. Because he said, in his dry wit, the ship is not going to sink. If it did sink, everyone will go to the sun deck where our feet will be dry. The river is only 16 feet deep. The passengers were advised of the emergency signal which sounded like the alarm used on the tv show Star Trek.

Food and Dining
A buffet of treats, coffee, tea, juices awaited us in the lounge before the captains welcome aboard cocktail. Also, afternoon teas were a big hit during the week. Dinner was open seating. Everyone got a chance to meet others from around the world and USA.

Every night was a different theme of food, German, Dutch, Belgium, Spanish. All prepared with gastronomic flare. The breads and pastries were especially delicious. Deserts were a fine example of the European style of baking. YUMM! Mostly the food was excellent, some dishes were a bit strange.( I ate it all.) Also, red and white wines were served during the evening meals. A variety of cheese and fruit was available all day.

The cocktail lounge kept busy into the late night; singing, shows,etc. More on this later. If you wanted some privacy and a drink, you could order it in the aft lounge, where you have to call someoneto fix it. There was no room service available.

Ports of Call
Amsterdam, Ijsselmeer, Edam, Volendam.

Our trip started off with a scenic canal cruise of Amsterdam. Know as the Venice of the North, the canals encircle the city like a spider web. Many of the names are to difficult too spell or even pronounce. So, I won't go into details. The IJ River, as it is known by, has several locks to help control the famed Zuiderzee from flooding the land. On to Edam, the famous cheese town. It was so beautiful, local shops, tasting of the good dishes. We purchased several varities of Edam, Goulda, and unusual flavored cheese to bring home.

Volendam is a fishing village. The main street is situated atop the dyke. Very quaint and charming area.

Now over night, we sail the Rhine Canal for 50 miles to reach Arnhem. Arnhem is the capital in the province of Gelderland. The town is most remembered for the Battle of Arnhem and Operation Market Garden in 1944. This battle inspired the movie "A Bridge Too Far" in 1977. We visited the Airborn Museum in Oosterbeek. We like history so this excursion was a real treat.

Antwertp, Ghent, Brussels, Brugge Belgium: Peter Rubens lived and worked in Antwerp, His sculpture of Madonna and child is on display in the Church Of Our Lady.

Antwertp is famous for diamonds, chocolate, beer, brussel sprouts, mussels, waffles, tapestries, lace. Just what I needed to max out the old credit card. Ghent more shopping. Castles, catheardrals, the town has very old building dating from the 14th century. The bus that took us there could not got through the steets, so lots of walking. Bruugge, Belgium; A very charming, magical, medievel city. The seat of the government of Flanders.

Willemstad, Kinderdijk, Dordrecht, Netherlands: The city of Willemstad is completely surrounded by a wall in the shape of a seven pointed star. Very picturesque every where you looked. So many flowers, windmills, wooden shoes, tiny shops, and more shopping. We were treated to a private organ recital just for this tour. The last number played was from Phantom of the Opera... it gave me chills. Kinderdijk, is famous for their windmills. Since the 13th century there have been the greatest concentration of windmills in the country. We tourded one that was open to the public. Yes, they actually live in them. Watch out for the swinging blades! The delta region has the ever present threat of floods so water has been pumping this area a long time. Today the modern 3 blade windmill is used for electric power as well as flood control. (side note: the city of New Orleans is in contact with agencys in Holland to build and better flood system)

Utrecht, Keukenhof -- We departed the tour here and took a train back to Amsterdam. The cruise continued on to the tulip capital in Keukenhof Gardens.

Entertainment
Cruise director, Paul, planned out nice local entertainment each night. One night were Dutch dancers and singers doing their native act. Another time was a very nice trio playing classical music. Also, there was crew night. with skits and cute acts, which kept eveyone laughing.

The library had many travel books, as well as card games. Word games, charades, & piano sing along. It was a nice time. We were so very tired from all the walking, we crashed early.

I hope you liked this review. We had a wonderful time. I would like to go to Europe again, but not during the winter. The weather was terrible, rain, wind, snow, cold. BRRRR!! However we made the most of it, and still enjoyed everything.