Category: Belgium

Country

Train to Amsterdam and exploring the countyside

Ange BowmanLeave a comment

Our time had come to an end in London, our check in for train to Amsterdam with a change in Brussels before arriving in Amsterdam around 4 pm.

The Eurostar and Thalys …

Breakfast on board Eurostar
Getting through security took a while with having to pass through British and then French border
control with 100s of other train travellers. It was easy to make our way through just took time which we had plenty of. We boarded our carriage and settled back for the 2 hour ride to Brussels where we changed train with ease and settle back for the next two hours. 
Train travel is the best way to get around over here. I just love it!!!
We arrive at Centrale Amsterdam right on time, it was raining so we decided on a cab for the short distance to our hotel the Ibis Styles hotel. We had a great room on the 3rd floor overlooking the street which was full of activity.
Dinner was the next thing on our minds and given that we’re travelling to South America early next year we decided on Argentine Steak house, and a great choice it was at that.

Amsterdam and surrounds…

Up early the next morning we set off to work out the local buses for a day trip to Edam Volendam and Marken.  
The buses were easy to find on the other side of the central station we purchases a day pass for 10 euros and we jumped aboard the 316 heading to Edam. 
My second visit here and just as pretty and peaceful as the first. After walking around for about an hour we boarded the 316 back to Volendam to wander along the waterfront, cod and chips and two tall cold Heinekens.  
After lunch it was on the ferry to glide across to Marken another picturesque peaceful little village before returning to Amsterdam in time take a walk through the red light district before dinner which turned out to be italian incidentally owned by same guy and right next door to the steak house. 
It was equally as good and we really enjoyed good food, service and beautiful setting.
Day two in Amsterdam we decided to just walk and explore all the
districts we could including the floating flower market and some of the main shopping areas. I think we walked just under 10kms for the day before heading back to change hotels ready for the cruise tomorrow. 
Tomorrow the next phase of our trip begins,,, Avalon Cruises here we come

Day 5 13th April – Antwerp, Palm Sunday Mass and Brussels

Ange BowmanLeave a comment

After another sumptuous leisurely breakfast, at least we are getting the hang of getting to dining room early enough to linger a while over our breakfast before grabbing our headsets and communication sets and boarding bus for short ride into Antwerp. 



Our tour guide walked us around all the sights and after a strolling along the Scheidt taking in the old Steen




Fortress (medieval castle), we walked Antwerp‘s classic shopping boulevard, Meir, with its elegant department stores and trendy boutiques, which then leads into De Keyserlei. A side-street of the latter, Quellinstraat, is also good for fashion, but for jewellery shops, try Pelikaanstraat in the nearby Diamond Quarter. 

Of course being Palm Sunday we choose to attend mass at Cathedral of Our Lady Antwerp’s Cathedral of Our Lady can boast arguably the world’s most exquisite Gothic tower (404 feet high) completed in 1521. 

 

Stripped of its original furnishings, the sober interior contains four magnificent canvases by Rubens. It was a great opportunity to celebrate Mass is such a beautiful old Cathedral, the alter was something to behold.  





After a beautiful lunch of soup and other delicacies we boarded the bus again to head in to Brussels, we were getting weary by this time and I think we slept most of the hour bus ride. 


We visited Grand Place (Grote Markt). which except for its City Hall (with 315-foot-high tower), all of Brussels’ Main Square was destroyed in 1695. Rebuilt within a few years, its ornate guild-houses and Maison du Roi (c. 1870) are best studied from one of the many out­ door cafes. 

 
The little bloke everyone come to see

We had Belgium waffles (as if we needed more food, but when in Belgium!!!) from one of these restaurants  and of course who could come to Brussels with out visiting the ribald figure of Manneken Pis (1609) nearby, in the Rue de l’Etuve . 


He was so much smaller than I expected but well worth a look. I managed to secure an extra carry on bag to ensure we could get all our purchases from the trip home. The bus ride home was quiet to say the least, we were all exhausted and most of us slept for the entire journey.

 

 

After a short rest cabin, we dressed for dinner and were greeted with a five course meal for the captains dinner. 




Included such delicacies as lobster tail and beautifully prepared beef. It was such a memorable meal. 






We ate with a couple from England that were old hands at the travel gig so we were able to swap many travel stories.