Borgetta's Polyvore

Back to where we started: Amsterdam. We spent the morning at Keukenhof Gardens, the world's largest floral park, located south of the city. Jaw-dropping displays of tulips, daffodils, and other spring flowers across 32 acres with water features everywhere. Weather was pleasant, so we took a boat ride along the small river that meanders through the park. An amazing outing!

Thanks to a bad late afternoon storm, it was dark when we arrived in Rotterdam. Our boat looked very small in the second largest port in the world. There is some stunning contemporary architecture around the port, because it had to be rebuilt after WWII. Rotterdam is not a beautiful city but the centre is small and easy to navigate, and the bars and clubs we saw tonight are funky and unusual -- including the aptly named Hotel Bazar, where we had dinner. Just fantastic!

Heatwave over. Back to normal with foggy, drizzly cold day. Some time during the night (sleep so soundly on this boat!) we docked in Middelburg -- so we're back in the Netherlands. Toured the Delta Works (dams and dykes) and experienced a hurricane in a wind tunnel. Super cool! Also great: sunny crocuses planted in every stretch of grass here. Off to Rotterdam after lunch.

After lunch in Bruges, we drove back to Ghent, the extraordinarily charming, canal-filled capital of East Flanders. I made a quick visit to the boat to change into the sundress I bought yesterday in Antwerp. What a great place to spend the afternoon during a surprise heatwave, surrounded by water everywhere we wandered. Sailing away down the river at twilight was magical, with Ghent glowing and sparkling in the blue dusk of a beautiful spring day.

We got an early start, travelling to Bruges, a perfectly conserved medieval city. It was the perfect place to explore on such a beautiful day. Canals, cafes, courtyards, cobblestones, and chocolatiers... so European. And tulips everywhere!

Six hours left, spent every minute shopping. Barely outdoors except for end-of-day mad dash to the cruise boat. Bought all the great Belgian designers: Deumelmeester, Vandervorst, Van Noten, Martin Marrgiela. And found a great new one, Christian Wijnant, who, unlike his compatriots, designs in color. Prices are so great, also bought a couple of dresses by other Europeans. Shoppers' heaven!

Docked in Antwerp overnight, and we have an entire day here in the city that rivals Milan as a fashion capital. Summer-like weather has taken us all by surprise. Not a cloud in the sky and recod-breaking high ttemps. So wore just a tank and skirt for our morning walking tour. May have to buy a couple of summer dresses this afternoon. That wouldn't be so bad, would it?

We set sail for Belgium while having lunch onboard the Viking Sky. Arrived in Antwerp just as the sun set, which gave us the whole evening to explore the city's cobblestone streets. We stopped in at a number of pubs and clubs, all of which were very busy, it being a Saturday night in a cool locale. Found out "grote' is the Flemish word for "great". Which is just great!

Spent a very rural morning touring Kinderdijk -- a UNESCO World Heritage site, where19 windmills built 250+ years ago mills are still maintained in operating condition. The other striking feature is the evidence that still survives of the medieval land-tenure system, based on long thin strip fields. This is a landscape that has not changed significantly for centuries. Mom and I really enjoyed our time out in the warm sun, walking along ancient fields and marshes.

Late afternoon, we sailed downriver to Nijmegen, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, where we had a free evening ashore. So glad we declined the onboard dinner in favour of the quaint restaurant in the old city centrum. Great meal comprising local dishes, lots of cheese (no surprise there). Had a nice walk under the stars after dinner; tulips everywhere! Lots of exploring today, will sleep like a baby tonight.