This is not a traditional Christmas Markets cruise; rather it is a holiday tour of cities and towns in The Netherlands and Belgium, some of which have markets. Having done the Markets cruises on both the Rhine and the Danube (the latter the week prior to Yuletide), we still thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Some people we spoke with, however, were disappointed … I really can't understand what else they were expecting. It's a wonderful trip.
We began in Amsterdam; there are no Christmas Markets here (or, at least, we were not taken to any). The first full day we traveled outside the city to an historic windmill village in the city of Zaandam in Holland which still operates. The village makes pigment for paint, saws wood for various projects including clogs, and has a Dutch cheese operation, yummy. We then drove thru the lovely countryside outside Amsterdam seeing the canals and beautiful houses. In the afternoon we were treated to a concert by the Alma quartet, part of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, one of the top three orchestras in the world—absolutely fabulous. Then a nighttime tour of the canals with Christmas lighting displays. I must say that the canal trip was a bit disappointing; the narration on board was disrupted by problems with the speaker’s Vox as well as loud talking by those who weren’t interested in listening to the narration. Plenty of wine and drinks were served, the appetizers were mediocre (somehow we ended up on the boat for those with dietary restrictions, perhaps avoid that one) – but the holiday lights were lovely.
Cold and rainy the next morning when we went to Gouda (pronounced “how-da”). We were treated to stroopwaffles at a local bakery, 8th generation family. The stained glass windows in the church were very interesting, one of which was created after The Netherlands was liberated in WWII. After lunch on board, we went to Den Haag (The Hague) for the opening day of their Royal Christmas Fair. Also visited the Mauritshuis museum with exhibits of Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Dyck, etc…fabulous museum. Saw The Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Goldfinch (both the basis for favorite books of mine).
We had a fantastic guide Willem the next day in Rotterdam. No Christmas Markets here. Poffertjes with hot chocolate, then he took us all around the city with stops for food tastings, mostly in the central market hall.
The next day we arrived in Belgium. Fog forced us to dock in Antwerp, which added an hour at each end of the day trip. Very long (8:30 a.m. to after 6 p.m.) but great day today. We logged over 15,000 steps in touring Brugge and Gent (how they are spelled in Belgium). Both cities are lovely, we had walking tours of the historical sites. Christmas Markets in both cities. What we discovered in Belgium was that the majority of the stands in the markets were focused on food and drink.
Antwerp today…wonderful city. We had a short coach ride to the famous Centraal Station then a walking tour thru the medieval city. We also had a last-minute opportunity to tour the Cathedral of Our Lady which wasn’t supposed to be open—one if the most beautiful churches I’ve ever seen, with paintings by Peter Paul Rubens. We walked thru the Christmas Markets (again, mostly food and drink) then returned to the ship for lunch, sailing for Brussels.
Beautiful Brussels. Short coach ride to see the Atomium then a walk thru the old city and Le Grand Place. Back for lunch then a trip to a boutique chocolate factory, which was featured in a Tauck Zoom a few months ago. There are many Christmas Markets in Brussels; we extended our trip one day which I believe was necessary to see all the sites. In the evenings, on the hour, there is a light show in Le Grand Place which is magnificent.
Even though this isn’t advertised as a typical Christmas Market trip, Tauck does all the typical holiday things. Decorating the Christmas tree (you get 10€ each to purchase an ornament), Secret Santa gift exchange if you wish to participate, Karaoke caroling, etc. We were treated to waffles and hot chocolate in the markets, admission to the museums and churches was paid for (even last minute), the atmosphere is very festive. If you want to see these countries, I’d highly recommend doing this tour – the cities are absolutely fantastic with holiday decorations and spirit.
(If you’d like to see photos, find me as Mary Laufer Francis on Facebook.)
