The AmaStella, AmaWaterways river cruise ship that I am sailing on the Rhine River and Dutch Canal cruise docked in Amsterdam for three nights; a bonus in my book because I love Amsterdam.
The first morning, there was a canal cruise for those guests who would be departing after the first week. (You could sail the first week, the second week, or both weeks of this extended and beer-focused journey). I have been to Amsterdam many times before as tourist and as a speaker and attendee at the annual Global Superyachts Forum, but I never took a canal cruise; my preference being to roam the streets for hours at a time. Well, what I can tell you is that everyone loved the canal tour and I should have done one earlier.
However, what I loved the most was our guide. After saying she is not supposed to speak of politics, she said one of the world’s greatest problems is that “People do not look at the world through the eyes of others”. Exactly! And exactly what I had unfortunately encountered in Cologne. I don’t know what motivated her comments, but I got the impression it was motivated by our group being from the United States and our current highly polarized situation.
She, as other guides throughout this journey, then talked matter-of-factly that climate change is here and things are being constantly adapted because of its impact including the lack of winter ice (no more romantic skating on the lakes and canals), more rain, and higher water levels are all realities. These comments were not made as a political statement, in part because outside of the United States the science of climate change is simply reality that is being addressed with cleaner energy and infrastructure improvements including windmills, solar panels, and electric vehicles being ubiquitous (other than in the historic city centers) as efforts are made to fully embrace cleaner energy and less reliance on the economies and politics of fossil fuels.
After the canal cruise, it was time to venture off, as I had no need for a guide in Amsterdam, one of my favorite cities. But as we have three days here, there also was no need to try and see it all in one day, so it was also time to relax after days of tours.
That evening I had arranged a long-anticipated dinner at Five Flies Restaurant, locally known as d’Vijff Vlieghen. It is a combination of five ancient buildings as the restaurant expanded over the years, so there is a ton of charm. However, I found that while the service was fine, the dinner was just awful…so much different than my prior visits there. I was a bit concerned when the first dish was basically just beets, and the second wine was a terrible rosé that paired with nothing. I needn’t waste my time on the other issues, but suffice it to say after I wrote an email expressing my disappointment, I received a response advising the beets and rose were now off the menu and I wasn’t the only one to complain. Little solace for what was a 300 Euro meal for two.
It was then time to put the imperfect, but still useful, ChatGPT to work and have some fun! I definitely was not in the mindset to visit the museums (though the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museums are world-class) and I didn’t think ahead enough to pre-purchase tickets for the Anne Frank Museum (one guest telling me he went because he felt it was a touristic requirement, but was humbled by how it affected him).
My goal was to experience some of the most unique upscale bars in Amsterdam. Keeping in mind that any AI engine is only delivering information that it finds and doesn’t have opinions or the ability to really focus on what your personal and emotional desires are (though it tries to deliver the information like it does), it was an amusing experience. The top bars for me were Bar 27, The Pulitzer (where I met some friends from Truckee that were staying there), and a speakeasy named Door 74. The latter is located around the corner from my favorite boutique hotel in Amsterdam, Bank Mansion.
The rest of my time in Amsterdam was working and I was glad to have a few days of not being “on tour”. That did allow me to engage in my Hamburger Test and I was surprised by the result: A – One of the best hamburgers I have had on a ship…and it comes with a choice of French or steak fries; the latter being the only legitimate choice.
The next morning was a lazy sail back down the Rhine Canal toward Belgium, but first stopping in Utrecht, Netherlands on a cold, cloudy, crowded Sunday. The town was filled with shops and cafes and little else, other than the arrival of Sinterklaas, which brought out all the children, which was cute.
It is possible my picking the City Tour & Organ Museum (which was really wander until it was entry time at the museum) was a poor choice. AmaWaterways most certainly gave me options: a 15-mile Bike tour; a Beer Tasting Tour; a Castle de Har visit were other possibilities. Oh well.
We had another lazy morning, arriving in Hellevoetsluis, Holland in the afternoon. The options were a 14-mile bike ride, a Dutch flat-bottom boat ride, a visit to the Delta Works, or a visit to the medieval harbour town of Zierikzee. I chose the latter. It is important to remember that AmaWaterways provides many choices including, within these, options – tour dependent – for active, regular or gentle options. As a result, there are never large groups. I have found them to be less than 20 and usually around 12-15. (By comparison, Viking includes only one tour option and groups can be as large as 50!)
This day, my choice to visit Zierikzee turned out to be a good one. It was a wander about a sleepy historic town with an interesting guide who was able to show a number of hidden gems. You know, the subtle things that make a house or statue special. I also appreciated that he started the tour with a word of warning, “You need to understand that only 80% of what a guide tells you is definitely true. It is up to you to figure out about the other 20%!” Truer words were never spoken!
As I do, after I spent what I felt was enough time with the guide I headed off on my own. This town is apparently famous for it oysters and mussels, so you know what I was after. Not many places were open, but Heston’s, a charming café, was. I had a dozen of the most delicious fresh, sweet, salty oysters. They were expensive oysters, but oh so worth it!
Our Cruise Manager, Matija, has been a godsend when it comes to obtaining candid information about what tours to consider and what to see in the various towns. His kind manner coupled with gentle assertiveness has added much to my experience. And at our next port, Ghent, Belgium, his guidance paid off again.
Bruges is a very special town, steeped in history that was fortunately not destroyed by the Nazis. Every turn was another very special view. If I was looking for a special place to hide away for a few days, Bruges would be it.
Following the same philosophy as I do: Visit one place well rather than two places superficially, Matija recommended that I take the Full Day Bruges & Church of Our Lady Tour rather than splitting my time with Ghent. First, you say, “Eric is going to a church? What’s up with that?” Well, that is where the famous Michelangelo sculpture, Madonna and Child is located. I became kind of obsessed with seeing it in person after watching the movie Monuments Men, not only because it is a great artistic piece, but it also represents the heroic effort to save it from destruction by the Nazis and then the Soviets.
However, there was more to do. One of those things was a brewery visit and tasting at Half Moon Brewery. It wasn’t the best, as it was little about the beer and more of an obstacle course, climbing steep steps, spiral staircases, ducking under tiny doorways, and descending narrow metal ladders, only to find that we weren’t getting a three-beer tasting, but only one beer. On the other hand, the views from the top of the brewery were wonderful.
It was then, as always, time for me to peel off and find a place for lunch. There was a one-Michelin-star restaurant that ChatGPT said was open, but it wasn’t. But when I called (because I don’t blindly trust ChatGPT) I was told that Bistro Refter, which was right next door and had the same chef, was open. So off I went, and I was delighted I did.
Bistro Refter is a modern yet charming place that would be even more beautiful in the summer. I was going to keep it a light lunch, but you know how that wound up! I had a great bottle of Le Fleur de Haut-Bages Liberal from Pauillac, which I paired with a delicious foie gras and veal sweetbreads, a house specialty. (I was going to order the pheasant, but that was for two people and, though I thought about it, I chose to control myself.) I finished lunch with a Dame Blanche (a/k/a the most sumptuous ice cream sundae you could imagine).
After my supposed light lunch, I strolled back into the historic center and needed a bathroom. I ducked into a little café and ordered a Flemish coffee to be polite. I said to the charming server that I guess I was the only tourist around, to which she responded that she was too. She has just moved to Bruges from Greece because the guy she was dating said he would move all her belongings to Bruges. He did and then immediately broke up. Oh, to be young!
After the storybook feeling of Bruges, the next day’s visit to Brussels just didn’t do much for me. It is a city with a relatively small historic area (again, not destroyed by the Nazis during their occupation). The highlight for me was a perfect Belgium waffle I found after peeling off from the tour. (The guide was very knowledgeable and accommodating. More static tours in small areas just aren’t my thing.) AmaWaterways did offer a number of options in the morning and afternoon from bike rides to chocolate and beer tastings and more, but I think as my time on this journey is winding down, and there has been so much to process, I settled into the feeling that less was more.
Our last stop in Belgium was Antwerp and its hometown artist, Peter Paul Rubens. I chose the morning Antwerp Walking Tour with an option to do a food tour in the afternoon. Our guide was, to say the least, quirky, but she was absolutely amazing. The morning flew by. When she offered people “free time” or to follow her into the Cathedral of Our Lady to discuss the Rubens paintings therein, not a single person left. She was stunned, but none of us were.
After the tour, it was time for lunch and there was no way I was going back to the ship, which was docked very close by. Again, I went to ChatGPT, but this time checked its work with Google, for the best Flemish stew in town. (Flemish Stew is basically beef stew with a specific dark beer added to it.) The consensus was De Arme Duivel, a tiny historic restaurant, located just around the corner from Rubens house. Unfortunately, there was a sign that said they were sold out for lunch. I asked if they could squeeze me in. They responded, if you go around the corner to Du Mezzanine, they will have room and it is the same menu with the same kitchen. And off I went. Again, a great idea!
Pheasant, Duck and Quail Foie Gras Pate, then Flemish Stew accompanied by the mandatory Belgian French fries (the Belgians claim they invented French fries). What an outstanding lunch! Believe it or not, after that lunch I thought I’d give the food tour a try. That didn’t work out very well as I was so full, the couple of things I tasted weren’t near the same quality (how could they be?). And, it was definitely time for a nap because I was invited to the Captain’s Table for dinner and needed to rally. (Yes, it was a wonderful dinner.)
And that brings me to the last day of this journey and back to South Holland in the tiny town of Dordrecht, as we sailed back to Amsterdam. But it would have to wait because the morning was a trip to Kinderdijk to visit nineteen windmills. With the sun actually shining and no wind, it was perfectly beautiful and relaxing. The perfect morning for a slow cruise to one of the windmills for a tour.
By the way, Viking was also there, but their huge groups were only given walking tours to see one of the windmills viewed across a canal. It was interesting to see AmaWaterways bike tour of the area navigate around them!
My final experience was a walk through Dordrecht, home to a number of historic yachts moored next to a number of historic buildings. I didn’t need a tour and really enjoyed the absolutely quiet time wandering the docks and then along the Rhine River back to the AmaStella.
It was a perfect, quiet and beautiful last day to end to an incredibly enriching river cruise spanning five countries, and their history, religion, politics, art, cuisine and wine.
Next up: Reflections
