Category Archives: Europe
Get the Royal Treatment in Ireland
Probably like many little girls, I have had a fascination with castles and country estates that has stayed with me for a lifetime. My first stay in such royal surroundings was the wonderful Castle Sababurg about a 45-minute drive from Kassel, Germany, in Brothers Grimm territory. It is widely believed the brothers were inspired by Sababurg, using it as the model for the castle in Sleeping Beauty, and I believe it. Sadly, it has recently closed.
When our daughter was young, we stayed in a delightful luxury family hotel, Woolley Grange near Bath in England. One huge benefit was the on-site nanny to watch over children so parents could enjoy a quiet gourmet dinner. And one of my all-time favorite memories was a stay in the English Lake District at Farlam Hall Country House Hotel, a beautiful Relais & Chateaux manor home with resident cats Gin & Tonic and amazing dinner service.
On a more recent trip to Ireland, we loved our visits to Ashford Castle (pictured at top), Dromoland, and Ard na Sidhe. Read on.
Ashford Castle | Cong, Mayo
I can’t even think of enough adjectives to describe Ashford Castle. Dating from 1228, this property did indeed start out as a castle. In the mid-1800s it was owned by Sir Benjamin Guinness. In 2013, the property was rescued from receivership by the Red Carnation luxury hotel group. They bought it for less than half of its previous sale price and then proceeded to invest somewhere between $50-70 million in renovating the hotel and estate. Read the rest of this entry
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AmaWaterways Tulip River Cruise
We sailed on the AmaWaterways Prima for a spring trip in the Netherlands and Belgium during tulip season. It was a delightful trip and I would recommend the itinerary for couples as well as groups of friends. It was a seven-day river cruise that departed and returned from Amsterdam.
In addition to Amsterdam, our itinerary included Hoorn, Middelburg, Kinderkijk, Rotterdam, and Gouda in the Netherlands along with Ghent, Antwerp, and Bruges in Belgium. You can click each one of those locations to read about my experiences in each port.
Accommodations
The 162-passenger ship was well-appointed and modern. I traveled with a couple of 
girlfriends and we each booked a separate cabin with a French balcony. AMA does have some single supplement cabins, but we basically paid double for cabins on the Cello deck with a better location and the French balconies, figuring it would enhance our experience (which it did). For a couple, I would suggest one of the larger cabins or suites, riverboat accommodations are traditionally small. The Beds, bedding, and pillows were super-comfy. Two of the three of us had to have our in-room hairdryer changed for one that was hotter.
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Don’t Go to Gouda Just for Cheese.
It typically rains in the Netherlands during the month of April and we were blessed on this trip to escape any weather issues until our afternoon in Gouda. It did rain and it was pretty steady and hard. In spite of the weather, we did have another very special experience. I don’t have many pictures, but am glad we went.
The old town was typically medieval and charming with the incredibly long St John’s church, 
famous for its extremely tall 16th-century stained-glass windows. But the pièce de résistance was learning how they made the tasty Stroopwafels and getting to make one ourselves. We pressed the pre-formed dough in the waffle press for exactly 35 seconds and then came the tricky part – slicing the thin pastry in half through the center. The knife was VERY sharp and after realizing how difficult it was going to be, I asked for help as did most everyone. After adding a ladle full of cinnamon-infused caramel, you press the two halves together and spin – voila, its ready to eat. It smelled so good and was so nice and toasty, I forgot to take a picture and instead, just gobbled it up.
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A Quick Peek at Rotterdam.
I know I’ve had it during trivia games: “What is the largest port in Europe?”
Answer: Rotterdam.
During my recent river cruise during tulip season, we docked on the Meuse River in Rotterdam, a thoroughly modern city, rebuilt after devastating bombing during World War II. There were so many things I wanted to see in the area, I skipped over most of Rotterdam, only seeing enough to appreciate a tiny bit of the ultra-modern and innovative architecture the city has become known for.
Of note are the Cube House residences by architect Piet Blom pictured here. They literally hang over the street and once you are inside containing no walls at 90-degree angles, making it quite a challenge to place furniture. I only know this because I looked up a story about the interior. Apparently, residents of the 1985 complex were so harassed for a peek inside, one owner opened a museum and another offers hotel-type leasing options. I think a quick look inside would suffice.
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Art & Waffles in Antwerp.
Much smaller than I expected, Antwerp was pretty much destroyed by the Nazis during World War II. After walking into the city from the River Scheldt, you can see what remains of the castle/fort now being restored to become part of the cruise port entry hall along with remnants of the original medieval city walls. Long an important port city, Antwerp was occupied by Germany during the war, briefly liberated, and then virtually destroyed as the Nazis tried to keep the valuable port away from Allied armies. For six months, more than 2,000 V-bombs fell on the city and the surrounding area, until the American anti-aircraft gunners were finally victorious.
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In Bruges.
My daughter and son-in-law convinced me to watch the 2008 Colin Farrell movie In Bruges before coming here. I can’t say I would
ever recommend anyone watch that dark crime/dramedy, but I did find myself looking around for landmarks. Of course, the majestic town belfry tower does play a significant role in the movie. I was planning to climb to the top of the tower – but when I found out it was 366 steps, well, eating mussels and frites sounded like a much better plan.
Bruges is lovely. One of the prettiest European cities I’ve visited. With scenic canals draped with weeping willows, this beautifully restored medieval town has a thriving Grote Markt (main square) and many smaller squares lined with cafés, waffle shops and every type of store imaginable, including one of my favorites, Desigual. There were lots of trees and colorful flowers. Belgium is famous for handmade lace and Bruges is considered the 
place to buy it. Handmade lace is literally a dying art and it was interesting to see detail about how lace is tatted. Only women between 50 and 90 are left making the famous (Bobbin) lace; they must have amazing eyesight for this level of detail work.
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Holland or Netherlands?
We are not in *Holland.
I traveled to Amsterdam to take a river cruise during the tulip season with several of my friends. The trip was a tribute to a very special friend who is sadly no longer with us.
We were sailing with AMAWaterways on the AMAPrima for a 7-day trip that began and ended in the beautiful city of Amsterdam. Arriving ahead of the cruise gave us time to recover from the overnight flight, adjust to the time change, and see more of this great city.
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A Visit to the Flemish City of Ghent.
It was a bleak morning when we walked into central Ghent, overcast, cloudy, and cool. Restoration has come a bit late to this city and as a result, a lot of newer construction is mixed in among the old. The castle/fort Castle Gravensteen was imposing as were the churches such as St. Bavo Cathedral and the Town Hall. This is a big city with 250,000 residents, once a very significant trading town built on the confluence of the Scheldt and Leie rivers. Today it is still an industrial town, but now the focus is on things like Volvos and steel production.
Soon after we arrived, we came across a street vendor selling a locally favorite candy
called Ghent Noses. I had to try one. This multi-flavored, cone-shaped candy is pretty much all sugar. One was plenty. I will stick with chocolate; chocolate shops and lace shops were around every corner.
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Tulip Heaven at Keukenhof.
If you’ve ever seen pictures on the internet of incredible, massive, and colorful flower displays, chances are you were looking at pictures taken at Keukenhof Gardens just outside Amsterdam. The gardens are all they promise to be, and more.
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A Windy Morning with Windmills.
Who doesn’t smile when they think of a windmill? On this excursion during our trip on AMAWaterways, we had plenty to smile about.
The rain held off for our visit to Kinderdijk a UNESCO World Heritage site with 19 windmills, some dating from the mid-1700s. In a country 40% below sea level, the windmills have played a significant role in pumping excess water into rivers to prevent flooding. Even Amsterdam’s Schiphol International Airport is below sea level, by almost 15 feet.
