NETHERLANDS
Haarlem
The day had finally arrived ! After checking into our hotel room in Haarlem with much anticipation and a little nervousness, we met our tour group. In addition to Rick Steves as our principal guide, our group was fortunate to have two great additional guides traveling with us, Trish Feaster and Ben Cameron. We had an informative orientation about our tour. Our guides and each tour member introduced themselves and shared a little of their background. Many people in our group were seasoned travelers and several had taken Rick Steves Tours previously. Everyone was friendly and eager to be a part of the once- in- this life time adventure!
The day had finally arrived ! After checking into our hotel room in Haarlem with much anticipation and a little nervousness, we met our tour group. In addition to Rick Steves as our principal guide, our group was fortunate to have two great additional guides traveling with us, Trish Feaster and Ben Cameron. We had an informative orientation about our tour. Our guides and each tour member introduced themselves and shared a little of their background. Many people in our group were seasoned travelers and several had taken Rick Steves Tours previously. Everyone was friendly and eager to be a part of the once- in- this life time adventure!
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Our first group adventure was a walking tour of historical Haarlem and the workings of a real windmill by local guides.
Our first group meal was an Indonesian rijsttafel (rice table) dinner served family style. There was an almost endless variety of delectable dishes to choose from, including fried bananas for dessert. |
Grote Kerk Church
A former Catholic turned Protestant church with a great big pipe organ was across from our hotel.
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Inside Grote Kerk Church, Rick gave us informative facts about the Church and the great pipe organ. We were able to relax and enjoy a free pipe organ concert. After a few minutes of the lovely music, Amy and I went out for a refreshing stroll around the town before a great nights sleep in the quiet town of Haarlem. |
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Amsterdam
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Promptly at 8AM, our group did a "buddy check" and we were off for a short walk to the train station, followed by a quick trip to Amsterdam. Outside Amsterdam Centraal, we were given tram tickets, then started our day in this marvelous city. We enjoyed amazing architecture, restaurants, coffeeshops, neighborhoods, including the Red Light District,Holocaust Memorial, famous Rijksmuseum, Dutch Resistance Museum, scenic canal boat ride, and other unique sites throughout this incredible day !
Promptly at 8AM, our group did a "buddy check" and we were off for a short walk to the train station, followed by a quick trip to Amsterdam. Outside Amsterdam Centraal, we were given tram tickets, then started our day in this marvelous city. We enjoyed amazing architecture, restaurants, coffeeshops, neighborhoods, including the Red Light District,Holocaust Memorial, famous Rijksmuseum, Dutch Resistance Museum, scenic canal boat ride, and other unique sites throughout this incredible day !
