That was the name of the Grand Circle Tour Bill and I went on the last two weeks. We are
talking flowering bulbs, windmills, the whole bit and we had a great time. We had always thought of Grand Circle
as the geezer tour company, but as we enter our sixtieth year, we found we fit in pretty well. And they are the best
tour company we have ever travelled with bar none. Organized, efficient, accomodating, personable, and economical without
sacrificing comfort. The average age on the tour was about 70--all veteran travellers. One of the oldest women
walked us all into the ground.
We arrived in Amsterdam both sick with colds. You know how you always say you pick
up germs on long airplane flights? Well, this time we were the donors, not the recipients. By resting a little
more than usual, taking wonder drugs our doctor gave us, and using Kleenex we bought over there that has a balsam
salve in it, we made out fine.
We arrived in Amsterdam about 10 in the morning, went straight to the river boat which was our
home for the whole trip, ate the first of many fine meals onboard, and Bill led me direct to the red light district which
he hadn't been to in nearly 40 years. Selective memory. This is the one where the girls sit in the windows. It
has to be a horrible life.
The first full day was full. We were taken on a bus city tour, a visit to a diamond
factory where gems were being cut, and a canal boat ride that ended at the Rijksmuseum. The museum has a fabulous
collection of Rembrandts, including his masterpiece "The Night Watch". Bill was more impressed with the 4 paintings
by Vermeer as they are more rare. We had lunch there as the tour had gone back to the boat. Then we went
next door to the Van Gogh museum. In addition to its usual collection of the artist, they were having an impressionist special
show. And the building itself was a show. Ultra-modern, with an aluminum skin (very popular architectural style
in the new parts of Amsterdam).
Day 4 we had on our own. We still have a reluctance to be herded and managed so we treasured
these free times. However, we have come to realize that we can never see as much on our own as we can with the help
of experienced tour guides. Our boat was docked within walking distance of the central train station. We
took a tram that circles the city and with a special ticket, we could get off and on all day. I think we wound up making
about 3 laps around Amsterdam that day, seeing everything and getting lost.
Highlights of the day was the Historical Museum and just soaking up the flavor of the
city by walking. Lots of ancient buildings and lots of new construction. Big Oriental district. Some graffiti.
Water everywhere. Elegant shops. McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and a Hard Rock cafe.
The Crown Prince got engaged while we were there to a lovely Argentinian woman. The scandal
was that her father was one of the generals in Argentina who persecuted rebels so how was he to be included in the wedding
ceremony. Royal family is rather low-key but well-liked. There have been 4 queens in a row so this crown prince
is almost a curiosity.
Day 5 was the highlight of the trip for me. A few years ago two of our friends had visited
the Aalsmeer Flower Auction and I had wanted to see it ever since. The main reason I wanted this particular trip was
that it went to the Auction. There are seven daily flower auctions in Holland but this is the biggest. Over 20
million flowers are sold here every day. The building itself is the size of 125 football fields. Visitors observe
the frantic action on catwalks above the floor. We were there early as the flowers are sold and on their way to all
parts of the world by about 10 in the morning. The colors are shifting constantly as the flowers are taken into the
4 bidding rooms and then whisked on little trolleys to the buyers' shipping points. Due to its size it is impossible
to photograph or even for me to describe. Beautiful on a grand scale.
In the afternoon the riverboat finally set sail and we journeyed on the country's largest canal.
We loved not having to unpack but also we didn't have to spend a lot of time sailing as the country is not large. But
the views from the boat were very picturesque. The Rhine was flooded and up to what they called the "winter dykes".
Maybe the water impressed us so because of just spending two years in the desert. But water permeates every aspect of
life in this area and is very different from anywhere we have ever spent much time. The boat itself only held about 140 people
so we got to know most of them. For touring we were split into 3 groups, each with a separate guide. Our guide
was funny, spoke perfect English, and was a master of psychology in handling groups. And if anyone wanted to do something
that wasn't scheduled, the guides would take whoever wanted to go during free time. We had never seen guides do unscheduled
activities and do it so willingly.
The boat docked in Arnhem, the site of a WWII battle memorialized in the movie "A Bridge
Too Far." Of course, after 50 years you see no signs of battle scars, but there are memorials and cemeteries for the
Allies everywhere. This was the halfway point of the trip.
Day 6 was interesting in that it was the first time we ran up against the hoof and mouth disease
epidemic. We were visiting a museum inside Holland's largest nature preserve. As we entered, we all had to get
off the bus and step into a shallow footbath of disinfectant to ensure that our shoes weren't contaminated. The bus's
wheels were similarly cleaned. Tour busses and visitors from England weren't allowed into the park at all. All
nature trails in the park were closed off and only the museum was accessible.
We thought we might run into something similar as we came back into the U.S. The only restriction
was that if we had visited a zoo or farm while we were gone we were to tell a Dept. of Agriculture agent at customs.
Evidently not too worried about it here.
The Kroller-Muller museum we visited was donated by a private family, as was the nature preserve.
Mr. Muller was a wealthy industrialist married to a bored young art lover. He gave her a generous allowance which she
spent in France on paintings. Lucky for them, one of her favorites was a relative unknown named Vincent Van Gogh.
This museum has over 240 paintings by the artist, more than the Van Gogh museum itself. It also has a lovely sculpture
garden with works by Rodin, Henry Moore, Giacommetti, etc.
By my mentioning strolling and walking, you have probably guessed that we were blessed by good
weather. We only got out the umbrellas once and that was for a light shower. The last two days were windy and
quite cold, but for the time of year, we were phenomenally lucky.
Day 7 we were in Zieriksee, Bill's favorite stop. It is a delightful town. As Bill said,
"terminally cute." There were medieval fortifications, as well as lots of cute houses . The Sunday market was
being held on the square as it is in most towns here on the weekend. Most of our group did not want to buy huge eels,
but the chocolate and pastries were a big hit.
Late that afternoon we visited the Delta Works. This part of Holland flooded in 1953 when
the dykes broke so the gigantic Delta Works-a series of dykes, dams, and bridges-was built. It is an object of particular
pride to the Dutch and the showcase of their hydroelectric technology. Those of us who live where land is still relatively
plentiful cannot fully appreciate having to reclaim their land from the sea to expand.
We saw two different folklore dance groups--interesting, but not too flashy. I couldn't
help but admire the people who devote their time and resources to preserving these traditions. The costumes are very
expensive and all of these participants are amateurs.
The tour allowed very little time to shop and every port we pulled into the shops were closed
for one reason or another. On Day 8 we went to the ports of Veere and Middelburg and sailed on to Dordrecht, the most commercial
and least charming of the ports we visited. But Day 9 was what most of the tour participants had been waiting for--Keukenhof
Gardens and Gouda. Gouda, the home of the famous cheese, was just as charming as the cheese is good. And the shops
were finally open. The guides had warned us against buying flower bulbs and cheese as at times it has been hard to bring
back into the country. We would have had no trouble as it turned out.
Keukenhof Flower Park was set up as place for Dutch bulb growers to showcase their product--and
believe me, they do. The sun shone magnificently for our visit. In about two weeks there will be 7 million tulips
blooming in the park, but even as early as our visit, it was gorgeous. There are also 4 exhibition halls full of flowers
that are just breathtaking. We are still willing to trade full impact tourist season glory for diminished crowds.
Days 10 and 11 we visited small maritime villages--Hoorn, Enkhuizen, Vollendam, and Marken.
Windmills, houses with lace curtains open so you can see how clean their houses are, cobblestone streets, medieval gates,
drawbridges, boats of every size and description. In the water, birds of all kinds, wild swans, ducks, geese, herons--and
in the countryside, wild ringnecked golden pheasants.
As always, thanks for travelling with Bill and me.
(Bill and Kay Wehunt reside in Tucson but you are likely
to run into them anywhere in the world. They are consummate travelers. We shared a two week tour with them of Eastern Europe.)
