The Netherlands and Belgium

Het Loo Palace

I don't know whether the sites or the camaraderie was the best part of the trip. Traveling with Senior Associates is always a wonderful experience - people as eager as I am to go to museums, walk the city streets, soak up the atmosphere of a country, eat well and have fun. My roommate was MFASA Vice-Chair Marsha Lamson, and we had a blast both with each other and with the group.

I have to confess, I had some say in the itinerary -- and so we were constantly on the go, cramming in as much as possible.  The weather (despite daily predictions of rain) and the traffic cooperated and we were able to do it all. The countryside is riveting – farmland, tulip fields, thatched-roof houses, cows and sheep, windmills – and the cities so rich in art, architecture and history that we couldn’t do more than get a quick overview of any of them. Far from being able to cross the Netherlands and Belgium off my Bucket List, a return trip has moved to the top of it. I was completely unprepared for how deeply I would fall in love with these countries and am now eager to get back so that I can explore them at leisure. 

We were met by our amazing guide Ingrid van Bijnin at Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport at 6:00 am and headed right to our hotel (The College Hotel near Museumplein – beautiful building, but staffed by student trainees and so service is somewhat uneven) for breakfast. We then took a short scenic drive south along the Amstel River and – much to our delight – saw our first windmill, the Riekermolen. Arriving back in Amsterdam, we were treated to a very special opportunity (thank you, Rose-Marie!) – a visit to the Jan Six collection, introduced by Jan Six XI himself.  Jan Six I was a friend of Rembrandt’s, and his famous portrait by the artist is the star of this remarkable collection.

Although already terrified of the aggressive bike riders, we strolled around the Canal Ring, ate lunch at Brasserie Keyser, and headed to the van Gogh (that’s pronounced “khokh,” with gutturals at the beginning and end) Museum.  It’s a marvelous museum, home to many of van Gogh’s best-loved paintings.  The group was exhausted but happy after a very full first day.

Our second day was just as full.  Bright and early, we headed to the Keukenhof Gardens. We’d timed our trip so as to see the Keukenhof in full bloom, and it did not disappoint.  What a display! Acres and acres of the finest and most beautiful Dutch bulbs -- seven million altogether!!! The overall impact of the beds was dazzling, and the individual flowers exquisite. It left me quite breathless.

We spent the late afternoon in charming Haarlem, visiting the Frans Hals Museum.  Dinner that night was a 3-hour cruise along the fascinating canals of Amsterdam.  The variety of the narrow houses along these waterways (many dating back to the 1600’s, the Dutch Golden Age) and picturesque bridges had us completely captivated. We could barely tear ourselves away from the windows to eat the scrumptious dinner (how did the chef produce such a good 4-course meal for 32 in the tiny galley kitchen??) and fabulous May birthdays cake.

The next day we visited Het Loo Palace, residence of the House of Orange-Nassau from the 17th century until the death of Queen Wilhelmina in 1962. It is an imposing Dutch Baroque building with magnificent formal gardens.  From there, we went to the Kroller-Muller Museum, set in the midst of a large park.  Not only does it feature an extensive collection of van Goghs, there is a fabulous outdoor sculpture garden to boot. Returning to Amsterdam, dinner was at Entrecote et les Dames. Interesting concept: prix fixe gets you salad, a choice of steak or fish, and frites – all done perfectly – and seconds if you want them. Inexpensive yet delicious food.  

Our 4th day was spent at the Floriade.  This year, it was located in Venlo, roughly a 3 hour drive from Amsterdam.  The overall opinion was that it was underwhelming – too much marketing and retail, too few flowers. World-wide, the hype is huge – and at least it got us to the Netherlands. Back in Amsterdam, that evening we visited the very moving Anne Frank House and had an excellent dinner at Brasserie van Baerle.

On our last day in the Netherlands, we spent the morning visiting Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. Only the greatest hits were on view, as the Museum is undergoing a renovation.  But the greatest hits are indeed great (including Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” and several Vermeers) and I was almost relieved that most of this vast Museum was off view. Vowing to return to Amsterdam some day soon, we drove on to Leiden for a short walking tour of that pretty little town and lunch in a traditional pancake house. 

We ended the day in the Hague, where we visited the Mauritshuis, another museum undergoing renovation.  Their greatest hits are all temporarily on view at the nearby Gemeentemuseum – at least those that aren’t on a world tour. We all knew that Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” was en route to Japan, and had learned to deal with our disappointment.  And yet, we turned a corner and there she was ! – held back a few days so that our group could see it.  The painting is even more exquisite in person than you could imagine it to be. 

The next morning we made a short stop in Delft for the obligatory visit to the Royal Delft ceramic manufactory and then drove on to Belgium and Bruges.  We all fell head-over-heels in love with this quaint medieval city. Our hotel was the Hotel de Orangerie, a converted 15th century convent. We took a canal boat ride to orient ourselves, then explored along the canals and over the bridges on foot. Every corner we turned revealed another scenic view. Our visit coincided with the eve of Bruges’ biggest holiday, the Feast of the Ascension, and the town was gearing up for the party.  Unfortunately, the renowned Market Square was filled with grandstands for viewing the big procession and the vista wasn’t as spectacular as it usually is. We did, however, have time to find some good chocolatiers!

We left Bruges (vowing to return) early in the morning so as to avoid what were sure to be jammed streets and arrived in Ghent with a couple of hours to roam the town while waiting for Mass to be over and St. Bavo’s (home of Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece) to open to the public. Ghent proved to be yet another medieval town that completely enchanted us. The Old Harbor area, Gravensteen Castle, the town squares, the church spires – all bewitching. More vows to return!

Our last afternoon and night were spent in Brussels.  We had a bus tour of the city, checked into the luxurious Hotel Amigo, and visited Manneken Pis (all decked out  for the holiday) and the Grand Place.  The Grand Place is very grand indeed –stunning and enormous. Elegant civic buildings and interesting guild halls in every direction you turn. 

Our farewell dinner was at the Taverne du Passage. Our guide Ingrid was very moved by a presentation of “The Top Ten Reasons We Love Ingrid.”  Speeches were made, thank you gifts presented, and glasses clinked in many toasts. We all agreed that it was one of the best trips ever.

Mimi Santini-Ritt 2012 - Senior Associate Trip