Amsterdam: Waterways & Bicycles

Amsterdam waterways

When on the Avalon Waterways cruise on the Rhine, the trip included a canal cruise in Amsterdam. This will be a photo post of what we saw.

Notice all the bicycles in the bike parking garage

Amsterdam probably has more bicycles per capita than any other city. They are everywhere!

Windmills and Edam Cheese in Volendam

Volendam

Our last stop on our Rhine river cruise was Amsterdam. There was an optional tour that we took to the coastal town of Volendam. The town is small, on the ocean and full of charm. We had a nice, relaxing afternoon there. On the way, we stopped at a windmill.

Near Volendam

More information on Volendam can be found here. My niece, Sarah, and I spent a delightful afternoon enjoying pastries, walking around the tourist shops and visiting the ducks by the beach. 

Volendam beach area

We also saw a demonstration of how wooden shoes are made and of course, my favorite ... the Edam cheese. Right now, I have a "queso de bola" in my refrigerator ... a large Edam cheese, which is a Yucetecan tradition. My husband did the honors of opening the cheese in the traditional way. He is from Merida and edam and gouda cheese is very important to us here.

"Queso de Bola" at my house

What I didn't realize when I bought the cheese, it is not just the cheese that makes it "queso de bola," but a distinctive Yucatecan dish that you make with the hard part of the cheese. It acts as the bowl and you fill it with meat, some of the gouda cheese and other delicacies. 

Black Forest: More than Cake

The Black Forest region of Germany is close to my heart. Not only do many of my family relatives come from this area, but it is also an unspoiled and beautiful part of the world. On our Rhine River Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam, our first stop was the Black Forest region. My niece, Sarah, looked forward to the Black Forest cake. I prefer a different type of German chocolate cake that my grandmother used to make. It is made with dark cocoa and chocolate pudding layered in the middle. It also had coffee in the icing. It was not as sweet as Black Forest cake, but it did have nuts on top. Too bad I don’t have the recipe, but nobody could make it like my Grandmother Luh anyway, so maybe it is just as well I don’t try. Miss you, Grandma, and not mostly for the cake.

My niece Sarah on the left

We felt the difference when entering the Black Forest region. It was less populated, the country roads meandered, and I could hear bird song and waterfalls. Leaves crunched under our feet as we walked along the creek bed and took photos.

We also enjoyed the giant cuckoo clocks found in the Black Forest. It was quite amusing to see one of the river cruisers, Peter, a travel writer from Australia – purchasing cuckoo clocks for his family down under. More information on these wonderful clocks can be found here.

Houses of the Black Forest region

Black Forest farm

The Black Forest region is like stepping back in time, from the houses made of local Black Forest timbers to the traditional costumes and food. And as usual, my favorite thing on any trip is to see the local animals. We went to an outdoor museum that was replicas of times past. I found it a bit dull but the site of the cow cheered me up!

My favorite Black Forest cow

Christmas Market in Basel

Having done an Avalon Waterways cruise along the Rhine River in October, I yearn to do this cruise at Christmas time. Germany really knows how to do Christmas Market. Most cruises start in Basel, Switzerland - where every Saturday is a feast of cheeses, breads, fruits and good cheer. The people of Basel are friendly and the market sellers that come down from the mountains are even friendlier.

A great website for information on the Christmas market in Basel and other locations can be found here. Basel is such a magical time any time of the year, but it must be especially beautiful at Christmas. I know what I will ask from Santa for next year!

Photos courtesy of christmasmarkets.com and all from Basel, Switzerland.

Rhine River Cruise in October

me (on the left) and my niece Sarah

The one thing you can be sure of when traveling the Rhine River by river cruise boat is that you will be cold. We stomped our way through Heidelberg, went inside as we passed the Lorelei due to the severe wind, and tightened our coats in Amsterdam as we walked from the Van Gogh Museum to a restaurant around the corner . Don't get me wrong. We had a great time, but the first thing that comes to mind when I think about going on the river cruise is how cold we were. Now my niece may not have noticed as much as she lives in England. I live in Cozumel, Mexico - where cold weather is 60 degrees Fahrenheit. 


It was an amazing trip, booked almost at the last minute which is my favorite way to travel whenever possible. Decide to go somewhere, figure out how to get there and GO! 

Sarah and Macarena Man

My niece Sarah is super friendly and she made a whole slew of new friends on this river cruise. From Macarena Man who "did the Macarena," almost every night to a group of men with canes that taught her to play cards. We called them "1 stick, 2 sticks" as some had 1 cane to get around and one guy had 2. The wives were all without canes. (Gotta believe women age better than men while on this type of cruise.)

Macarena man "doing" the macarena

The crowd was older, but oh so friendly. We went with Avalon Waterways on the Tapestry. The boat was great, the crew so helpful and the captain was a delight. I will never forget him jumping around in wooden shoes the first night.

me and Sarah with the Captain in the middle leaving the river boat in Amsterdam

We even got to sit at the Captain's table for the Captain's dinner. I think that was more because of my young niece than myself!

Our tour director with her hands on my shoulders

Avalon Waterways and their river boats is definitely the way to go if you want to do the Danube or the Rhine, or any other river that they traverse. (People say the Danube is even prettier than the Rhine.) The difference in river cruising is it is more relaxed with around 100 people so you get to know everyone. There are no plastic cards to get on and off the boat, just a number so they know if people are still ashore. I highly recommend it.


Information on Avalon Waterways, just click here.