Netherlands
The first country on our Best of Europe Tour was the Netherlands. After arriving at the Amsterdam Airport, we took a taxi directly to our tour hotel, Haarlem’s Hotel Lion d’Or. Since we arrived a few days early, we were able to ease into our adventure with a short trip to Delft. We wandered the streets and canals of Delft taking in the architecture, churches, gothic Eastern gate, and unique modern art exhibits.
Delft, Netherlands
Delft, Netherlands
Delft, Netherlands
Delft, Netherlands
If arriving early, plan a flexible, relaxing day. Leisure walks and sightseeing may help you stay awake and adjust to Europe’s time zone, but being flexible allows the opportunity to nap, if needed.
One thing we quickly noticed is that everyone, and I mean everyone, rides bicycles. There are more bicycles than people! We saw people in business attire, elderly, families, and even groups of teenagers going out all riding bicycles. We saw three bicycle parking lots at the Haarlem train station alone. One was a multi-level garage for bikes. Such an active lifestyle.
Sadly, we didn’t get pictures of everyone riding their bikes because we were concentrating on not getting run over. But this picture shows one of the small parking areas at the Haarlem train station.
Open Monumentendag
We were fortunate to be in Haarlem during Open Monumentendag (Europe’s Heritage Days). During the event, many of the city’s museums were open free of charge. Some buildings that aren’t normally open to the public, are opened for this annual event.
Meeting our Group
And so our tour officially began…
Lisa organized the Meet & Greet at our hotel. We got to meet all of our new best travel buddies.
The group included solo travelers, friend groups, younger and older couples. There were chill, relaxed travelers and Type A super planners (guess which category we fit into, and we weren’t the only ones!!). But the best thing was that everyone shared the same enthusiasm for the next three weeks.
As we went around the room, introducing ourselves, Lisa asked each of us to share what we were looking forward to the most. Some people knew. We, on the other hand, completely drew a blank. Was there one thing more than anything else we were anticipating?
Of course, we were the first couple called on to share so we said everything – meeting people, seeing new places, experiencing local culture, trying new food, seeing famous pieces of art – just everything! It will be interesting what we think at the end of the tour.
Haarlem, Netherlands
Haarlem, Netherlands
Haarlem, Netherlands
Haarlem, Netherlands
Group Highlights
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Arnhem, Netherlands
Personal Highlights
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Local Cuisine Spotlight
Bitterballen – one of Holland’s favorite snacks!
Meat and gravy balls, breaded, and fried
What’s not to love?! We ordered these at several different places. Each were made a little different, but all were delicious.
Nightlife
Haarlem
The beautifully lit city is perfect for a night stroll. Ultimately, you’ll end up in the Grote Markt (center square).
We struck up a conversation with some locals (a group of single young men) who were kind enough to share one of their front row tables with us.
It was so relaxing to sit back, enjoy a beverage, and people watch. The real entertainment was watching our new friends unsuccessfully interact with SEVEN different bachelorette groups.
Haarlem, Netherlands
Haarlem, Netherlands
Haarlem, Netherlands
Amsterdam
Before our group headed to Amsterdam, we were all given same day round trip train tickets. We asked Lisa if the tickets were good for 24 hours after activating or if they expired at midnight. She laughed and said good question, but who is going to stay out after midnight? Ha ha, the Texas empty nesters are here to have some fun.
We ate dinner and then walked through the Red Light District till our last stop, Amsterdam’s Icebar. We were definitely the oldest couple there, but we had a blast with this detour to the arctic.
We made it back to Haarlem minutes before midnight, so the tickets were not a problem!!!
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands