Christmas in the Netherlands
December 12 to 14, 2024
Cities
Our adventure began in the Netherlands. We visited four cities in three days: Leiden, Amsterdam, The Hague, and Haarlem.
Leiden
After Mark, Jewel, and I left the Amsterdam airport, we dropped off our luggage at our hotel and headed by train to Leiden. It was a cold and overcast day. There was light rain on and off throughout the day.
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden, Netherlands
View from Burcht van Leiden
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden is the birthplace of the famous painter, Rembrandt. We saw the place where his family house once stood (now an open plaza). Rembrandt’s father was a miller. It is believed he operated the Molen De Put, a flour mill which stood across the bridge from the family home.
We visited the Young Rembrandt Studio to learn more about Rembrandt’s childhood and ended up with an interesting connection to the US. When the Pilgrims fled England, they moved to and lived in Leiden for over a decade. With growing concerns over war with Spain, the Pilgrims headed to America. One of Rembrandt’s childhood friends joined the Pilgrims on the Mayflower.
Amsterdam
Haarlem, Netherlands
Amsterdam was our first full day together with Jared. We boarded a train early and headed to Amsterdam. Once again, the weather was cold, overcast, and rainy.
We visited the Van Gogh and Anne Frank Museums as well as a Jenever Tasting and a Light Festival Cruise.
By the evening, it was actually bitter cold, but we returned to a warm, comfortable room with a wonderfully hot shower.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Hague
The Hague is less than an hour from Haarlem by train. We spent part of the day visiting the Mauritshuis Museum and Peace Palace.
The weather was as we expected – cold, cloudy, and misty rain. During our walk, Jewel and I both saw snowflakes. It only lasted a few minutes, but it was fun to see snow instead of rain.
Walking around the Hofvijver (small lake in the center of The Hague), we viewed the statue of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. Johan fought with William I of Orange against the Spanish which resulted in formal Dutch independence in 1648. Johan was one of the most influential political figures in Dutch history and founded the Dutch East Indies Company. However, when William I was assassinated, he was succeeded by his second son, Maurits. Maurits supported the Calvinists while Johan sided with the Arminians. This led to division and ultimately Johan’s arrest and trial. He was found guilty and beheaded at the Binnenhof.
The Hague, Netherlands
The Hague, Netherlands
The Hague, Netherlands
Haarlem
Grote Market, Haarlem
Haarlem was our home base with easy train access to the other cities. The weather was cold and rainy, but that is what we experienced everywhere in the Netherlands.
Haarlem’s annual Christmas market (Kerstmarkt Haarlem) is held on only one weekend each year. When we arrived, venders were setting up for the weekend. We attended the Haarlem market on Saturday evening.
Christmas Markets
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Cuisine
Talk about the food in the Netherlands.
Museums
Van Gogh - Amsterdam
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden, Netherlands
View from Burcht van Leiden
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden is the birthplace of the famous painter, Rembrandt. We saw the place where his family house once stood (now an open plaza). Rembrandt’s father was a miller. It is believed he operated the Molen De Put, a flour mill which stood across the bridge from the family home.
We visited the Young Rembrandt Studio to learn more about Rembrandt’s childhood and ended up with an interesting connection to the US. When the Pilgrims fled England, they moved to and lived in Leiden for over a decade. With growing concerns over war with Spain, the Pilgrims headed to America. One of Rembrandt’s childhood friends joined the Pilgrims on the Mayflower.
Anne Frank House - Amsterdam
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden, Netherlands
View from Burcht van Leiden
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden is the birthplace of the famous painter, Rembrandt. We saw the place where his family house once stood (now an open plaza). Rembrandt’s father was a miller. It is believed he operated the Molen De Put, a flour mill which stood across the bridge from the family home.
We visited the Young Rembrandt Studio to learn more about Rembrandt’s childhood and ended up with an interesting connection to the US. When the Pilgrims fled England, they moved to and lived in Leiden for over a decade. With growing concerns over war with Spain, the Pilgrims headed to America. One of Rembrandt’s childhood friends joined the Pilgrims on the Mayflower.
Mauritshuis - The Hague
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden, Netherlands
View from Burcht van Leiden
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden is the birthplace of the famous painter, Rembrandt. We saw the place where his family house once stood (now an open plaza). Rembrandt’s father was a miller. It is believed he operated the Molen De Put, a flour mill which stood across the bridge from the family home.
We visited the Young Rembrandt Studio to learn more about Rembrandt’s childhood and ended up with an interesting connection to the US. When the Pilgrims fled England, they moved to and lived in Leiden for over a decade. With growing concerns over war with Spain, the Pilgrims headed to America. One of Rembrandt’s childhood friends joined the Pilgrims on the Mayflower.
Peace Palace - The Hague
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden, Netherlands
View from Burcht van Leiden
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden is the birthplace of the famous painter, Rembrandt. We saw the place where his family house once stood (now an open plaza). Rembrandt’s father was a miller. It is believed he operated the Molen De Put, a flour mill which stood across the bridge from the family home.
We visited the Young Rembrandt Studio to learn more about Rembrandt’s childhood and ended up with an interesting connection to the US. When the Pilgrims fled England, they moved to and lived in Leiden for over a decade. With growing concerns over war with Spain, the Pilgrims headed to America. One of Rembrandt’s childhood friends joined the Pilgrims on the Mayflower.
Churches
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
Experiences
Jenever Tasting - Amsterdam
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden, Netherlands
View from Burcht van Leiden
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden is the birthplace of the famous painter, Rembrandt. We saw the place where his family house once stood (now an open plaza). Rembrandt’s father was a miller. It is believed he operated the Molen De Put, a flour mill which stood across the bridge from the family home.
We visited the Young Rembrandt Studio to learn more about Rembrandt’s childhood and ended up with an interesting connection to the US. When the Pilgrims fled England, they moved to and lived in Leiden for over a decade. With growing concerns over war with Spain, the Pilgrims headed to America. One of Rembrandt’s childhood friends joined the Pilgrims on the Mayflower.
Light Festival Cruise - Amsterdam
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden, Netherlands
View from Burcht van Leiden
Leiden, Netherlands
Leiden is the birthplace of the famous painter, Rembrandt. We saw the place where his family house once stood (now an open plaza). Rembrandt’s father was a miller. It is believed he operated the Molen De Put, a flour mill which stood across the bridge from the family home.
We visited the Young Rembrandt Studio to learn more about Rembrandt’s childhood and ended up with an interesting connection to the US. When the Pilgrims fled England, they moved to and lived in Leiden for over a decade. With growing concerns over war with Spain, the Pilgrims headed to America. One of Rembrandt’s childhood friends joined the Pilgrims on the Mayflower.
Hotel
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.
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
Statistics
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Arnhem, Netherlands
Personal Highlights
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands