Keukenhof Gardens and Volendam

During our Rhine River cruise aboard Uniworld's River Empress, we had the opportunity to visit the Keukenhof Gardens and Volendam.

Keukenhof Gardens is located an hour southwest of Amsterdam and is the largest bulb flower park in the world; there are 7 million bulbs, of which 4.5 million are tulips, planted by hand on 70 acres! Given that it is only open for two months each year, we were lucky to be able to visit. Although we were there in late March, which is early in the season, I was struck by its beauty and design. I was told during my visit that the best time to see the gardens is at the end of April. My feeling is that you won't be disappointed whenever you go.

Although many of the tulips and other flowers weren't yet blooming outside in the gardens, Steve and I saw many colorful flowers in all their glory in the Willem-Alexander Pavilion including fiery tulips that I had never seen before, gorgeous lilies, and bright pink and blue hyacinths and hydrangeas. Keukenhof Gardens is also the largest sculpture park in the Netherlands and Steve, who is the photographer in the family, took many wonderful photos of the sculptures framed by lovely garden landscapes.

I was so excited to see so many tulips, I couldn't resist buying a collection of 105 exotic tulip bulbs; in October I expect to receive 15 Angelique, 15 Blue Heron, 15 West Point, 15 Flaming Parrot, 15 Princess Charmante, 15 Prinses Irene and 15 Captein's Favourite bulbs complete with instructions. Maybe I'm being silly but somehow I thought I was buying the "real thing" at Keukenhof Gardens. I can't wait to see how these tulips will flourish in my very own garden.

From Keukenhof Gardens, we took a motorcoach to Volendam, an idyllic fishing village whose early Dutch character has been well preserved.

The high point of my visit was to dress up in traditional Dutch clothing, complete with the high pointed bonnet. When asked whether I wanted to take my photo in a kitchen scene or among fishing nets, I chose the fishing nets because the kitchen would be too much out of character. Steve is the chef in the family and he won't even allow me to go in the kitchen!

After visiting some of the shops, we made our way to the Doolhof, which is a labyrinth of intimate streets that wind through the cluster of cottages nestled along the water. While I was making my way through the narrow streets, I couldn't help thinking about the advantages of a laid-back, uncomplicated lifestyle.

It was windy along the water as we walked to the River Empress which had left Amsterdam earlier in the day to meet us at Volendam. It was gusty enough to turn my cheap umbrella inside out and render it useless. Thank God the River Empress had good-quality umbrellas for our use while we were on board.

More photos of Keukenhof Gardens and Volendam

Holland in Days Gone By

One of the many benefits of river cruising is that there is a shore excursion at each port included in the price of the cruise. As experienced ocean cruisers will tell you, shore excursions can be very pricey. As a Cruise Diva, I can tell you that the major cruise lines make a lot of money selling shore excursions to passengers. So it's reassuring to know that when you're on a river cruise, there will always be a shore excursion included in every port that will at least give you an interesting overview of the city or village that you're visiting.

On our cruise aboard Uniworld's River Empress, our included shore excursion in Amsterdam was a visit to the Anne Frank House and a canal cruise and I enjoyed them both. That being said, Uniworld offered an optional tour to Zaanse Schans which cost 49€ and I was happy that I spent the money to visit this charming village on the banks of the river Zaan.

When I entered Zaanse Schans I felt like I was transported back in time to Holland as it was in the 17th and 18th centuries. Though it's often referred to as an open-air museum, Zaanse Schans is actually a living, working hamlet where the traditional crafts of the region are still practiced.

It was unbelievable but we actually had the opportunity to visit an industrial windmill where peanut oil is being made to this day and to chat with the resident windmill operator. He really did look like a throwback from days gone by. It's too bad I forgot to ask him if he was still having fun. After looking at all of the huge cogs, wheels and machinery in the windmill, I left thinking that it must be the world's most complicated way to produce peanut oil.

After the windmill, we were whisked to the cheese factory where a sweet young Dutch girl showed us how to make Gouda cheese. After the demonstration, we indulged in a Gouda cheese tasting frenzy, trying everything from natural Gouda, Gouda with herbs and garlic, Gouda with cumin seeds and Gouda with pesto.

We were then escorted to the wooden shoe factory where I was lucky to get a front row seat to watch the wooden shoe-making demonstration. Although you might think it's difficult to carve a wooden shoe there were two machines that did it in no time flat. There was one that carved the outside of the shoe from a block of wood and another that carved a hole in the inside of the shoe where you would put your foot. And, of course, there was the opportunity to buy wooden shoes in any color and style that your heart desired. I tried one on but found it to be uncomfortable. The trick is that you need to wear heavy socks and buy a shoe that is one size larger than your normal size.

The most fun moment for me was watching my husband play on a pair of stilts -- by God I didn't know he had it in him!

More photos of Zaanse Schans

Amsterdam is a Trip!

I've always wanted to go to Amsterdam because it had the reputable of being a free-thinking city where people were much more open about sexuality than they are in the U.S. Let me just say that I was not disappointed. I think that Europeans in general are more comfortable discussing sex than Americans but the Dutch take it to a whole new level. I have never seen so many shops selling sex toys, IPod vibrators, magic mushrooms, aphrodisiacs and fancy condoms.

Although Rik Sprengers, our Cruise Director on Uniworld's River Empress, told us that all drugs are technically illegal in The Netherlands, you don't find anybody getting arrested for smoking pot in Amsterdam. In fact, many Dutch openly indulge in cannabis and according to Rik, one can buy up to five grams for personal use at a "coffee shop" and grow up to three plants for personal use. There are also no shortage of shops in Amsterdam that sell smoking paraphernalia. As for me, I'll stick with my glass of buttery Chardonnay when it's time to relax.

Do you suppose that the Dutch inclination to enjoy life has anything to do with the fact that 40% of their country is below sea level?

There are bicycles everything in Amsterdam and it's important to watch where you're going. I had two very close encounters with bicycles that seemingly came out of nowhere. I noticed that most of the bikes lying around were old and rusty and thought to myself that it was a good thing that Amsterdam is flat because these bikes would fall apart going up even a small hill. I later found out that people use old bikes in Amsterdam because theft is a real problem.

The excursions that were included in our cruise were a tour of the Anne Frank House, which was a moving experience and a canal boat tour of Prinsengracht and Keizergracht, two of Amsterdam's main canals which were dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age. Along the canals we saw stately tall narrow homes built wall-to-wall; the reason they were built so narrow is because people were taxed based on the width of their homes. We learned that the only way furniture could be moved in and out of these homes was with a hoist located near the roof. No wonder people keep these homes in their families for generations -- it would be a real pain in the neck to move!

More photos of Amsterdam

The River Empress -- She's Got Personality!

I can't believe it has been nearly a month since my last posting. I came back from my river cruise on the Rhine and promptly got buried in work. Now it's time to take a breath and report on the River Empress and all of her charms.

This was the first cruise of the season for the River Empress and she has just been through a makeover. Our group was the first to occupy the newly re-decorated staterooms and they are beautifully furnished and cozy. The bathroom is gorgeous but small and very large people will find it difficult to negotiate the shower stall. I fell in love with the L'Occitane hair and body products. There was plenty of closet space for both me and Steve on this seven-day cruise and our large suitcases easily fit under the bed. The bed was comfortable but I would have preferred one duvet instead of two; each of us had our own duvet so it was harder to snuggle with Steve. Given that Uniworld caters to the North American market, I wish there had been more American-style electrical outlets.

The food was excellent and I particularly enjoyed the "Zaanse" Mustard Soup with Garlic Croutons and Chives, the Creamy Carrot-Ginger Cappuccino Soup, Roasted Rack of Lamb and German Apfelstrudel. Regional specialties that were served for dinner during the week were Potato Pancake Lasagna, Dutch Crepe, Kirschplotzer, Rheinischer Herring Salad and Rheinischer Sauerbraten. Good wine was generously poured during dinner; in fact, since my glass was always full it was easy for me to fool myself into believing that I wasn't drinking very much. Our Restaurant Manager, Lajos Palotasi and Executive Chef, Ratislav Bekes, were very attentive to our culinary desires and would often point out dishes on the menu during dinner and in the buffet during lunch they thought we would like.

Our Cruise Manager, Rik Sprengers, was very charming and funny. In the Dutch language, the letter 'g' is pronounced like a guttural 'h' and Rik gave us all sore throats while helping us to pronounce Van Gogh in Dutch and say Good Morning (Goedemorgen) in Dutch. In addition to the free language lessons, Rik gave his guests a personal complimentary tour of Amsterdam's Red Light District. How many Cruise Directors do you know who would do that? He tantalized us throughout the tour by making us wonder how he knew so much about the Red Light District, i.e. how much it cost for the different types of services and how much the ladies had to pay to rent their rooms, etc. It turns out that there is some kind of official "office" in the Red Light District where you can go to inquire about pricing and services. Prostitution is legal and regulated in Amsterdam and the prices are fixed.

Altogther the cruise was a fantastic experience. The crew felt like family, the onboard lectures were fascinating and we never had to wait in line to be seated in the dining room or to embark or debark the ship. It also helps that I was traveling with a fun-loving group of fellow Cruise Holidays franchisees and we were hosted by Uniworld Sales Manager Kathie Weitzman, who was the quintessential gracious hostess. Here is a photo taken on the last night of our cruise:

More photos of the River Empress

Cruising on the Rhine on the River Empress

On Saturday I'm off to Amsterdam for a river cruise on the Rhine on Uniworld's River Empress. The cruise on this 134-passenger boutique-hotel style ship will be a vastly different experience than a cruise on a large resort cruise ship with over 2,500 passengers. I embark in Amsterdam on March 28 and for the next seven days, my floating hotel will take me to the heart of Volendam, Arnhem, Cologne, Mainz and Frankfurt.

On most large cruise ships, you don't see much while you're cruising because you're either at sea or too far away from land to see much of anything. But I expect to be surrounded by a stunning, castle-dotted landscape as I cruise through the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. I plan to find a comfortable perch in the Sky Lounge where I can just relax and soak up the scenery.

On the River Empress, I know I won't find numerous dazzling entertainment venues or a giant fitness center with the latest leading-edge equipment because there just isn't room for these amenities on a 134-passenger ship that's only 360 feet long and 37 feet wide. That's okay with me because I can easily find these things at home. What I can't do at home is travel back in time in the comfort of an elegant floating hotel and experience the exhilaration of turning a corner on a cobble-stoned street and coming upon an awe-inspiring UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Meeting the Locals in New England and Canada

I think cruising is the most hassle-free way to travel because you don't even have to think about how you're going to get to the numerous destinations you want to see because your floating hotel will get you there and you only have to unpack once. However, once you get to that place you've spent hours reading and dreaming about, do you often feel rushed to see all the things you want to see because you'll be in port for just a few hours?

On the Cruise Holidays Client Appreciation Cruise to Canada and New England on September 12-26, I'm going to take a different approach. Although I've planned an authentic tour of Québec City while we're there, Québec At Its Finest, I haven't planned any group shore excursions for the other ports of call.

I will be participating in the Rotary International Conference in Montréal in June and while I'm there I know I will be meeting some very interesting people from Québec,the Canadian Maritime Provinces and New England who will have intimate knowledge of our ports of call. So, I'm thinking that I will cultivate some friendships at the conference and ask questions about where the locals go and what they do in such places as Bar Harbor, Portland, Halifax and Charlottetown. Then I could potentially organize an event that would be more fun than being hauled around in a motor coach. I don't know about you but I would much prefer to feel like I'm part of a place even though I'm there for only a short time rather than feeling like I'm on the outside looking in.

Come Celebrate Autumn With Me!

I've always wanted to visit New England during autumn to see the beautiful fall foliage. The closest I came to actually doing it was when my friend Lew Hollerbach took me up in a small plane one afternoon while I was in Boston for a short time some five or six years ago. If my memory serves me right, we launched our flight from Minute Man Air Field in Stow, MA and flew to Laconia Municipal Airport near Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. I had a lot of fun that day and wonder why it has taken me so long to go back to this very colorful and historic Northeastern corner of our wonderful country.

I'm going back and I'm inviting you to go with me. Steve and I and my colleague, Jackie Roberts, are cruising on the Celebrity Summit from September 12-26, 2010 and believe me, we'll have the opportunity to do some serious leaf peeping on this trip including stops in Newport, Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor, Halifax, Québec City and Charlottetown.

We have a special excursion planned in Québec City exclusively for our group that begins with a lovely stroll through Québec City followed by a trip to Montmorency Falls and lunch featuring local delicacies at Auberge La Goéliche on Ile d’Orléans. On this excursion we will have a guide from Québec City, an authentic Québécois or Québécoise. However, I'm currently working hard on my French conversation skills so that you will have a second French-speaking guide who promises to make you laugh.