5. BELGIAN OLD TOWNS: GHENT OR BRUGES Spend the morning cruising along the Albert Canal and on into Zeeland, the Dutch province in the southwestern corner of the Netherlands, on the North Sea. You’ll pass old towns untouched by time; relaxing onboard your riverboat is the perfect way to take in the changing scene. Your ship arrives in the port city of Terneuzen midday. Disembark for your choice of excursions this afternoon. One possibility is a visit to the historic city of Ghent, arguably Belgium’s most beautiful city, for an old town walking tour; the pedestrian-friendly cobblestoned town center feels like an outdoor museum of early Flemish architecture. Think about climbing to the top of the 14th-century belfry, crowned with a dragon, for the view – Ghent laid out before you is a visual feast of castles, churches, and historic merchants’ houses. Be sure to try the local speciality, Ghent noses, a traditional raspberry candy sold at stands on the street – or a warm waffle with sugar or honey. Your other possibility for the afternoon is a visit to Bruges, known to many as “the Venice of the North,” for its canals and tiny medieval streets. On your walking tour in cobblestoned Bruges, you’ll feel like you’ve walked into a town in a fairy tale, or a painting by Van Eyck, who captured life in Bruges during its heyday. The hike up the stairs of the medieval bell tower is well worth the effort; you’ll be rewarded with wonderful panoramic views. After dinner tonight onboard your riverboat, the classical music group La Strada performs. Tonight chart a course for Dordrecht. Meals BLD
6. DUTCH HARBORS AND WINDMILLS This morning as you cruise in South Holland, you’ll dock in Dordrecht, an island city bordered by five rivers. The Dutch word
LIFE ON THE WATERWAYS is revealed through local feats of engineering on this
springtime riverboat cruise. Much of the Netherlands was under water during medieval times; more than half the country has been reclaimed from the sea since then, and is maintained by a drainage system of windmills, dikes, dams and canals, like those you’ll see in Maastricht, one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, which reveals its storied past in medieval fortifications, gateways, and buildings remarkably intact today. And you’ll see the village of Kinderdijk, home to 19 original windmills – the largest collection of windmills in an authentic polder setting in the world.
Stroll through historic town centers, like the Grand-Place in Brussels, where centuries of architectural styles tell the story of this once humble marketplace
Call your travel agent or Tauck at 877-519-1035
tauck.com/river-cruises 97
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