After our last night aboard our Avalon River Cruise Ship, we departed for the nearby town of Delft. We booked our hotel in the old town (http://www.museumhotels.nl/index.asp?taal=en) so walking to shops and restaurants would be a pleasant stroll over flower laden bridges and through charming winding lanes. Delft is delightful! Beautifully displayed storefront windows showcase baked goods, coffee and teas, housewares, pottery, cheese, ladies fashion and so much more. The narrow canals, complete with quacking ducks and swans, even have a few tiny tour boats! Some of the restaurants/cafes/pubs have outdoor dining on floating platforms! We had the good fortune to catch a bright sunny afternoon perfect for a waterside lunch "al fresco". That evening we had a spectacular dinner; afterwards we enjoyed a quiet stroll admiring the town illuminated by street lanterns and softly lit shop windows.
The next day we took a drive to The Hague...the name is synonymous with the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. It is also the seat of Government for The Netherlands (even though Amsterdam is the capital). While the city has its charming points, with the King's offices located in The Hague at Noordeinde Palace, I still prefer the quaint town of Delft.
Delft, I will be back!! Tot Straks ("See you soon" in Dutch)
Amsterdam is a city full of history. We visited Amsterdam many years ago and had a great experience walking around the various parts of the city, enjoying great meals and excellent beers. Our hotel (at that time the Jolly Carlton Hotel, now known as the NH Carlton Amsterdam) was very near the floating flower market so it was a daily routine to stroll and step aboard to enjoy the beautiful floral arrangements. One evening we were enjoying a rather pleasant walk not paying attention to where we were going; we suddenly looked around and realized we had walked to a very wooded/forested area near a parkway. We had no idea where we were, no how to pronounce the street name of our hotel. Luckily in those days, your room key had the hotel name and address. We showed it to one couple who, without speaking any of the same languages, walked us to the bus stop and waited for the bus with us to tell the bus driver where to let us off. A little uneasy that we were lost, but grateful that strangers were kind enough to guide us. A short bus ride later, we were directed to exit and walk straight ahead. We walked a few blocks and found our hotel - "yeah" we said with a sigh of relief! We had not realized that Amsterdam is a series of rings of land and canals and we must have zig-zagged away from the city center. Anyway, all went well, because here I am 20 years later and writing about that experience as well as my most recent visit to Amsterdam!
Amsterdam was the port of disembarkation on our Avalon River Cruise this summer (2015). The city was an overnight stop so there was a full day to enjoy Amsterdam's sights before disembarking the following morning.
As was for each port of call, a tour of Amsterdam was included - but this one was by water. Gently bobbing in the canal, we passed under old stone bridges, photographed centuries old leaning houses with pretty shutters and were amazed at the hundreds of bicycles traversing the streets at any one moment and marveled at the sight of a parking lot just for bicycles.
It was a Monday morning and the streets were humming with cars, bikes, scooters and pedestrians; they were seamlessly intertwining as if a perfectly choreographed ballet.
After the canal tour, we walked for a few hours down twisty-turvy lanes, over bridges, through the main rail station (I love them!), along a section of waterfront and back to the ship to rest our tired feet. We were happy to be off the organized mayhem that is today's Amsterdam city center....I guess if one lives there, you become one with the heartbeat and pulse of the city. A morning's visit was more like a rapid out-of-synch heartbeat!
The city does provide opportunities for wonderful photos - here are mine! Zo Lang (So Long in Dutch)
Camille
We decided that a day road trip was in order....but where to go? One of our travel books had made nice mention of a town called Lorca, which wasn't too far of a drive. And as it would happen, I was reading up on Spain's Paradores (see note below) and one just happen to be located in Lorca. Lorca it would be. I'm a late starter (I've gotten used to Spanish time and culture) and after a relaxed morning coffee off we were to Lorca. It was a pretty ride that climbed and curved along the foothills of the mountains all the while catching glimpses of the sparkling sea below. We arrived to Lorca about 12:30pm, too early for lunch but just enough time to tour the castle. The Parador of Lorca is a modern design 4-star spa hotel set into the rampart wall of the castle. We parked the car and walked up towards the castle and parador. We decided to walk right to the parador and check it out...it was lovely! The views of the town below and mountains beyond were beautiful. It had a calming "zen" sort of feeling. The lobby reception area was like a new-build castle; the clean straight stone walls and floors, with soaring ceilings gave the area a regal feeling in a modern way. We asked reception if the dining room was open for lunch, "yes", could non-guests make reservations, "yes" and so it was that dining reservations were made. It was too early for lunch (it opens at 1:30pm) so we decided to take the castle tour. The castle built between the 9th and 15th centuries and was a strategic point during the Spain's move to expel the Moors. The castle features a tower that can be climbed to enjoy 360 degree views of the surrounding landscape. The tower did suffer some earthquake damage in 2011 but restorative work has been completed. The hand-held guide provided interesting facts and tidbits about the castle during the hour-plus tour. By the time the tour was completed, we were in perfect time for lunch at just past 2pm.
We arrived back to the parador's dining room and were surprised to find we were the only ones! As we scanned over the menu, we talked and hoped that the hotel and dining room was not suffering from lack of guests. Our ordered bottles of water and wine arrived to the table along with a "taster" from the kitchen - delicious! When our beautifully presented appetizers arrived, I thought enough to photograph it...wish I had remembered to do the same as the main meal and dessert arrived! Oh well....
The meal was absolutely wonderful and the service professional but warm. To our amazement, as we looked around at some point during our meal, the dining room was filled and there was a convention group of about 100 making use of the outdoor dining! We were thrilled to know business was bustling.
And as it is so often, we lingered over the meal and by the time lunch was over, the other museum we wanted to visit was closed until 4:30pm. It was too long to wait around for the opening and then follow through with a tour, and since the clocks had already moved back (a week earlier in Europe) we preferred not to drive on unfamiliar roads under a night sky. However, we will go back to Lorca to stay at the Parador, make good use of the spa facilities and visit the two museums dedicated to hand embroidered religious garments (Paso Blanco and Paso Azul) - guide books say it is well worth the visit.
In the meantime, here are a few of the photos of our day....
Paradores de Turismo de España is a chain of Spanish luxury hotels. It was founded by Alfonso XIII of Spain as a means to promote tourism in Spain, with the first opening in Gredos, Ávila, in 1928. A profitable state-run enterprise, the hotels are often in castles, palaces, fortresses, convents, monasteries and other historic buildings. The Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos in Santiago de Compostela is considered to be one of the oldest continuously operating hotels in the world, and one of the finest Spanish Paradors. For more info on the Paradores: http://www.parador.es/en
