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| Day 1 |
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Depart U.S.
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Depart the U.S. on your flight to Amsterdam, Holland
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| Day 2 |
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Hortus Botanical Garden * Museums
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Arrive at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, transfer to the welcome center and enjoy a day on your own before boarding your river cruise ship. Stroll along the canals that weave through this delightful 700-year-old capital, stop at one of the canal side cafés, visit the Hortus Botanical Garden or tour the diamond-cutting workshops. Perhaps visit one of the city’s renowned museums such as the Rijksmuseum, which houses a distinguished collection of Rembrandt and other golden-age masterworks, the Van Gogh Museum, or the Anne Frank House. In the later afternoon, board your ship and meet your fellow passengers at a cocktail reception and welcome dinner. D MS Amadagio
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| Day 3 |
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Tour Volendam * Port town of Enkhuizen
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Enjoy a morning cruise by canal boat through the historic canals of Amsterdam, past the gabled facades of 16th- and 17th-century buildings. Return to your ship, which cruises out of Amsterdam Harbour and up the Ijsselmeer to Volendam for your tour of several historic ports on the old Zuider Zee. After a walking tour of Volendam, continue by coach to the village of Edam, famous for its wonderful cheese, and then through an area of abundant tulip fields. Take a walk through the charming port town of Enkhuizen, with its narrow cobblestone streets and meandering canals. Your ship will meet you in Enkhuizen, where you’ll reboard for dinner and the night. B/L/D MS Amadagio
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| Day 4 |
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Arnheim * Airborne Museum Hartenstein * Captain Gala's Dinner
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Arrive early this morning in Arnheim, the site of one of the major tragedies of World War II. Tour the Airborne Museum Hartenstein, which recounts the Battle of Arnheim, which leveled the town in 1944 and cost the lives of 17,000 British soldiers. After the museum tour return to your ship and spend a leisurely afternoon and evening aboard cruising through Holland and into Belgium. The Captain’s Gala Dinner will be held tonight. B/L/D MS Amadagio
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| Day 5 |
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Antwerp * Grote Market * Brussels * Grand Palace
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This morning enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of Antwerp, a cosmopolitan city and one of Europe’s most important seaports. See the Grote Markt with its beautiful Renaissance city hall, and the Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady, described as “lace in stone.” The afternoon is free to explore Antwerp on your own or take an optional excursion to nearby Brussels, the Belgian capital, to see the exuberantly ornate guild houses that line the historic square known as the Grand’ Place (WHS), as well as the Royal Palace and some of the many art nouveau houses in the city’s residential neighborhoods. After a short trip back to Antwerp you’ll have dinner aboard and will cruise up the beautiful tidal River Nederschelde to Ghent. B/L/D MS Amadagio
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| Day 6 |
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Tour Ghent * Bruges * Beguinages
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Disembark after breakfast for a guided sightseeing tour of Ghent, a jewel of a city that has managed to modernize and yet to preserve its historic flavor. The impressive city center evidences the wealth and power of medieval Flanders in its City Hall, 13th-century bell tower, and the art-filled Cathedral of St. Baaf. This afternoon is free to explore Ghent on your own or take an optional excursion to Bruges (WHS), one of Europe’s most perfectly preserved medieval cities, to see the harmonious mixture of Gothic and neo-Gothic buildings with a network of canals and one of the famed Béguinages (WHS), religious communities of women founded in the Middle Ages. Return to your ship for dinner and the night. B/L/D MS Amadagio |
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| Day 7 |
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Delta Works * Willemstad * Kinderdijk
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This morning you’ll sail through the Dutch region of Zeeland, arriving at the Delta Works, a system of moveable barriers to prevent storm surges from the area’s four great sea-arms from flooding the countryside and disrupting Rotterdam Harbor. Planned after the major flood of 1953, it was created to prevent another such disaster. Then you’ll stop in the lovely town of Willemstad for a walking tour and spend some free time to shop or explore on your own. During lunch continue cruising to Dordrecht, one of the oldest towns in Holland, and the 18th-century windmills of Kinderdijk (WHS) that dot the lush green countryside. Tonight, enjoy a musical performance on board. B/L/D MS Amadagio
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| Day 8 |
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Utrecht * Keukenhof Gardens
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Leave Dordrecht early in the morning and cruise along the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, which takes you to the ancient university town of Utrecht. Disembark for a morning excursion to the famous Keukenhof Gardens to see a spectacular display of colorful tulips and daffodils. Keukenhof also offers several lakes, sculpture gardens, greenhouses and terraces, as well as a windmill open for inspection. Return to your ship in Amsterdam for dinner and the night. B/L/D MS Amadagio
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| Day 9 |
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Depart Amsterdam
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After breakfast, disembark this morning and transfer to the airport for your return flight to the U.S. (Extra nights are available if you wish to extend your stay in Europe.) B
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