Holland in full bloom!
FABULOUSLY pancakeflat, pancakeflat scenic landscapes and stunning tulip gardens make the Netherlands a delight to explore, especially from the water.
A cruise here on a long, low river ship is a meander through a peaceful world — passing windmill after stately windmill and calling at historic settlements largely unchanged since the 17th-century, when Dutch merchants travelled the world in search of spices, silks and luxury goods.
While the watery wonderland of Amsterdam is where Rhine Gorge itineraries often start, in springtime river ships tend to linger locally to mosey around the dense network of rivers, inland seas and canals known as the Dutch waterways.
Cruises often centre on a visit to the Keukenhof — the largest, most beautiful flower garden in the world, where seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths appear from late March to mid-May.
Next year is the 70th anniversary of this extraordinary focus of flower power, celebrating a bloom the Dutch have been hooked on since the 1630s, when ‘tulip mania’ took hold in Holland.
Standing in the Keukenhof gardens you can see why. Sweeping arcs of glorious colour illuminate the 80acre landscape, the vivid swathes laid out in dazzling patterns amid the lakes, trees and pavilions.
It’s one of the wonders of the world, a true celebration of colour.
And it’s not the only awesome sight reached from these tranquil waterways, which feature strongly in next year’s river cruise programme from award-winning escorted tour operator Titan Travel.
BEGIN your Dutch discoveries in Amsterdam, where the 7,000 historic buildings remaining from the city’s golden age are best viewed from a tour boat on the narrow canals, just one of the included excursions in every Titan Dutch waterways cruise in 2019.
Must-sees include the Van Gogh museum, Anne Frank’s House, Rembrandt’s House and the Rijksmuseum, packed full of masterpieces. Or detour into one of the timeless and deliciously snug ‘brown cafes’ for the ultimate coffee-kick.
And there are some lovely smaller places to visit, such as Dordrecht, where you will find medieval churches, ancient monasteries and an old mayoral house with a gorgeous interior.
In the beautiful little city of Hoorn, a trading port at the time of the oncepowerful Dutch East India Company, the West Frisian Museum takes you on a walk back in time to 1650.
An excursion to Zaanse Schans reveals a village filled with historic windmills and centuries-old Dutch barns and houses, venues for cheese and clog-making demonstrations.
And in the authentic buildings of the Zuiderzee museum, you can hear, taste and smell the everyday life of yesteryear on what is now the dammed-off Ijsselmeer lagoon.
If you get the chance, don’t miss the Royal Delft Factory, the last remaining earthenware factory from the 17th century, where Delft Blue is still hand-painted.
And you’ll certainly want to see the most quintessentially Dutch sight of all — the Unesco World Heritage Kinderdijk, where 19 windmills are strung out on both sides of the canal. It’s a starkly beautiful area, with the 17th-century working windmills rising above the marshes and waterways like sentinels.
There’s so much heritage to experience on the picturesque Dutch waterways — and nowhere does spring quite as well. Plan a ravishing river cruise now and look forward to being dazzled and delighted by Holland’s heavenly tulips!