Rotterdam, Netherlands

Sat, July 13

Having been in Amsterdam last year when we visited a working windmill, our choice this time was to tour the The Hague and the Delft factory.

Rotterdam was heavily bombed in 1940 resulting in the medieval heart of the city being almost totally burned to the ground. So in contrast to many other cities in Europe with very old buildings, the inhabitants of Rotterdam are very proud of their modern ones.

En route, we passed lowland countryside dotted with farms, flower fields, cattle and sheep. We only saw a few windmills and we were told that diesel pumps move water nowadays and consequently, many windmills were destroyed. However the remaining ones are now protected as a symbol of Holland’s past.

Our coach took us to The Hague, which is the seat of government even though Amsterdam is the capital. The Hague is also the principal address of the Royal family and the United Nations International Court of Justice. We stopped to see the Peace Palace built in 1913.

Along the way to Delft, we saw many people on bicycles, which is a favourite mode of transport. Bicycle paths are everywhere and can be identified by their red paving. Only bikes and motor scooters are allowed to use them and they have their own sets of traffic lights. They have right of way over pedestrians and bike helmets are not compulsory. Boats are to be seen along all the canals and permanent house boats are lined up along the banks. Everyone who has a boat pays water tax by the square metre according to the size of the boat.

We were given a guided tour of De Porceleyne Fles (Royal Delft Factory) and it was very interesting to see a painter at work on a plate, which is a 10 year apprenticeship. Two types of porcelain are produced – hand painted or by transfers. In the case of the transfer, it is applied to the article and when it is baked at approx 1160oC, the transfer melts on to it. We saw examples of both and it wasn’t easy for an untrained eye to spot the difference; but it is quite evident when you go to pay in the gift store which one is done by hand!!

On a different subject, it has been interesting to see how the oceans have changed colour – we have gone from light green around Dubai followed by the sparkling sapphire blue of the Mediterranean to a curious navy/black colour in the North Sea.

View of Rotterdam from the ship

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Peace Palace

Boats on the canal – houseboats are moored on the left hand side

Delft factory

The mould and various stages in producing porcelain

Delft

London

Fri, July 12

Today we experienced London, with a difference. Not just any impersonal excursion for us – but a very enjoyable personalised city tour with our friends from Manchester, Ian and Jane, whom we had met on a previous cruise around Australia and New Zealand.

After setting off from their home at 4.00am, they met us about 5 hours later at Dover and we were whisked off in their car for a whirlwind tour of London, all the while catching up on all our news.

Blackwall Tunnel took us to London’s East End and the Jewish Quarter, then the Financial District, Trafalgar Square, Harrods, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, museums, Downing St, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, Big Ben and the list goes on, plus all the bridges – each of which Ian crossed twice to ensure we got good photos!

Jane thought of everything and even provided lunch ‘”on the go”” as we didn’t realise it is all but impossible to drive into London and park somewhere!

Then on to Canterbury to see the Cathedral and a walk around the town, before stopping for a “cup of tea”. In keeping with my interest in trying some local food, I was quite excited to see Eton Mess on the menu, something which I had only read about. Needless to say, it was delicious and reminded me of pavlova with strawberries and cream which we enjoy in Australia, only all mixed up together in a glass.

We arrived back at the ship just in time to board at 6.30pm and reluctantly waved goodbye as we set sail at 7.00pm, clutching a bag of English chocolates which they thoughtfully gave us as a parting gift. We had a wonderful day and so we say thanks and au revoir. Today was certainly a highlight of our vacation.

Canterbury

White cliffs of Dover

This post is dedicated to our good friends, Ian and Jane. Thanks guys, for going out of your way to make our day so memorable and enjoyable. We appreciate your friendship and hope to see you again in the not-too-distant future.

France

Thurs, July 11

What to do in France? We were very fortunate on our river cruise last year to stay in Paris for 3 days, so we decided to go somewhere completely different this time, which is the only reason we chose to go to Honfleur. We had never heard of this village, so did not realise what a treat was in store for us.

We set off from the port of Le Havre by coach into the Normandy countryside on a lovely warm morning, meandering through some of the surrounding villages. We saw beautiful gardens and thatched roof cottages, some of which had irises growing in the thatch.

Eventually we arrived at the 13th century Norman fishing village which is also a popular yacht harbour, where our guide took us on a walking tour of its picturesque cobbled streets, 17th century salt warehouse now used for exhibitions and concerts, boutiques and traditional craft shops and works by Honfleur’s famous painter, Eugene Boudin. We also saw the remains of the old prison and Saint Catherine’s Church, a 15th century church built by shipwrights. Today, it is the largest wooden church with a separate bell-tower in France.

One of my photos shows a narrow street with the sewer running down the centre, so people had to walk close to the walls to avoid the contents of buckets which were emptied from the upstairs windows. The village square had lots of outdoor tables and chairs and I was sorry that I did not have time to sit a while at the table with the fancy chairs with a glass of wine in hand!

Honfleur is famous for apple cider and caramels so they were easy choices for souvenirs, plus a small drawing of the port bought from the artist himself. I could not leave France without a stop at the patisserie, and came out with a bag of 6 delicious French pastries for 2 Euros – what a bargain!

Our tour concluded with a drive over the new Normandy Bridge, the largest of its kind in Europe, spanning the Seine estuary before making our way back to Le Havre.

My impressions of Honfleur – charming and delightful and a little gem we would love to visit again someday…..