Believe Me! We Never Want to Leave Amsterdam, Netherlands & Brugge, Belgium

Katie Johnson
Sep 25, 2023
9 min read

At this point in our cruise, we have experienced Iceland's high prices and Norway's scenic views: now it's time to head farther south to the Netherlands and Belgium!

Back in Bryan's Norway post, he mentioned that we attended the ship's General Manager's lecture on his home country, the Netherlands! We already knew that the 10-hour port call in Amsterdam wasn't going to be long enough for us to fit in everything we wanted to do here, so a future trip was already in the back of our minds. Marc's lecture just confirmed this and we used that time to take notes to help us (me) plan that future trip!

One thing that Marc was quick to address is the confusion between "Holland" and "Netherlands." The country, Netherlands, is broken up into 12 provinces. Two of those provinces are the most visited in the country, North Holland and South Holland, thus people tend to refer to the country as "Holland" rather than the correct terminology "the Netherlands." (For those who read Bryan's post earlier, sorry for the repetitive information. It's an important distinction!)

Friday, September 15: Amsterdam, Netherlands

After learning so much from the General Manager, we were eager to get off the ship Friday morning to knock off some of our Amsterdam must-dos!

Amsterdam Centraal Station

Our eagerness had us off the boat by 7 am, where we realized most shops were still closed, so we used this time to explore the train and tram station (which we would need to use later in the day) and then walked to the nearest Starbucks for a cup of Joe and a new cup for our collection.

Bryan spotted that Pumpkin Spice Latte and his inner white girl couldn't resist!

Royal Palace Amsterdam: Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam

As we continued to walk around and pass time before the city woke up and opened, we also snapped some pictures in front of the Royal Palace. Later in the day, we would pass this exact spot and see it swarmed with people! (Note to other travelers- 8 am is the perfect time to get pictures without people!)

Lovers Canal Cruises Amsterdam

At 9:30 am, the Lovers Canal Cruise office opened and we were eagerly waiting out front to book our canal cruise! Amsterdam is famous for their canals, so we knew this would be the perfect way to see a lot of the city! We booked our cruise for 10 am and were some of the first people aboard, giving us the perfect seats at the back of the boat where we could see both sides of the canal from our open-air seats!

Here are a few fun facts we learned during our canal cruise:

Amsterdam is home to just over 1 million people today. While the city continues to grow, builders are not allowed to construct high rises. Buildings can’t be higher than the historical church in the downtown area, so the tallest buildings are four stories high!
The Canals of Amsterdam were originally used to protect the city during wars, for quick transportation around the city, and for trading merchant ships to get inland to the shopping areas. Today there are 160 canals in Amsterdam and over 1,700 bridges connecting the city's waterways and people!
Because Amsterdam's homes are historical, canal houses are not allowed to change the structure without city approval. Want to paint your house? Approval needed. Want to change the front door? Approval needed. Want to replace the leaking windows in your 3rd story? Approval needed.

Canal cruise ✅ Now off to our day's main attraction.

Van Gogh Museum

Growing up with an art teacher as a mother, there's no way I could go to the Netherlands and not experience SOME of the famous Dutch painters. So when I learned that there is an entire museum dedicated to Vincent Van Gogh, Bryan and I agreed this was a big must-do!

The Golden Age was famous for Dutch artists like Rembrandt and Vermeer, but Van Gogh is one of the world's most renowned artists ever, and his nephew dedicated his life to building the Van Gogh Museum here in Amsterdam to honor his late uncle.

Here are a few things we learned during our Van Gogh Museum Audio Tour:

Van Gogh wasn't a wealthy painter and to save money, he painted on the front and back of canvases while learning to build his own painting style.
Van Gogh's favorite models were field workers. This was due, in part, to his finances (models were expensive to hire) but Vincent also wrote to his brother explaining how he could capture emotions and the field workers' hard labor jobs in a single still portrait.
Van Gogh didn't sell very many paintings during his lifetime. His brother, Theo, was an art dealer and financially supported Vincent. Theo actually encouraged Vincent to grow his artistic talents and agreed to support him as a way to help Vincent become the world-famous artist he is known for today!
Vincent worked closely with Paul Gauguin, a French artist. Together these two men influenced each other's painting styles, and Gauguin even painted a portrait of Vincent (see it below!)
Gauguin and Van Gogh got into a huge fight, which led to Vincent cutting off his own ear. Vincent had written to his brother about his poor mental health for years, but this incident led Theo to rush to Vincent's side and console his brother.
Vincent's mental health continued to decline and he took his own life at age 37. Theo died a year later. Theo's wife, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, continued her husband's work and carefully traded and sold Vincent's paintings. It is thanks to Johanna's dedication to her brother-in-law's work that Vincent is as well-known as he is today.

Standing in front of Van Gogh's Sunflowers and his painting The Bedroom was awe-inspiring! Gosh, I wish my mom was with me! While this museum was packed with people, I was able to get inches away from these paintings and see Van Gogh's hearty paint strokes and gobs of paint!

Bryan and I spent hours in the Van Gogh Museum. We knew it would be a long visit, and we didn't feel rushed since we knew we had the entire afternoon dedicated to this unique art museum!

Athenaeum Boekhandel Spui en Nieuwscentrum

Afterward, we had to find our Dutch copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, so with a little bit of help from Google, Bryan got us to Athenaeum Boekhandel Spui en Nieuwscentrum, where we wandered our way through the shop until I found their small children's section.

Lucky for us, we found a Dutch copy (with a new version of cover art!) and got a preview of our French options! We only left with the Dutch copy, but at least we know what to look for when we visit France in the future!

Basilica of Saint Nicholas: Basiliek van de Heilige Nicolaas

We made our way back towards the ship with less than an hour left. Along the way, we paused for pictures and enjoyed walking along the canals and enjoying the bustling city. After touring much smaller cities thus far on our trip, we were happy to have a day in a hoppin' area. (I was also happy to spend the day without a jacket on! Oh, how I have missed the sun!)

Once back on board, it was time for drinks on the top deck as we left port! While cruising may not be the cheapest way to explore most of Europe, I could get used to bartenders serving us unlimited fruity drinks while we sit and waive at the peasants on land. (I say this, knowing we will be those peasants in the future!)

North Sea Canal: Noordzeekanaal

As we sat down to dinner, the ship began its journey through the North Sea Canal. Only a fourth of the size of the Panama Canal, the North Sea Canal is a shortcut connecting Amsterdam to the North Sea. I particularly enjoyed looking out the window as our cruise ship entered the canal and the doors closed. As we enjoyed our meal, the waters slowly rose so we could enter other parts of the canal! How cool!

Enjoy a good laugh as Bryan waves to the people (peasants) on the shore of the canal! Gosh, I love this man.

Saturday, September 16: Brugge, Belgium

After a good night's rest, it was time to knock out our final cruise port city: Brugge, Belgium. Sometimes written as Bruges or Brügge, this Belgian city is known for its Belgian waffles, its Belgian Chocolates, and its Belgian Beer. We were sure to try a little of everything while here!

But first: Christmas shops! Bryan spotted one Christmas tree in a window, so we had to go inside and check out all the German Christmas ornaments and Christmas candle carousels for sale! We even found a dentist ornament, but Bryan said we couldn't buy it until we were in "legit Germany or a legit Christmas Market." (His words, not mine.)

Church of Our Lady: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk

Not many people know that the Church of Our Lady in Brugge is home to an original Michelangelo! (I'm telling you, these last two cruise ports have been filled with art history!)

This 13th-century church has been restored several times, but we were able to see some of the original wall murals that remain from the 1200s. During the Middle Ages, the walls were often painted with images of saints and bible stories, and below you can see a picture of the remaining murals that were discovered in 2012 during the most recent restoration project.

Bryan and I haven't visited too many Cathedrals in Europe (yet) but I am always blown away by the lecterns. Compared to the lectern we saw in Ireland, the Church of Our Lady's lectern was meticulously detailed!

Around 1270, it was customary in Bruges to paint the inside of brick-lined graves. During the Middle Ages, the dead were often buried the same day they died, so the tomb painter had to work especially quickly as he freehand painted in the quick-drying lime. As a result, the drawings were quite rudimentary; they depict the virgin and child (at the foot of the grave), the crucified Christ (at the head,) and the side walls were adorned with angels holding incense burners to accompany the deceased's soul to heaven.

Michaelangelo’s Madonna is the only piece that he created that left Italy during his lifetime. In 1514, a few wealthy cloth merchants requested the statue's creation for the sum of 100 ducats (a year and a half's wages at the time) and Michaelangelo sculpted the Madonna and shipped it to Brugges for this church.

More notable is the sculpture's more recent history: During the French Revolution, the Madonna was confiscated and taken to Paris. When Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, the statue was returned to Bruges in 1816.

Then during WWII, the Madonna was looted for a second time when Hitler wanted it for his great museum in Linz, Austria. The allies, known as the Monuments Men, rescued the statue (along with many other precious artworks) from the Salt Mines of Altaussee in Austria and returned it to the Cathedral here in Brugge.

Belfry of Bruges: Belfort

As we continued our exploration of Brugge, we followed the Belfry Tower to the center of town! Spotted over many of the other buildings in Brugge, the Belfry was an iconic focal point to help center us and navigate the city's layout.

L'atelier Du Chocolat

But you can't visit Belgium without eating and drinking your way around town, so we were sure to stop into some of the local chocolate shops! While I'm not a big sweets person, walking into these tiny stores reminded me of those Valentine's boxes with mystery-filled chocolates. Never my thing, we passed on buying any, but boy did they smell good!

Waffle Bar Brugge

What I wasn't going to turn down was a true Belgian Waffle! Especially when I had the option of covering it in fresh strawberries and Nutella! Bryan got a Nutella and banana waffle, and neither disappointed! This fluffy, buttery waffle was just the lunch we needed!

Saint Saviour's Cathedral: Sint-Salvatorskathedraal

During our self-guided walking tour, we also found the Sint-Salvatorskathedraal. Since we had already visited THE church in Brugge, we skipped touring this parish, but the iconic steeple was another focal point on the city's skyline!

Bierpaleis

With the town tour completed, it was time to enjoy a true Belgian beer at an outdoor cafe! Bryan found "Beer Palace," a family-ran beer shop that had floor-to-ceiling Belgian Beer options! Bryan opted to try two popular beers on tap. I did help him drink them, but neither were up my alley.

One interesting thing about Belgian beers is that every beer comes in its own unique beer glass; when you order different beers, they're going to come in a variety of different glasses based on the company that produces it. For those thinking, I've never heard of any Belgian Beers, I bet you've heard of Anheuser-Busch InBev, a Belgian multinational beverage company that produces Budweiser, Busch, Natural Light, Corona, Modelo, and Michelob.

We ended our final day of the cruise with a delicious dinner in Hudson's and then a night walk around the ship's deck! The Norwegian Prima even has its own art walk on deck 7 filled with sculptures! What a way to end our artistic endeavor!