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only the foolhardy step onto the street
without checking bikes approaching usually
at the speed of the Tour de France.
Dordrecht—another picturesque Dutch town
—is surrounded by water and linked by
bridges, a mini-Amsterdam with tall gabled
houses (many leaning perilously), quirky
corners with alms houses and museums. The
voyage had begun, though, in Antwerp.
Flanders is a county, a region and a language
of northern Belgium whose official capital
(and the country's) is Brussels. Its unofficial
capital, however, is Antwerp, the heart and
soul of Flemish culture. It's still the world's
diamond centre and already had 40% of the
trade by the start of the 16th century (they cut
their first diamond here in 1476). It was a
major port by the 13th century dealing in
wool, sugar and banking and with prosperity
came the rise of the arts (think Peter Paul
Rubens and Anthony van Duke), printing,
architecture and religion. There's a stunning
Gothic cathedral, a cobbled market square
with narrow winding streets and lots and lots
of chocolate shops (they produce 172,000
tons annually). We criss-crossed the border
with Germany a couple of times, too, to cities
like Aachen—most definitely not like those
pretty Dutch towns, having been flattened by
bombing during the war. Aachen does,
though, have one building that really is a
must-see. Charlemagne's cathedral is one of
Europe's oldest and the burial place of the
Emperor who died here in 814. The
magnificent golden catafalque contains some
of the emperor's remains as others (including
his head) were taken elsewhere to be used as
holy relics. They've never tested the remains
for DNA but have examined them and they
certainly match Charlemagne's dates and
what was known of him. For his time, he was
both extremely tall and lived to an unusually
old age. The glittering mosaics and lofty
Gothic choir with its immense stained-glass
windows make for a suitably imperial resting
place.
Wesel is another German city that was almost
totally destroyed in World War II and just
Images Clockwise: Hoofdtoren,
The Netherlands; tulips in a Dutch
countryside, The Netherlands
Rotterdam
LEK
MEUSE
Hoorn
Dordrecht
Wesel
Antwerp
Maastricht
Nijmegen
N o r t h
S ea
BELGIUM
THE NETHERLANDS
GERMANY
WAAL
AMSTERDAM-RIJNKANAAL
IJSSEL
SCHELDE
RHINE
Amsterdam
Kinderdijk
The Hague
Brussels
Bruges
Ghent
–
Cruise
••
O vernight in Por t
VIEW
VOYAGE
GETTING THERE: Consider our 10-day
Holland & Belgium itinerary, from
Amsterdam to Antwerp or vice versa.
outside the town, Xanden has the evidence of a
far earlier military force. An entire Roman city is
in the process of being excavated and, in large
measure, reconstructed – there is, for instance,
a vast amphitheatre and a hotel for travellers
brave enough to visit this far-flung outpost of
the empire, complete with its own baths.
And finally, we reach Amsterdam, a city that
cannot fail to delight. The best way to get to
know it is on a canal cruise that takes you
around the historic centre, view its tall gaunt
houses, towering above the water. For
art-lovers, the Rijksmuseum is a highlight with
vast paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer, as
well as Van Gogh (who has his own museum
nearby). There are tours to the Anne Frank
museum and the city's Jewish quarter. And
the city is full of charming corners, like
Jordaan with its markets and antiques centre
and indie boutiques, organic food and quirky
galleries. The jewel in the crown of this
voyage, many guests unsurprisingly stayed on
in the city to explore its delights for a few
more days.
Explore: Amsterdam
