Andrea’s Thoughts: Better Late than Never to The Netherlands

As the world started to fall apart in February 2020, I was all but certain it would not impact our trip to Belgium and The Netherlands. April was a couple of months away, and there was plenty of time for things to settle down. As we all know now, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Two years later we decided to try again. This time, however, there was a little more apprehension. Would we have to quarantine upon arrival? Where would we get our COVID tests in The Netherlands to return to the US? What were the rules for masking? Would we make our connecting flight in Chicago?

The morning of our departure we woke up early to walk to the train station. To my shock it was raining. What are the odds that it would be raining in drought stricken California? We then took an Uber to the train station and then the train to SFO. During our long journey to the airport, we were notified our flight to Chicago was delayed. This was not good as we only had an hour layover. We were both a little stressed about missing our connecting flight.

To try to calm my worries, I spoke with a flight attendant when we finally got on the plane about how quickly we could get to our next gate. The attendant said it wasn’t close, and we would need to hustle. I made some comment that I didn’t think my dad could hustle, and she asked if he needed a wheelchair. I found that humorous. Luckily, even with an extended delay, my dad in fact was able to hustle, and we made our connecting flight. Barely. Our next stop Ghent, Belgium. 

Upon our arrival in Ghent, the first stop on our journey, we decided to walk to our Airbnb instead of taking the tram. This probably wasn’t the best idea as pulling a suitcase and carrying backpacks on cobblestones for miles is rather uncomfortable. But at last we arrived and sneaked into our Airbnb an hour before our arrival time. As a rule follower I did not approve of this, but I wasn’t going to stand outside with my bags and protest.  Inside we found a beautiful apartment with one bed. I ended up sleeping on a futon using a towel for a blanket. Thanks to jet-lag, I didn’t mind. My dad, however, felt disappointed since the apartment had advertised two beds. You apparently need to specifically request the bedding for the second bed, or you’re stuck with a towel.

We spend the day and evening exploring the city. It is a beautiful city, especially at night with the buildings all lit up. It also wasn’t overly touristy, which is what we experienced the next day when we went to Bruges. Bruges is a charming city full of canals, narrow alleyways, and tourists. During our day there we walked every inch of the city. We did enjoy a canal ride and climbed the spiral, narrow steps to the top of the Belfry for a lackluster view of the city square. We also ate the most delicious Belgian waffles. There is just something about a Belgian waffle topped with caramel and whipped cream which isn’t overly sweetened like you would find in America. It was worth the trip. After walking 10 miles through the cobblestone city, we returned to Ghent and prepared for our journey to Zaandam the following day. 

The journey to Zaandam, The Netherlands, was going to take a couple hours and three different trains. With our first connection being tight, once again, I felt stressed about missing our first connection. To my disappointment, we did. Just like our flight to Chicago, our train was delayed. This left us waiting an hour in the Antwerp train station to catch another train. Luckily for my dad, they had a Starbucks. The architecture of the station was beautiful. Nothing compares to European architecture. We finally boarded our train and got our next connection in The Netherlands without incident. 

Our hotel in Zaandam was quite unique, a modern, Picasso style looking hotel. Half of the wall between the bathroom and the main room was glass tiles. This is a terrible design, especially when I go to bed early, and my dad goes to bed late. Turning on the light in the bathroom was like turning on the light in the main room. However, I was excited to sleep on a proper bed with proper bedding. After we pushed the beds apart, (for some reason European beds are often right next to each other) we set out to explore the area. It quickly proved to be a little disappointing. Luckily we chose it for the convenience of getting into Amsterdam. Equally, we were on a canal and had the option to also take a ferry into the city, which we did later. 

The main purpose of our trip to The Netherlands was to see the tulips at Kuekenhof Gardens. As the person responsible for planning our journey there, I once again felt stressed (do you sense a theme?) about how we were going to get there as there is no direct public transportation to the gardens. After spending hours of research trying to decide the best way for us to travel and waffling between different options, I finally made a reservation through a tour company. The benefit to this choice was we had direct transportation there and back. We also didn’t have to deal with lines or a timed entry. It was worth it.

On our bus ride to the garden, the tour company gave us cheap headphones to listen to random facts about tulips, the garden, and The Netherlands. Upon arriving we were greeted by beautiful displays of tulips and influencers. I’m no influencer, but I must admit that the garden is worthy of many selfies, which I did take.

After a guided tour to learn more about the garden, we were free to roam on our own. It was absolutely spectacular. The photos don’t do it justice. Even with crowds of tourists, it still felt like a peaceful place. The bright colors, the arrangements, the smell of the hyacinths, and birds were all engaging. They even had a public restroom! Finding a restroom in Europe can be difficult and sometimes, yes, stressful. We ended our tour with the bus dropping us off in Amsterdam. With a little energy in us and hungry stomachs, we decided to explore.

Our first taste of Amsterdam was overwhelming. The sidewalks were shoulder to shoulder with people, and the beautiful old buildings were a mix of restaurants, adult stores, coffee shops, more adult stores, souvenir shops, and you guessed it, adult stores. It was incredibly overwhelming, and I was not impressed. I had heard nothing but wonderful things about Amsterdam so I was feeling a bit disappointed. We ate an early dinner, took some photos at one of the squares, stared in awe at everything around us, and then decided to call it a day and returned to Zaandam.

Not wanting to spend multiple days in Amsterdam after a negative first impression, we decided to book another tour to visit another part of The Netherlands that isn’t easily accessible by public transportation. We did a half day trip to visit the windmills at Zaanse Schans and then to Volendam and Marken. It was interesting learning about the history of the windmills, and nice they are being preserved. We also learned about gouda and clogs.

It was our last day and time to return to Amsterdam to see if a second impression would be better. We decided to take a ferry through a canal to get there. It was a nice ride with views of industrial areas. Our first stop upon arriving was going on a canal tour. There are many companies to choose from, and after checking them all out, my dad finally selected one. We spent about an hour going through the canals and seeing different parts of the city. It was interesting and beautiful. Perhaps my opinion was starting to change. 

After our boat tour, we went to Starbucks, not for the coffee but for a mug. Buying my mom a Starbucks mug in every country is a must. This has been going on since I started traveling 20 years ago. Her mugs deserve their own blog post, but that’s for another time. We then visited the Rembrandt museum and just enjoyed walking around the city, viewing the buildings, canals, and walking past a group of people playing a ball game we hadn’t ever seen before. Maybe Amsterdam isn’t so bad after all.

The journey home from The Netherlands proved uneventful, except being stuck in a middle seat for ten hours between two strangers. I can’t say the same for my dad. After we said goodbye at San Francisco International Airport, I went home, ate, and went directly to bed. I was exhausted and had work the next morning. Unbeknownst to me, my dad was stuck at the airport with a continuously delayed flight to Seattle. I hope you didn’t feel too stressed, Dad. I know how that feels!

Thanks for the adventures!

Credits: Steve Lee took the cover photo. All other photos by Andrea Lee