<\/a>Tonight, I opted to dine out at ‘eye’ – the building with the white roof on the left – with good friend and ShipParade founder Bart de Boer. An excellent time! Photo \u00a9 2014 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
This time, I joined good friend and ShipParade <\/strong>founder Bart de Boer for a dinner at the sumptuous eye-bar restaurant <\/strong>across the river. The great food and excellent conversation was made even moreso by the torrential rain that came upon the city suddenly, leaving my jeans soaked through in a matter of seconds. You know how it rains in movies \u2013 that sort of unnatural downpour that is the tell-tale mark of the \u201crain rig?\u201d That\u2019s how the rain came down just after six this evening \u2013 except it came sideways.<\/p>\nBut here aboard the Inspire <\/em>tonight, I am reveling in my cozy stateroom as I finish this installment at the desk and table on my loft. I\u2019m looking across the river at the lights twinkling across the channel, the black sea slowly drifting by in the periphery. Tomorrow, our tour kicks off in earnest \u2013 and I can\u2019t wait to see what it has in store!<\/p>\n<\/a>Photo \u00a9 2014 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
Tauck's MS Inspire - Belgium & Holland<\/h2>\n\n
\n\n\n\tDAY<\/B><\/td> | PORT<\/B><\/td> | ACTIVITIES<\/B><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\tApril 7, 2014<\/a><\/td> | Amsterdam, Netherlands<\/td> | Arrive Amsterdam; Embark Tauck's new ms Inspire<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n\tApril 8<\/a><\/td> | Amsterdam, Netherlands<\/td> | Private river cruise through Amsterdam's Canals; visit the Rijksmuseum; tour Keukenhof Gardens<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n\tApril 9<\/a><\/td> | Hoorn, Netherlands \/ Enkhuizen, Netherlands<\/td> | Walking tour of Hoorn or visit to Alkmaar. Walking tour of Enkhuizen & open-air Zuiderzee Museum.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n\tApril 10<\/a><\/td> | Arnhem, Netherlands<\/td> | Choice of tours - De Hoge Veluwe National Park exploration with Vincent Van Gogh at the Kroller-Muller Museum, or tour sites associated with the WWII airborne assault on Arnhem. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n\tApril 11<\/a><\/td> | Rotterdam, Netherlands<\/td> | Tour of Rotterdam & its museums, or optional excursion to the historic city of Delft. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n\tApril 12<\/a><\/td> | Veere, Netherlands \/ Middleburg, Netherlands. <\/td> | Exploration of Veere or excursion to Neeltje Jans Delta Works to learn about the country's storm surge barriers. In Middleburg, enjoy time exploring on own.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n\tApril 13<\/a><\/td> | Antwerp, Belgium \/ Ypres<\/td> | Orientation walking tour through Antwerp's historic city center & visit the Red Star Line museum. After lunch, Tauck Exclusive tour to Flanders to observe the centennial of World War I with dinner and a private visit to the In Flanders Fields museum. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n\tApril 14<\/a><\/td> | Antwerp, Belgium \/ Hasselt, Belgium \/ Maastricht, Netherlands<\/td> | Drive to Margraten to see the Netherlands American Cemetery. Tauck Exclusive Lunch at Chateau Neercanne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guided visit to Maastricht & free time in the Old Town.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n\tApril 15<\/a><\/td> | Brussels, Belgium<\/td> | Disembark ms Inspire & travel to Brussels for a full day of sightseeing. Overnight at the Hotel Amigo.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n\tApril 16<\/td> | Brussels, Belgium<\/td> | Onward journey home.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n | |