Friday May 3rd was our last full day on the cruise and it was rainy and chilly. We spent most of the day cruising which provided a good opportunity to start packing our suitcases. We cruised from Cologne to Kinderdijk in The Netherlands – the longest cruising distance between ports of the entire cruise.
This area in the province of South Holland is known for its 19 windmills dating back to the 18th century. They were built to keep water out of the polder, or low-lying land. It was so interesting to hear our local guide explain the history and importance of these windmills to the region.
We toured one of the windmills where the miller and their family of as many as 10 people would have lived. It was more spacious inside than I thought, but still would be very crowded for 10 people. Maneuvering through on the ladders wouldn’t be much fun, either!
When the blades were stationary, their position could be used to communicate important information, such as weather, or to indicate a time of mourning or joy.
On one side of the canal, the mills are made of brick and stone; concern grew that they might be too heavy, so the other mills were made of thatch.
Today, there are pumping stations that have replaced the windmills, but fortunately the mills have been preserved and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We enjoyed our final dinner on the ship and time with some of the new friends we made along the way.
We awoke the next morning (Saturday May 4th) in Amsterdam, in the North Holland province. We were required to vacate our stateroom by 8am, but could linger on the ship for as long as wanted. After breakfast, we hung out in the lounge area until about 10am. The crew was hard at work readying the ship for the next cruise which would leave from Amsterdam later that evening, and some of those passengers were starting to arrive.
So now seems like a good time to summarize our overall cruise experience. We loved it – Viking delivers top-notch service on beautifully designed ships, and does everything they can to ensure our time in each port is fun and interesting. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. The chef came around each night to talk with passengers, asking how we enjoyed the food and if we had any suggestions or requests. Desserts and breads were particularly yummy! It’s a busy and highly scheduled itinerary most days, which probably doesn’t suit a lot of people, but we didn’t mind at all. We were surprised by the age range of passengers. There were some multi-generational family groups, including 20-somethings. There were mother-daughter duos, friend groups, and of course, lots of couples…and plenty of not-yet-retired people which surprised us a bit…but it is a great way to see a lot of Europe in a relatively short period of time. As you can hopefully tell from my commentary, the excursions are really well-done and enjoyable…even the included ones. Each port was unique, and Viking made it so easy for us…we just had to show up at the assigned time and place, and they took it from there. They are a well-oiled machine, for sure. It’s a delightful way to travel and we wouldn’t hesitate to take another Viking cruise on one of their many itineraries. It was well worth the wait and we are so grateful we were finally able to do this and make so many wonderful memories!
Now for a few days on our own in Amsterdam…