TravelDiary
Windmills, tulips and other jewels FROM APRIL 24 TO M AY 2 , CO N CO R D IA DIST INGUIS H E D P RO FESSO R E M E R ITA MAÏR VERT H UY JO IN E D T H E A LUM N I T RAVE L PROGRAM TR IP, CRUISE T H E M AGN IFICE N T WAT ERWAYS A N D CA N A L S O F H O L L A N D AN D B E LG I U M . BY MAÏR VERTHUY
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ast fall, I received and was enticed by an invitation from the Concordia University Alumni Association to join a nine-day, spring cruise through the waterways of Belgium and Holland (the Netherlands). The trip, offered through the Concordia Alumni Travel Program, attracts travellers from American and Canadian college and university alumni associations. It took minimal arm twisting to persuade a good friend, Jeanne Maranda, BA 87, to accompany me on this adventure. I highly recommend the trip, especially to strengthen anyone’s thigh and calf muscles! Every day took us to new places and adventures. We boarded our ship, the M.S. Switzerland II, in Antwerp, Belgium. The ship was ideal for a small cruise, allowing for nearly 100 passengers and more than two dozen crew and staff members to have at least some facial recognition—and often more— before the cruise ended. The service was courteous and personalized and the food and wine delicious. In fact, everything was “shipshape and Bristol fashion,” as they say in Britain. There were about a dozen Canadians on board—Americans signifi us. The guides had obviously been trained to discuss only American experiences. I had to intervene on several occasions to point out that the Canadians fought in the Second World War from September 1939 onward and didn’t wait until December 1941 to become involved! I urge more Canadians to participate on these cruises to mark our presence and cultural differences. For the nine ensuing days, we were awash (excuse the pun) in beauty. Antwerp, a stunning city, is studded with impressive architecture. We followed up with a brief visit to Arnhem, the Netherlands, of sinister memory (where Allied forces lost a key battle in September 1944); and on to Bruges, Belgium, “the Venice of the North,” which is filled with canals and meticulously maintained medieval and Renaissance buildings—a living museum. In the Netherlands, we visited Delft, with its lovely porcelain pottery; the Delta Project, a series of barriers built to protect the lowlands from the sea; The Hague, where the Canadian Army distinguished itself in
1944-45; and the illustrious Keukenhof Gardens, given over to incredible vistas of tulips. April 30 is the official birthday of the Netherland’s Queen Beatrix, also known as the Princess of Orange. Everyone in Holland seemed to be wearing something orange that day to mark the occasion. Unfortunately, it was marred when a Dutch man, whose motive remains unclear, ploughed his car into the Royal coach and crowd, causing several deaths and even more injuries. While the Queen cancelled all other formal activities, the celebrations continued. That evening, the streets along the canals of Amsterdam, where our trip ended, were filled with young and old, crazily drinking, eating and singing.
At right (top and below): a windmill and tulips in the Dutch countryside. Below: Bruges and its medieval and Renaissance waterways and buildings.
Amsterdam has aged in the 10 years since I was last there. There are too many cars, too much pollution and too many “bicycle terrorists,” as the locals call the reckless cyclists who endanger pedestrians. But the city has retained its charisma with its countless museums and other attractions. It was an appropriate way to wind up to a charming cruise. Visit alumni.concordia.ca/travel for news about upcoming Alumni Travel Program trips, including Ancient Wonders of the Mediterranean, Village Life Along the Dalmatian Coast and Island Life in Ancient Greece. concordia university magazine summer 2009 | 21