Tales of the Traveling Tote: Rhine River Cruise and Amsterdam

 

Happy June, My Lovelies!  This edition of the Tales of the traveling Tote will feature our anniversary trip to Amsterdam and our river cruise on the Rhine.  I could write a dissertation about our trip because we saw and learned so much.  But instead I'm featuring my favorite things about the trip.  We left Birmingham on our anniversary (March 19th) which was the opening day of tulip season.

My favorite thing about Amsterdam was the Van Gogh Museum.  We had special tickets and went early.  There were very few people around, so we were able to take our time in the galleries.  Here are some favorites:

The Bedroom

Arles, October 1888

oil on canvas

28.5" X 36"

We had seen this one before when it was on loan at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016.

Sprig of Flowering Almond In a Glass

Arles, March 1888

oil on canvas

9.6" X  7.6"

Below is one of my favorite paintings.  Van Gogh's Almond Blossoms was the most cherished paintings by his family, and it was heavily influenced by his interest in Japanese print making.  The perspective is looking up through the branches toward the sky.  This perspective loses the view of the tree in its entirety. 

Almond Blossom

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, February 1890

oil on canvas

29" X 36"

We also visited the Rijksmuseum which is located on the same campus.  It was slightly crowded, but we really didn't have much trouble seeing everything in the galleries.  I think most people were outside because it was the first pretty weekend after a cold, rainy winter.  They were in the process of restoring The Night Watch which is Rembrandt's most celebrated painting.  It shows citizens of Amsterdam protecting the city. 

We enjoyed one of our best meals in Amsterdam at the Rijksmuseum.  In the café they had these gorgeous (and huge) Delft tulipieres.

Our first stop on our cruise included an eBike tour of Kinderdijk windmills.  We saw nineteen windmills in all, and we were able to tour one that is a working museum.  It was very interesting seeing the millers go about their day and moving the windmills to catch the wind.

Kinderdijk windmills

One thing that has been on my bucket list as an adult is to see the Cologne Cathedral in all her gothic splendor.  She did not disappoint, and I might have been slightly overhwelmed.

Another favorite activity one afternoon was viewing many, many castles along the Rhine from the boat.  I sketched several of them while enjoying afternoon tea.

Ehrensfels Castle

near Rüdesheim, Hesse, Germany

This castle was actually rebuilt in 1212

One of my favorite places in Germany is Heidelberg.  I've visited there several times, and I wanted Shanley Belle and Christopher to experience it, so we took a little side trip there.  This was the only day without sunshine; it was very foggy for almost the entire day.

This is one of my favorite views at Heidelberg Castle.  This is the moat, and at one time, it was a zoo for a very spoiled queen.

We were a little early in the season, but this area as well as many of the walls and ruins at the castle become covered in wildflowers in spring and summer.

My new favorite region of France is The Alsace, and we visited several World War II sites and villages.  Below is a panorama view of Strasbourg.  This region is known for its gingerbread, and it's enjoyed year round.  

The last thing I want to share about our trip was a visit and hike in the Black Forest of Germany.  This area is known for cuckoo clocks and Black Forest Cake.  We took a class to learn how to make and assemble the cakes.  It was a lot of fun!  After sampling the cakes, it was nice that we had the opportunity to go on a little hike.

Mountainside brook in the Black Forest of Germany

Disclosure:  La Countess de Monet was unable to make this trip because I needed a backpack for many of the biking and hiking tours we did.  She was not happy, I tell ya!  So in order to make it up to her, I took her to a flower arrangement class at a beautiful local farm here in Central Alabama.  You can read about our adventure HERE.

La Countess de Monet at Stone Hollow Farmstead learning about floral arranging

Please visit the other ladies' blogs and read about their travels using the links below.  Rita is hosting our giveaway!

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch   

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box  

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home

Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Bookish Dilettante  

Please join me Wednesday, June 4th for my review of this new Civil War historical fiction novel.

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill