Trip Index
- Planning and Day 1 of Northern Allure cruise on Oceania Riviera: Southampton pre-cruise, embarkation
- Days 2-3 of Northern Allure cruise on Oceania Riviera: Bruges battlefields, Zaanse Schans windmills
- Days 4-5 of Northern Allure cruise on Oceania Riviera: at sea, Copenhagen
- Days 6-7 of Northern Allure cruise on Oceania Riviera: Gothenburg (Sweden), Oslo
- Days 8-9 of Northern Allure cruise on Oceania Riviera: Stavanger, Bergen (Norway)
- Days 10-11 of Northern Allure cruise on Oceania Riviera: Shetland Islands (UK), Faroe Islands (Denmark)
- Days 12-14 of Northern Allure cruise on Oceania Riviera: at sea, Akureyri, Reykjavik (Iceland)
- Exploring Reykjavik, Icelandic cuisine, Northern Lights hunt
- South Coast, Golden Circle, Silfra snorkel
- West Coast, returning home
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On Thursday, Oceania Riviera docked in Zeebrugge port, near Bruges, Belgium. Our excursion to Ypres departed early in the morning. Kaleb and I headed to the Terrace Cafe for breakfast buffet. Again, food was mostly served by staff, even the pastries. I forgot to mention in my last post that all beverages were brought by staff, taking your order at the table. There weren't self-serve stations like on big cruise ships.
I was elated to find berries and papaya in the buffet. I also liked that the fruit was usually ripe, sliced with care. Having smoked salmon and herring for breakfast was great. The buffet also served the usual favorites, including eggs and omelets to order.
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Passengers on shore excursions met at the designated time in the Riviera Lounge to receive their tour bus assignments. If you weren't on an excursion, Oceania provided a complimentary shuttle service to the nearby town of Blankenberge. From there, you could take a 15-minute train ride into Bruges, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Too bad our Ypres excursion would take all day - we wouldn't have any time to visit Bruges.
After receiving our tour bus assignment, we sat in the lounge until our number was called. Guests were led to exit the ship and directed to waiting vehicles.
There were battlefield maps laid on seats in the bus. While driving from site to site, the tour guide would refer to them as he explained the events that occurred in the area during World War I.
Our first stop was to Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world. It was a peaceful, solemn place; visitors cannot help but be moved. The sacrifice of the fallen shall not be forgotten.
Some of the German concrete shelters used during the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 still stand within the grounds.
A short drive away, the Saint Julien Memorial (also known as the "Brooding Soldier") represented the Canadian fallen.
Next, we visited Essex Farm Cemetery, where the famous "In Flanders Fields" poem by John McRae was written. The concrete shelters where he worked as an army doctor are still standing.
We then drove into Ypres and toured the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing. Since July 2, 1928, every evening at 8pm, the "Last Post" is played (the Commonwealth counterpart of "Taps"). On Armistice Day (November 11), an extended ceremony is held at 11am, drawing thousands of visitors.
In town, we were led to the In Flanders Fields Museum for a self-directed visit. Each guest was given a red poppy RFID bracelet that activated the entrance turnstile as well as some interactive exhibits.
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There were battlefield maps laid on seats in the bus. While driving from site to site, the tour guide would refer to them as he explained the events that occurred in the area during World War I.
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Our first stop was to Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world. It was a peaceful, solemn place; visitors cannot help but be moved. The sacrifice of the fallen shall not be forgotten.
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Some of the German concrete shelters used during the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 still stand within the grounds.
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A short drive away, the Saint Julien Memorial (also known as the "Brooding Soldier") represented the Canadian fallen.
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Next, we visited Essex Farm Cemetery, where the famous "In Flanders Fields" poem by John McRae was written. The concrete shelters where he worked as an army doctor are still standing.
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We then drove into Ypres and toured the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing. Since July 2, 1928, every evening at 8pm, the "Last Post" is played (the Commonwealth counterpart of "Taps"). On Armistice Day (November 11), an extended ceremony is held at 11am, drawing thousands of visitors.
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In town, we were led to the In Flanders Fields Museum for a self-directed visit. Each guest was given a red poppy RFID bracelet that activated the entrance turnstile as well as some interactive exhibits.
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My stomach was growling for lunch, so after getting the bracelets, we walked to a nearby fast food restaurant called 'T Kattekwaad, serving Belgian fries/chips. The numbered selections listed on the wall and the printed English menu were perplexing. Kaleb and I ended up selecting a local-style burger called the Bicky and a ham and cheese omelette; both came with a huge portion of chips and fresh salad. We could've easily split a meal.
I couldn't quite place the flavor of the burger. After looking it up on the internet, it turned out that the patty had some horse meat in it - no wonder I couldn't recognize the taste. I don't know if I would order another Bicky in the near future, but at least we tried it.
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After lunch, Kaleb and I returned to the museum. We registered our bracelets in their system and were each assigned a character whose story would unfold in the years represented by each exhibition. Whenever there was an opportunity to scan the bracelet, the character's life event would be shown on a screen. The In Flanders Fields Museum was worth a visit to understand more about the First World War, view the memorabilia and immerse oneself in multimedia presentations of the lives of soldiers and civilians during that time.
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The museum was the last stop on the tour; the bus returned to Oceania Riviera. Overall, we got to see a lot of places in the limited time available, but it did not cover much of the battlefields. Since we missed Bruges, Kaleb and I plan to return to Belgium and go on more detailed battlefield tours. This is a common complaint about going on a cruise, that there isn't much time in port. But an advantage to cruising is that it offers travelers a taste of multiple destinations in a week or two, helpful when limited on vacation time. One can decide to return to a place for more in-depth exploration depending on interest. There is a compromise: some cruise lines, such as Azamara and Crystal, have itineraries that offer two to three overnights in ports where there is a lot to see or night life to experience. Oceania does do this, but on this port-intensive cruise, only Reykjavik had an overnight.
It had been a long day, so Kaleb and I decided to have dinner in the buffet as we didn't want to sit through a meal in the dining room. Most of the offerings were the same in both places.
When we came back to the room, we found our bed turned down with chocolates. We didn't receive this service the first night of the cruise, most likely due to the privacy sign placed on our door after returning from dinner. Throughout the voyage, turndown was hit or miss, and incredibly, we didn't meet our room stewards until over a week into the cruise - our privacy sign was well respected and somehow we missed them during the day. We learned that they serviced the rooms in sequential order, and ours was the last one in their section. That explained why we would find the room prepared when we returned from a late dinner. We didn't partake in evening activities on the ship if we ate early, preferring to go back to the room and putting up the privacy sign, even as we observed the housekeeping cart down the hallway. The nightly cleaning wasn't necessary as we use towels more than once and keep our room tidy. On successful turndown nights, we would get two or three chocolates per person, maybe to make up for the missed times. I had a whole bag of chocolates saved up by the end of the cruise.
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When we came back to the room, we found our bed turned down with chocolates. We didn't receive this service the first night of the cruise, most likely due to the privacy sign placed on our door after returning from dinner. Throughout the voyage, turndown was hit or miss, and incredibly, we didn't meet our room stewards until over a week into the cruise - our privacy sign was well respected and somehow we missed them during the day. We learned that they serviced the rooms in sequential order, and ours was the last one in their section. That explained why we would find the room prepared when we returned from a late dinner. We didn't partake in evening activities on the ship if we ate early, preferring to go back to the room and putting up the privacy sign, even as we observed the housekeeping cart down the hallway. The nightly cleaning wasn't necessary as we use towels more than once and keep our room tidy. On successful turndown nights, we would get two or three chocolates per person, maybe to make up for the missed times. I had a whole bag of chocolates saved up by the end of the cruise.
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The next day, Oceania Riviera docked at the Passenger Terminal in Amsterdam, Netherlands. We could wake up a bit later as we were doing our own sightseeing.
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Breakfast buffet in the Terrace Cafe was excellent as usual.
The Passenger Terminal was located close to where we had embarked on our Magnificent Europe river cruise on AmaPrima back in May 2017. We stayed a couple of days pre-cruise in Amsterdam and toured much of the city already. This time, Kaleb and I planned to visit nearby Zaanse Schans, a town filled with working windmills. It was a short pleasant stroll along the waterfront to get to Centraal Station from the cruise terminal.
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The Passenger Terminal was located close to where we had embarked on our Magnificent Europe river cruise on AmaPrima back in May 2017. We stayed a couple of days pre-cruise in Amsterdam and toured much of the city already. This time, Kaleb and I planned to visit nearby Zaanse Schans, a town filled with working windmills. It was a short pleasant stroll along the waterfront to get to Centraal Station from the cruise terminal.
There are two economical ways of getting there, by bus (40 minutes on the 391, 20 minutes on the express 891) or by train to Zaandijk (17 minutes). The bus would drop off close to the entrance of Zaanse Schans. Taking the train would require an additional 15 minute walk. At first, I planned on taking the train but we ended up finding a kiosk selling bus tickets and went with that option. Note that the kiosk is very slow, taking longer than usual to flash the green light after inserting a credit card. Several times, we pulled out the card too quickly and the transaction would fail, printing out a cryptic error receipt and no tickets. It was unclear whether the card had been charged (thankfully not, after checking my account the next day). Finally, I decided to wait a bit longer while the card was in the reader, then the transaction went through successfully.
When we got to the bus loading area, we were fortunate that the next one arriving would be the 891, the express to Zaanse Schans.
The bus stop was a short distance from the windmills as stated.
There were shops selling cheese and other souvenirs. Paid admission was only required to see the inside of a working windmill or take the ferry across to the other side of town.
It cost 5 euro per person to enter De Bonte Hen, which included a photo print of the windmill. There was art on display as well as a video explaining the oil mill's operations. A loud pounding noise reverberated throughout the interior; employees wore safety earmuffs to protect their hearing.
9-second clip of seeds being ground for later pressing: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)
7-second clip of the windmill turning - you can hear the pounding outside too: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)
Kaleb and I walked through quaint gardens and visited a wooden shoe workshop. There were a wide variety of clogs on display ranging from traditional to whimsical.
Zaanse Schans is worth a visit if you have already seen Amsterdam. It was fascinating to see how a windmill's energy is harnessed to operate the machinery inside.
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The bus stop was a short distance from the windmills as stated.
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There were shops selling cheese and other souvenirs. Paid admission was only required to see the inside of a working windmill or take the ferry across to the other side of town.
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| 1 euro per person each way |
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It cost 5 euro per person to enter De Bonte Hen, which included a photo print of the windmill. There was art on display as well as a video explaining the oil mill's operations. A loud pounding noise reverberated throughout the interior; employees wore safety earmuffs to protect their hearing.
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9-second clip of seeds being ground for later pressing: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)
7-second clip of the windmill turning - you can hear the pounding outside too: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)
Kaleb and I walked through quaint gardens and visited a wooden shoe workshop. There were a wide variety of clogs on display ranging from traditional to whimsical.
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Zaanse Schans is worth a visit if you have already seen Amsterdam. It was fascinating to see how a windmill's energy is harnessed to operate the machinery inside.
We caught the 891 express bus back to Centraal Station and returned to the ship for a late lunch at Waves Grill, a popular outdoor eatery. The trick here was to stake a claim on a table first before lining up at the grill. After taking your order, you were given a number to place on your table and the food would be delivered when ready. You could also get a salad tossed to order. Some afternoons, there was a stand-alone station that offered kabobs or other specialties. In the morning, Waves Grill served a light breakfast buffet. The ice cream stand next door was a hit; you could get smoothies blended there as well.
Kaleb and I decided to do dinner buffet tonight. The weather was still nice at 8pm, so we sat in the outdoor dining area aft of the ship. We also got a great view from there as Oceania Riviera went through a lock to reach the North Sea.
Tomorrow, we will be at sea, then in Copenhagen, Denmark on Sunday...stay tuned!
(Missed the first entry about planning the trip and how it began? Click here to catch up! Don't miss a single update - click here to have the latest delivered straight into your inbox...opt out anytime.)
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Kaleb and I decided to do dinner buffet tonight. The weather was still nice at 8pm, so we sat in the outdoor dining area aft of the ship. We also got a great view from there as Oceania Riviera went through a lock to reach the North Sea.
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Tomorrow, we will be at sea, then in Copenhagen, Denmark on Sunday...stay tuned!
(Missed the first entry about planning the trip and how it began? Click here to catch up! Don't miss a single update - click here to have the latest delivered straight into your inbox...opt out anytime.)
