Tulips and Windmills
- By Susan Pearson, Corunna, Ontario – April 2009

 

Our globe-trotting girls
Have again taken flight
Boarding the plane
They’re off into the night.

Our arrival in Brussels
Was met with great glee
Our drive to the ship
Offered plenty to see!

Settling into our floating home
The decision for day one
To relax ?
Or to roam?

Strolling in Antwerp
Is a visitors delight
A town filled with chocolate
Mmmm, heaven at first bite!

Waffles and diamonds
And of course Belgium ale
Just don’t drink too much
Or you may land in jail!

Our canal cruise in Brugge
Is the best way to see
A medieval town
Full of charm and history.

Day 5 we learn,
Of their struggle with the sea
Delta Works is the project
Water management is the key!

By mid afternoon
We return to quaint Veere
A fifteenth century town
Is what you’ll find there

As the sun sets on Veere
We’re again underway
In the port of Rotterdam
We’ll spend our next day

Nineteen windmills
At Kinderdijk  (Kinder-dyke)
To get to this treasure
The Dutch ride a bike!

An excursion to Delft
Gave us time to explore
A town famed for pottery
We left wanting more!

To the oldest city
We next did go
Nijmegen (Ni-may-gen) is home
To the “Masters” you know.

The walls of Kroller Muller  (Kroo – ller  Moo-ller)
Are lovingly dressed
With prints of Van Gogh
As well as the rest.

As dinner approaches
We can picture the treats
From seafood to salads
From cheeses to meats

Day 8 was spent
In Enkhuizen & Hoorn   ( Enk – how –sin and Horn)
Where tall ships abound
And sailors are born

Rembrandt’s “Night Watch”
Is a highlight today
By postponing our flight
Perhaps we could stay?

It’s tulip time
For our last day
To the Keukenoff   (Koo-ken-off)
Let’s not delay!

A spectacle of colour
Yellow, orange and blue
A sea of spring blossoms
You can imagine the view!

Back on the ship
We all start to pack
We leave with great memories
And long to come back!