Day Brussels (Antwerp), Belgium / Scenic Cruising Scheldt RiverArrives 10:00 AM Departs 08:00 PM / Cruising "Antwerp is a city of many different facesâinternational diamond hub, emerging fashion center and the home of the painter Peter Paul Rubens. A day in Antwerp offers the chance to explore all this and more, with walks and window-shopping through the Fashion and Diamond Districts, and visits to Rubens's burial site and house, where he lived and worked alongside famous pupils like van Dyck.
Antwerp is also an ideal base for exploring the myriad other interesting sites around Belgium. Its central location makes it easy to get to the capital, Brussels, and Bruges, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and medieval wonderland. In Ghent, you can see van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece, arguably the single most important piece of art in the country. And don't forget to sample the flavors of Belgium along the way, from sugar dusted Belgian waffles right from the irons of Antwerp's oldest waffle shop to innovative, modern twists on chocolate from famed Belgian confectionaries.
Scenic Cruising Scheldt River
The Scheldtâor ScheldeâRiver begins in the north of France and flows for 350 kilometers (220 miles) through western Belgium and the southwestern Netherlands before pouring into the North Sea at Vlissingen. An integral part of the Dutch and Belgian network of waterways, its myriad branch canals and tributaries connect with the basins of the Rhine, Meuse and Seine rivers, and serve industrial areas around Brussels, Liège, Lille and Dunkirk. The river's busiest section lies between the charming Belgian cities of Vlissingen and Antwerp, the latter of which hosts one of the largest ports in Europe. But the section of the river that flows north of Antwerp is one of its most unique, passing through a scenic array of mudflats and protected nature reserves like the Drowned Land of Saeftinghe (Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe), which over the centuries have attracted abundant birdlife and unique plant life. As the river winds its way to the North Sea, ship passengers can also witness historical sites like the medieval Fort Lillo and the historic city of Vlissingen, known to many in the English language as Flushing.
Day Zeebrugge (Brussels), BelgiumArrives 08:00 AM Departs 05:00 PM "With its picturesque canals, cobblestone streets and fairy-tale gabled houses, Bruges might have been custom built just to charm visitors. But this small and pleasingly quiet capital of West Flanders, 11 kilometers from the North Sea port of Zeebrugge, was actually once a mercantile center that dominated all of Western Europe under the powerful Dukes of Burgundyâwhich explains the profusion of priceless art and medieval architecture tightly packed within the city's moatlike ring of waterways.
Easily managed in a day, Bruges is a city for strolling: A walk in any direction from the handsome Market Square leads to immaculately preserved 13th-century churches and turreted merchants' houses. Former hostels for the sick and poor were long ago converted into museums containing works by local Old Masters like Jan Van Eyck.
Bruges is famous for its sweet tooth, with numerous chocolate shops and sidewalk vendors selling hot-off-the-iron waffles topped with whipped cream. Its pubs serve Belgium's famously quaffable beers in an atmosphere of warmth and coziness that the Flemish call gezellig. You'll be charmed.
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Day At Sea
Day Dublin, IrelandArrives 08:00 AM Departs 11:00 PM "Dublin works its magic on you slowly. Founded by the Vikings on the banks of the River Liffey in the 9th century, the city occupies one of the loveliest natural settings of any European capital. Its architecture is a jumble of different periods, including the medieval cobblestone streets of Temple Bar, the elegant terraces and leafy squares of the Georgian period and the modern architecture of the revitalized Docklands district.
Dublin's compact heart is divided by the languorous flow of the Liffey before it enters the wide expanse of Dublin Bay. Both gritty and gracious, the city streets inspired some of the most celebrated writers of the 19th and 20th centuries, acknowledged by its status as a UNESCO World City of Literature.
But while its heritage is undeniably a major draw for visitors, these days Dublin is vibrant with thriving technology firms and a young population eager to make their mark. It might arrive via an impromptu chat with a local or a quiet pint of Guinness in a historic pub, but by the time you leave, Dublin will have charmed you."
Day Liverpool, England, United KingdomArrives 10:00 AM Departs 08:00 PM Primarily an industrial port city, Liverpool grew to prominence as a result of trade with the Americas in the 1700s. The tradition of exporting goods much desired in the Americas (and elsewhere) from Liverpool continued at least until the 1960s, when the Beatles became the most famous commodity ever to reach the "Colonies." Aside from its role as a port city, Liverpool is home to one of the largest provincial universities in the United Kingdom, educating students since 1903. Architecture buffs will find a number of notable edifices well worth exploring. Two outstanding examples of classical architecture, St. George's Hall and the Town Hall, rank among the most beautiful in the world. The striking Anglican Liverpool Cathedral is the largest Anglican church in Britain.
Day Belfast, Northern Ireland, United KingdomArrives 08:00 AM Departs 06:00 PM "Belfast has emerged from decades of conflict to become one of Ireland's most intriguing cities. In the 19th century, its location on the banks of the River Lagan made it an industrial center for ropemaking, shipbuilding, tobacco and textiles. And this legacy shaped much of its architecture: Grand Edwardian and Victorian municipal buildings and warehouses are found throughout the city alongside telltale scars of its more recent past.
While the legacy of Belfast's complex conflict known as The Troubles still looms, there are many other sides of Northern Ireland's capital to explore, from the quaint streets of the Cathedral Quarter to the newly regenerated Titanic Quarter, where the ill-fated RMS Titanic was constructed.
Belfast is also gathering momentum as an up-and-coming gourmet destination, with a new generation of chefs producing food to get excited about. Beyond the city limits, County Down and neighboring County Antrim have a wealth of things to see and do. Any lingering negative preconceptions will evaporate after a short time in this fascinating and welcoming city."
Day Douglas, Isle of Man, United KingdomArrives 08:00 AM Departs 04:00 PM The town of Douglas is the center of the Isle of Manââ¬â¢s business, shipping, transport, shopping, and entertainment. It derives its name from the early Celtic word Duboglassio, meaning ââ¬Ëblack river.ââ¬â¢ Located in the Irish Sea, equidistant from England, Scotland and Ireland, the Isle of Man is a self-governing possession of the British Crown and is not part of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, or an Overseas Territory, but instead holds a semiautonomous status. It is home to the world's oldest continuous parliament, known as the Tynwald Court.
The Isle of Man is a melting pot of character and taste, blessed with an extensive coastline, stunning natural landscapes and unspoiled beaches. It is home to numerous nature reserves, parks, historic stone churches, castles and an abundance of diverse museums, including ones dedicated to aviation, military, motorcycle, railway, folk, and nautical exhibits. At the House of Manannan Museum visitors are guided through interactive displays focusing on the islandââ¬â¢s Celtic and Viking past.
Day Kirkwall, Scotland, United KingdomArrives 08:00 AM Departs 05:00 PM "While the southernmost isles of Orkney closely straddle the northeast corner of the Scottish mainland, historically the archipelago (around 70 islands in all) and its people have had as much in common with Scandinavia as they have had with Scotland. In fact, until the 15th century, the Orkney Islands were politically part of Norway.
Today the Orcadians are a fairly tight-knit and cooperative group of Scotsâa rich community of artists and crofters (small-holding farmers), fisherfolk and those in the trades. A key attraction for tourists is the wealth of prehistoric sites on Orkney, including standing stones, burial chambers and even Stone Age settlements, such as Skara Brae, inhabited sometime around 3000 B.C.E. More recently, because of its isolation, Orkney was chosen as the place to keep Italian prisoners of war during WWII; a chapel built by them is a popular site to visit."
Day Invergordon (Inverness), Scotland, United KingdomArrives 08:00 AM Departs 05:00 PM "Welcome to the Highlands, the wildest and least trammeled region in the entire United Kingdom. Inverness is considered the Highland capital and, while a very small city by international comparisons, it does offer more than a few hours of enjoyment and entertainment with first-class restaurants among its attractions.
Just outside Inverness is a trove of Scottish and Celtic history, myth and natural beauty amid unspoiled glens, mountains, lochs, rivers and more. Most famous among the attractions is no doubt the legendary (and likely imaginary) Loch Ness Monster, though for the less frivolous traveler, the sites associated with Scottish history will hold more appeal. For example, the Culloden Battlefield, where the 1746 stand-off between Bonnie Prince Charlie and the army of the Hanoverian King in London put the nail in the coffin of any Jacobite rebellionâand led to years of Highland repression to ensure no further uprising ensued."
Day South Queensferry (Edinburgh), Scotland, United KingdomArrives 08:00 AM Departs 05:00 PM History was made in this port, just across the Firth of Forth from Rosyth, when the future Queen Margaret of Scotland arrived around 1071. Her devout religious attitude established "Queen's Ferry" as the place for pilgrims from abroad to alight on their way to St. AndrewsâScotland's ecclesiastical capital in the Middle Ages. Margaret's legacy continues less than a dozen miles away at Edinburgh Castle. A key attraction up on the castle's rock is St. Margaret's Chapel, believed to be the oldest section of the fortifications and the place where she worshipped.There's more to Scotland's capital than the Castle, though. Edinburgh proudly displays multiple exhibits on national and international scientific achievement at the National Museum of Scotland, as well as some fantastic works of visual art at the National Galleries of Scotland. South Queensferry's moorings are also within easy striking distance of Scotland's largest metropolis: the city of Glasgow. Transformed in many ways since the postâWWII days when it had a reputation for grime and crime, the city is among the most vibrant in the U.K.: It is Scotland's de-facto capital of modern culture, with the hippest DJs and most accomplished conceptual artists.