May 4, Sunday, Day 3: Rotterdam to Dordrecht
Today we will enjoy a morning excursion to Rotterdam and Delft. The city centre of Rotterdam was completely destroyed by a bomber attack on the 14th of May 1940 and its harbour was heavily damaged by explosions in1944. The amazingly fast recovery of the city is called the ‘Miracle of Rotterdam.’ During your tour, you will see the Euro mast (590 feet high), which was built in the record-breaking time of only 23 days. You will also see the memorial by Ossid Zadkine called ‘the destroyed city,’ the ‘Stadthuis’ (city hall) built in the style of the Flemish Neo-Renaissance as well as Delftshaven, the historical port of Delft with its picturesque setting. You will then continue to the city of Delft. Its beautiful old town is enclosed by numerous canals. After an extensive walk, you will still have the opportunity to visit one of the numerous porcelain workshops. Tour lasts approximately 4 hours.

Return back to the ship for lunch and the departure of the ship toward Dordrecht where you will enjoy a tour of 19 windmills in Kinderdijk. They were built between 1722 and 1761 and form the largest assembly of windmills in the Netherlands. Formerly, they were used as water pumps to drain the river Marsch. Now they are considered ancient monuments. You will visit one of the windmills. Tour is about 2 1/2 hours. (B, L, D)

May 5, Monday, Day 4: Dordrecht to Middelburg to Ghent
Morning cruising to Middleburg. Morning chocolate and wine tasting. Arrive Middleburg at 12 noon.

OPTIONAL Afternoon Tour. (B, L, D)

May 6, Tuesday, Day 5: Ghent to Antwerp
Full day tour of Bruges’ culinary delights.
BRUGES, A GOURMET WALK IN THE MEDIEVAL CITY

The Belgians are famous for their preference for finer things, especially when it comes to food. It has been a tradition since the "Kermesses Breugheliennes," the "Joyeuses Entrées" of Charles the Fifth.

We invite you to discover the Belgian way of life, and love for good food during a walk in the historical and gastronomic heart of the Bruges. Finding out about the history, we will discover the roots of an area.

Nowhere else is chocolate as celebrated as in Belgium , where it’s comparable in status to wine in France or caviar in Russia. This part-Flemish, part-French nation of 10 million boasts more than 2,100 chocolate shops and fully 5 chocolate museums. Brussels alone, with a population of just 1 million, lists nearly 200 chocolate shops in the telephone directory. (Of the USA’s two largest cities, New York lists only 46; Los Angeles, a mere 24.) And nationwide, some 500 producers, more even than the 400 beer brewers, turn out hand- and factory-made sweets using jealously guarded recipes.

"For us, chocolate is a devouring passion, a sweet addiction, and our national pride," writes Belgian Ruth Van Waerebeek in Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook. And not just on Valentine’s Day either. "Our daily social life in would be unimaginable without chocolate."

But more than anything, it’s the demanding palate of this nation of gourmets that explains chocolate’s star quality here. There are more than 1,000 restaurants in Brussels and — mon Dieu! — more Michelin-starred eateries per capita in Belgium than in France.

So let’s enter our chocolate world! Tour includes lunch, chocolate tasting as well as cookies. (B, L, D)

May 8, Thursday, Day 7: Maastricht to Amsterdam
Arrive in Maastricht in the morning.   From the quay, you take a stroll through the historic part of town, where you see the central market, the city hall ("Stadthuis"), the thermal spa, and other regionally typical historical buildings.  Departure for Amsterdam at 1:30. During the afternoon on board enjoy a cooking demonstration from the ship’s chef. Overnight. (B, L, D)

May 9, Friday, Day 8: Amsterdam
Morning tour of Amsterdam on a circular boat tour of the canals, to see the intriguing spots of this city from a new perspective. Hundreds of bridges span the canals which are lined by slender, elegant houses with large windows and magnificent gables. The tour is by public boat.

Afternoon tour to Keukenhof. In spring, the Netherlands have much more to offer than just tulips. Millions of crocus, hyacinths and narcissus are in bloom in Haarlem and Leiden. During this excursion, you will visit the flower exhibition ‘Keukenhof’ in Lisse where you can admire more than 700 different kinds of flowers in large greenhouses and gardens. (B, L, D)

May 10, Saturday, Day 9: Amsterdam
Transfer to Amsterdam airport for flights home. (B, L)