Reset search
European Vacation 2025European Vacation 2025
Edit route

European Vacation 2025

April - May 2025
  • Debra Kooy
A 31-day adventure by Debra Read more
  • Debra Kooy

List of countries

  • Germany Germany
  • Austria Austria
  • Czech Republic Czech Republic
  • Hungary Hungary
  • Netherlands Netherlands
  • Belgium Belgium
Categories
Bicycle, Cruise ship, Culture, Friendship, Group travel, Nature, Sightseeing, Tours, Train, Vacation
  • 2.7kkilometers traveled
Means of transport
  • Flight-kilometers
  • Walking-kilometers
  • Hiking-kilometers
  • Bicycle-kilometers
  • Motorbike-kilometers
  • Tuk Tuk-kilometers
  • Car-kilometers
  • Train-kilometers
  • Bus-kilometers
  • Camper-kilometers
  • Caravan-kilometers
  • 4x4-kilometers
  • Swimming-kilometers
  • Paddling/Rowing-kilometers
  • Motorboat-kilometers
  • Sailing-kilometers
  • Houseboat-kilometers
  • Ferry-kilometers
  • Cruise ship-kilometers
  • Horse-kilometers
  • Skiing-kilometers
  • Hitchhiking-kilometers
  • Cable car-kilometers
  • Helicopter-kilometers
  • Barefoot-kilometers
  • 32footprints
  • 31days
  • 584photos
  • 146likes
FollowCalendarShareBucket list
Newest first
  • Debra KooyTravelerEuropean Vacation 2025
    A photo from a boatmate of our guided group
    1Canadian War CemetarySo beautifulLunch break. Fun water break1The WatchtowerOur lunches we pack from the boat and always order a drink from the Cafe we stop at.Tholen City HallReady for Kings Day, April 27thLoved the bike!Very cool bike with a beautiful wood carriageReminded me of the houses in Halifax except these are pastel colorsBack to the boatThe crew and Captain line up our bikes on deckOur Captain ( in blue coveralls)pitches in each dayArendina & Joan debriefing our options for the evening and tomorrow's rideThe drawbridge we passed to dock for the nightThe last lock we passed through

    To Kreekkrak Locks, Tholen, Dortrecht

    April 24 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Antwerp – Kreekrak locks,| Kreekrak locks – Tholen | Tholen – Dordrecht  (20 - 45 km)

    This morning, the ship sailed along the Schelde-Rhine Canal and over the huge Kreekrak lock system prior to and as we were waking.. Our bicycle tour, 38 km,started through the beautiful “Wouwse Plantage” forest to Tholen, We really enjoyed the forested areas, farmlands and beautiful homes along the way, before a drink break. We visited a Canadian War Cemetary from WW Ii. It was beautifully kempt with flowers amongst the gravesites. The ages of many soldiers was on avg. 20 years. We were thankful to pay our respects. We rode through heavy winds today. We enjoyed seeing flocks of sheep and their babies, mares and their colts,& dogs in the cafes we visited! We had lunch at a unique Watchtower. Tholen once was an island in the middle of the large Zeeland streams, where many people fished for their living. Tholen today is connected to the mainland in various ways. It was decorated with orange flag streamers for the upcoming Kings Day celebrations. We visited the City Hall, town center and an old windmill. From Tholen we joined the ship again for a nice afternoon sail to Dordrecht, one of the oldest towns in Holland. Halfway, the ship passed through the Volkerak lock system. We enjoy our conversations with our boatmates during the relax time before dinner.Read more

  • Debra KooyTravelerEuropean Vacation 2025
    1Kinderdijk with the 19 windmills along beautiful canals
    12The Dutchman with the windmillsA presentation at an original and working mill which is Unesco recognized b/c a Millar still runs itThe son of the millar telling us the history, precess and his philosophy of using organic grainsThe site of the Avro Lancaster plane crashOur Canadian group in front of the bent propellor1Our guided tour groupOur guidesLunch stop along a canal in SchoonhovenThe competition site for ditch/canal vaultingCity Hall from 14252Shenanigans back at the boat with Joanne1Starting the Kings Day celebrations1Belgian🇧🇪 beers cheers🍻4Photo by Arendina, our guide.1Our entertainment for the evening!

    Alblasserdam, Kinderdijk,Vianen

    April 25 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    Dordrecht – Alblasserdam | Alblasserdam – Kinderdijk – Schoonhoven – Vianen (32 - 57 km)

    We took a quick ride to see part of Dortrecht, the oldest city in Holland before hopping on the fast ferry to Alblasserdam. From here we cycled to Kinderdijk, a village famous for its impressive row of 19 UNESCO cultural heritage-listed windmills. This was a highlight. There are 1100 windmills left and originally there were 9,000. The windmills were constructed in the 18th century to pump water out of the low Alblasserwaard polder (a polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments). They were also used to grind grain. We visited an original windmill from 1844 still using the original stones as well as an electric grinding motor. They follow traditional, organic milling to produce their grains. Today was my favorite cycle day. We had a sunny, but windy day. We wound our way through beautiful villages lining the canals. We saw immaculate homes and yards with a variety of styles. The thatched roofs are a favorite. We saw so many varieties of birds including huge white swans laying on their nests and so many hobby farms with horses, chickens & other animals. I would love to come back and stay in this beautiful area. We saw the site of an Avro Lancaster that crashed. This is the type of plane Andrew's dad flew in. We cycled via Schoonhoven, since the 17th century, nicknamed Silver City – is renowned for its talented silversmiths, though we oddly did not see a silver shop while walking around!! Our destination was Vianen, a small fortified town on the river Lek where we spent the evening, enjoying the sun, Belgian beers , debriefing the day, then another fantastic meal and live entertainment by a local accordian player and singer.Read more

  • Debra KooyTravelerEuropean Vacation 2025
    The boat all decorated for Kings Day
    Tompouce cakeReady for our ride. We got our orange on🧡!!!First Breuklen Bridge!! It was thefirst drawbridge of the day. The operator lifted it just for us👌One of the beautiful mansionsThe cheese farmOur samples😋😋A garden grandma, no gnomes here!!The two Millars who look after/operate the windmillThe design and function of the windmillTompouce cake for the passengers for King's DayComing into Amsterdam Harbour1A picture with Hanni, our eldest rider at 83, one of our guides, Arendina, and moi!!Celebrating our crew on our final night2Lunch in the garden on the canalArchimedes' screw from the original windmill. It lifts the water up & out to protect the polder.Arendina took a video of us riding. Such a cool vantage point

    Vianen to Amsterdam on King's Day

    April 26 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Vianen – Breukelen | Breukelen – Amsterdam 35 km

    During breakfast the barge cruised to Breukelen where we disembarked and started our final day of cycling. It is the Kings birthday and we all adorned our bikes with orange balloons, lays and some wore orange. Our guide shared a special vanilla cake called tompouce with cream and/ or custard and orange icing made available on Kings Day. Many towns, homes and locals were decorated or dressed in orange. We rode along the Vecht River in an area famous for its beautiful mansions, small castles and beautiful houses with large gardens and parks all along the canals. Throughout the day we rode over several draw bridges. After cycling through the villages of Nieuwersluis, Loenen and Vreeland we arrived at Nigtevecht where we visited a traditional cheese farm. The owner toured us around the farm and explained the cheese making process. We had our lunch in their garden on the canal and purchased cheese. We Continued cycling and stopped at a windmill where we met the 2 millars who look after the windmills. One of them showed us pictures of the construction and told us the history of it. We rode on through the historical town of Muiden and on to the outskirts of Amsterdam to board the boat for the final time. We sat on the upper deck as the Captain took us into the Amsterdam Harbour for our last dinner, speeches from the crew, reminiscing about the week of cycling and final night on the boat. This has been a really fun group of people to tour with.Read more

  • Debra KooyTravelerEuropean Vacation 2025
    1
    113Trying the pannekeok1Julia, our friendly local who invited us in to see her home1Julia's main living roomTheir beautiful garden space1The restaurant Bonnie chose with Anthony in mind🥰Dinner at the HangarKing's Day celebrations. This is how many people are in the canals

    Amsterdam, disembarkment from Fluvius

    April 27 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We had our final breakfast on the Fluvius and said our goodbyes to new friends and fellow passengers. As everyone said, you bond with people, extend sincere invites to come visit in Canada and really hope they take us up on it because they were really wonderful people. I had a tearful goodbye with Joanne & Andrew too as they head for their next few days of adventures. We took an uber to our hotel, dropped off our luggage and headed out to walk around Amsterdam with Shaun & Tom. We took the free ferry across the Harbour to Amsterdam Central Station and found a cafe for coffee. Tom went to watch the Dutch Ajax football game while Shaun, Anthony & I explored the canals and Nine streets district. Along our strolling we met Julia and we stopped to chat and see if we could help her carry her soil i to her home. She ended up inviting us in to see her beautiful home on the canal dating back to the 1600's. She was so kind and toured us through and showed us their artwork, gardens and lovely spaces. A similar experience happened the last time we were in Amsterdam with Jacob.
    We walked and ferried back to our hotel area, checked in and met back with Bonnie, Ewan, Andy & Susie ( friends from Scotland). We had appies all together, including Hoge & Paula, Brad & Annalisa. We said goodbyes to Hoge & Paula who leave for Italy early am and headed for dinner at a restaurant called the Hangar booked by Bon. It was an incredible meal and such a unique space made to look like an airplane hangar. We were all tired and headed to our rooms. A great first day in Amsterdam.    Read more

  • Debra KooyTravelerEuropean Vacation 2025
    This company is creative. A fun bike to ride
    Skyline view of Amsterdam Central Station and districts beyondInside a historic building, now a shopping mallWall of cheesesOne of the graffiti walls we passedWe see so many of these small cars amongst the bikes. Easy to park!Fresh, raw Halibut with onions and pickle😋Look at how small this food truck is!! We had lunch here. Recommended by one of the vendors1Boat tour: Ewan, Anthony Bonnie1Bonnie & Shaun1Far left, Andy, Susie, Annalisa, Brad, Tom & me31The dancing housesThe wealthier district with much wider homes1One of the older homes we passed from 1590Loved the top decorative facade11Many homes have shuttersA Shipping Museum

    Amsterdam full second day

    April 28 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We met our group for breakfast in the hotel. We enjoyed their yogurt, fruit and pastries. We booked a boat tour then started out for the free ferry to the Central Station side to walk to the Albert Cuyp ( 17th Century Painter) Market in the De Pijp neighborhood. It is a very culturally diverse area. The streets are named after Dutch painters such as Vincent van Gogh. It is the largest daytime market in Europe with products aimed at residents from Turkish, Moroccan and Antillean backgrounds. We ate at a Lebanese stand. The food was delicious. We took the metro back and met everyone for a canal boat tour. It was a fun tour on an open boat. We saw some new areas such as the Dancing houses at Damrak which are crooked historic houses that lean in different directions. Then the wealthy area with wider Canal houses that you can rent for approx. 30,000 euros per night including a personal chef, concierge and butler. Most of the houses are narrow in Amsterdam because they were taxed on the width of the house. Amsterdam originated in 1275. This year will be the 750 year celebration. It was known for Herring and spices from Indonesia, India and Spain. Now it is known for tourism, companies such as booking.com, and real estate used as head offices for various firms. Following our tour we walked back to the hotel, grabbed a quick bite at the Food Center next door. We sat and visited all together at the hotel. Brad & Annalisa fly home tomorrow. It has been so nice to spend time with Andy & Susie.
    A fun day today.    Read more

  • Debra KooyTravelerEuropean Vacation 2025
    3When in the Netherlands....
    31This is more my style!2😂 best sign!!1We saw lots of cats today. Loved how this one is laying out on the ledge muralHarry Potterish!1😂21Night train to Vienna then on to BudapestReading before bed1Relaxing & reading before bedCozy quartersWe had to tape the cup holders so we didn't bump our heads in the nightNight Jet train

    Amsterdam then night train to Austria

    April 29 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We woke early to have breakfast with Ewan, Bonnie, Andy & Susie before they left for their next adventures. We stored our bags then walked to the ferry and walked to Dam Square and the Jordaan District over 10km. We stopped for pannekeoken recommended from our self guided food tour. We had some time to sit & relax at the hotel before heading to Central Train Station for our night train to Budapest. We have a cabin for 4 on the train. We had to store some of our bigger bags up on the top bunk. Space was tight! We had some cheese and crackers and snacks before getting ready to sleep. Through the night it was really cold. At 2;30am Tom was attempting to shut the window and accidentally hit the emergency brake but it doesn't activate until the train stops then attempts to start again. I was helping get the window shut from my side and blinds down when we felt the train start then stop suddenly and the next thing we know there's a knock at the door and 6 train employees are lined up wondering if we are all okay and why we pulled the brake🤭 We had a good laugh ( after they left!). On to the next adventures!!Read more

  • Debra KooyTravelerEuropean Vacation 2025
    Breakfast on the train
    Our Airbnb2Our view across the street is the St. Stephen's Basilica4Hungarian ghoulash13

    Vienna & transfer train to Budapest

    April 30 in Hungary ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We woke at 7am and our Attendant set up our seats for us and brought coffee and buns with jam. We ate while enjoying the countryside in Austria and chatting about our night. We had a brief stop in Vienna with time to grab a coffee then back on the train for Budapest. We had some lovely people direct us to the ticket sales/ metro. It was not long to our Airbnb. It is very spacious and overlooks St. Stephen's Basilica. We had a great dinner with Hungarian specialties, picked up some groceries for the next 4 days and then had a relaxing evening at the Airbnb.Read more

  • Debra KooyTravelerEuropean Vacation 2025
    3Shoes on the Danube Memorial to the Holocaust Victims
    1Reminders of the Jewish people killed by the Nazis1Langos Hungarian specialty with sour cream & cheese 😋4Chain Bridge to BudaOldest of the bridges and has also been rebuilt1View of Pest. Nothing can be built taller than St. Stephen's Basilica2The Parliament BuildingFisherman's Bastion1Castle District in BudaSt Matthias Church. The roof tiles were spectacular1Castle District1Riding the Metro. The escalators are so steep.Boat Cruise. Nice to rest our weary legs!Boat cruise on the Danube

    Pest Tour & Castle District, Buda

    May 1 in Hungary ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Today we started our beautifully, sunny day with a quick breakfast then out to our walking tour of the Pest side of Budapest. We walked for 2.5 hours to see:

    Elizabeth Square
    Old Stock Exchange building by 2 fountains, 1 loved, 1 not!
    St. Stephen's Basilica
    Liberty Square
    Danube Promenade where we could see the Buda side of Budapest with the Citadel and Castle District. Buda was originally where the Austrian leadership resided. The castles and churches were meant to show power and the Pest side was where all the trade happened on the Danube. There were no bridges across originally until they realized how lucrative the trading was.

    Soviet Memorial with statues of Presidents Reagan and Bush to show the balance of power. It was a mass grave, but the remains had been moved to a cemetary. This had been the site of many protests

    Parliament Building

    Budapest has quite the history of conquering but then being conquered or occupied through the years. All of the beautiful castles, churches & buildings were destroyed so they rebuilt them. None of what we see is original.

    Our guide gave us coupons for a free beer at a nearby restaurant which had the Langos, a Hungarian specialty. It is a sweet bread served with sour cream and cheese. It was delicious. We walked to see the "shoes on the Danube", a memorial with 60 bronzed shoes representing the Jewish people who were made to strip down on the edge of the river, 60 at a time, then shot and washed away in the river. It is a very depressed History. The last occupations were the German Nazis and then the Soviets.

    We walked across the oldest bridge called the Chain Bridge to the Buda side. We walked up a lot of stairs to Castle Hill. We had great views of St. Stephen's Basilica and the Parliament in Pest. We saw Buda Castle, the National Gallery then over to Fisherman's Bastion and St. Mathias Church. We caught a bus then the metro back to the center near the Danube for dinner and finished our day with an evening Boat Cruise on the Danube River.    Read more

  • Debra KooyTravelerEuropean Vacation 2025
    1Thermal baths
    Indoor bath4Starting his artistic swimming routine😂1This was my favorite 😻2Tuckered right out!1Longing for the outdoors!1Great SynagogueTree of Life Sculpture with the names of some 5000 Jews buried in the area1The names of the victims are on each leafCarl Lutz Memorial: Angel sending down a bolt of cloth to a prostrate victim. He saved many Jews1Ruin BarExtremely eclectic bars2Rooftop bar overlooking the Danube and Buda side11Buda Castle2Apperol Spritz1Margaret Bridge

    Széchenyi Thermal Bath & Jewish Quarter

    May 2 in Hungary ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Today we took the oldest metro in Europe, built in 1896, to Széchenyi Thermal Baths. It is one of the largest spa baths built in 1913. It was beautiful. The  Neo-baroque palace was specifically built for hosting medicinal baths. The Roman then Turkish occupiers built them for their natural mineral-rich qualities. The thermals were 21 C and it was 26 C today. We took the Metro back to our neighborhood for lunch. After a quick change, we walked around the corner to the Cat Cafe. They had lots of beautiful cats, but they were sleeping for the most part, so we carried on. We started our own self-guided tour of the Jewish Quarter. There were 440,000 Hungarian Jews deported to their deaths within 3 months in 1944. We saw the Great Synagogue, 2nd largest in the world and situated on the street that marked the Budapest Ghetto in WWII. The Tree of Life is a sculpture that commemorates 5000 Holocaust victims buried in the area and another that pays tribute to those who risked their lives trying to save the Jewish people. We visited the Rumback Street Synagogue and an Orthodox Synagogue (security was evident). While on Kazinczy Street, we found the Ruin Bars ( Budapest's ruin bars were born at the ti.e of the new millenium from the gentrified urban decay of the city's 7th district. These creative, eclectic and cobbled-together spaces quite literally hijack ruins – abandoned warehouses, empty parking lots, historic buildings – and call them home) and had a drink before taking a short rest back at the apartment. Our evening ended with drinks and eats on a rooftop bar overlooking the Danube and Buda side of the river. It was a beautiful evening with Tom & Shaun with spectacular views.Read more

  • Debra KooyTravelerEuropean Vacation 2025
    Opera Hall
    Inside the Opera HallThis is a stock photo of the New York Cafe. We couldn't get in due to very long lines.1I love the buildings here even though they are rebuilt to look oroginalWe shared the Dobos and Millefuille desserts12I bought a croissant to go. The reviews said they were the best they have ever tastedEven the pottery dishes were beautifulLove the facadesElizabeth Bridge1House of Terror during Nazi & Soviet OccupationChain Bridge after being bombed by the GermansVivid reminders of the atrocities inflicted on so many people1Two Crestonites! A fun reunionAmazing desserts😋1Likely another bachelor party...there were many!!

    Museum, La Boutique Cafe, dinner w Sandy

    May 3 in Hungary ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We had a nice slow start today. We were up late and took our time getting on our way to the House of Terror Museum. It gives the history of the Nazi Germany and Soviet occupations and the atrocities carried out against the Hungarian population. It left us heavy hearted. So many people suffered and/or died. We walked to LA Boutique by Meinhart recommended by Susie & Andy. The pastries are world class, literally. We met the Chef and his partner who owns the Boutique side of the Cafe. The coffee and desserts were outstanding. We walked back to the apartment and rested and packed before heading to dinner with a friend, Sandy, from my hometown of Creston now living in Budapest. I have not seen him since he graduated high school. Sandy treated us to the best dinner we have had since we started this vacation. It was a traditional Hungarian Restaurant. We tried 3 Hungarian desserts and a plum aperitif that was very strong. We had such a nice time catching up and asking lots of questions about Hungary. Sandy drove us to his family home for a nightcap. Their home and gardens are so beautiful in Buda. Sandy& Erica have lovely artwork from a relative of Sandy's who lived in Budapest. Sandy drove us back to our apartment around midnight. Such a great evening to end our time in Budapest.Read more

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice