After breakfast, we will visit the newly renovated Rijksmuseum. The renovation started in 2004 and the ‘new’ museum opened its doors again in 2012. Although way over the original budget, it has received enthusiastic praise from all over the world. Just the building itself is worth a visit, and its art collection is just as exceptional. Many paintings of the Dutch masters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and van Gogh can be seen. During our visit, we will definitely check out their use of light specifically.

After lunch we explore more of Amsterdam, it’s canals and many historic buildings. One of the liveliest areas is “De Pijp”, filled with shops, cafes, restaurants, and cozy bars, and close by is the largest and most popular market in the Netherlands. There’s no place like the Albert Cuyp street market to discover Amsterdam’s typical sense of humor and laid back atmosphere.

At the end of the afternoon we will settle down in one of the many bars for a relaxing drink and from there we will find ourselves a place for a wonderful dinner. (B)

In the morning we set out to experience the FloraHolland Aalsmeer Flower Auction, the largest flower auction in the world. Here we’ll witness the hustle and bustle of the auction floor, watch traders bidding against the clock and be amazed at the number of beautiful flowers traded daily. Flowers from all over the world (Europe, Ecuador, Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, etc.) are traded on a daily basis, around 20 million flowers daily.

(Spring Schedule: We will leave the city of Amsterdam and travel a short distance to the flower area of the Netherlands to view and photograph the world famous Dutch tulips. Here you will see the endless flower fields along the streets and fields. And no trip to the Netherlands would be complete without a visit to the world famous “Keukenhof”.)

Afterward, we are free to explore the famous Red Light District. From brothels to sex shops to museums, the Red Light District leaves nothing to the imagination. Cameras are permitted (except never in the direction of the female entertainers! Strictly banned!). This is proof enough that the RLD deserves a visit, if not a look see. The Red Light District simply oozes charm and one cannot help but admire the old buildings that lean at odd angles, and the tree-enshrouded canals. (B)

The Netherlands is more than just Amsterdam, so today, we set out early to explore this small country. Our minibus drives us south to Rotterdam. Rotterdam is a dynamic international city on the waterfront, always offering something to see or do. The city is famous all across the globe as one of the world’s biggest ports. The city center includes many shops, local businesses, museums, and parks. Weena, for example, is a street lined with international businesses and multinationals. Its modern high-rise buildings and striking architecture define the face of the city center. We will walk through different parts of the city center. Places like Weena, Oude Haven, Erasmusbrug, Willemsbrug, and Noorder Eiland are all just places that celebrate ‘old’ and ‘new’ Rotterdam.

By mid-afternoon, we are ready to head over the Delft, just a short distance away. Delft is the City of Delft Blue, the House of Orange and Johannes Vermeer. This charming city received its city franchise in 1246. The city has a really nice and welcoming atmosphere and the center is small enough to visit all the places on foot. We will visit the house of Vermeer and see, explained in nice displays, how ‘the master of light’ created his paintings (e.g. the Girl With the Pearl Earring). We go into some of the royal sites like the Nieuwe Kerk, all members of the royal family are buried here, and the Prinsenhof, the place where Willem of Orange was shot to death. After a blue-hour shoot of the main square, we head back to Amsterdam. (B)

After breakfast, we’ll depart Amsterdam for Haarlem, a city just west of Amsterdam. Once a major North Sea trading port surrounded by a defensive wall, it retains its medieval character of cobblestone streets and gabled houses. It’s the center of a major flower-bulb-growing district, and famous for its outlying tulip fields, art museums, and hofjes (almshouses built around leafy courtyards). For New Yorkers, bustling Haarlem gave America’s Harlem its name back when New York was “New Amsterdam,” a Dutch colony. We’ll enjoy wandering around Grote Markt (Market Square), where 10 streets converge. This is the town’s delightful centerpiece and has been for 700 years.

After lunch we’ll return back to Amsterdam and explore more of the canals, take a little rest before taking a ferry across to the new trendy neighborhood called Noord. Noord is an industrial area consisting of converted factories that once built ships, made ships’ engines, tooling, and more. The area has been converted into a colorful and cool playground for young Amsterdammers.  (B) 

After breakfast, we will embark on our journey to the Dutch countryside, which begins with a visit to a different but very characteristic Dutch landscape, namely “Polders.” Kinderdijk is a village about 15 km east of Rotterdam, situated in a polder in the Alblasserwaard at the confluence of the Lek and Noord rivers. To drain the polder, a system of 19 windmills was built around 1740. This group of mills is the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands. The windmills of Kinderdijk are one of the best-known Dutch tourist sites. 

From here we will drive to Zaanse Schans, where we will base ourselves for the next two nights. During the 17th century, more than 600 windmills were constructed in the area around the Zaanse Schans, creating the first industrial zone. The windmills were used, among others, to grind spices, produce paint, saw wood, and make oil. A number of these windmills still exist and can still be visited today. You will see how these wind-powered machines work, inside and out. (B)

We are up early to capture the sunrise in the land of windmills. After breakfast, we will be off to photograph from the waterway of de Zaan by boat. We’ll step aboard a koeienboot (cow ship), which, as the name implied, was used to transport cattle across the water in the past. Our guide will tell us wonderful stories along the way, about life in the Zaanstreek in the past. We’ll have wonderful photographic opportunities from this vantage point. In the afternoon in Zaanse Schans we will see authentic houses, windmills, a tinware factory, a cheese and dairy factory, and other crafts. Both inside and out, the old Zaan style is visible. Afterward, we will enjoy our Farewell Dinner. (B) (D)

At breakfast we have our final discussion, review our best photos from the week, trade contact information, and bid you farewell. We urge you to extend your stay in Amsterdam or elsewhere in Europe and make good use of all the wonderful photographic techniques you will have learned on our amazing Netherlands photo adventure. (B)