Northern Cities Voyage: Cruise Pt. 2
In this third part of a multi-part series, Bethany explores the second part of her Northern Cities Voyage cruise from Honfleur, France through Amsterdam, The Netherlands on Azamara.
June 2022 was big for me…it was the month I turned the big 5-0! In order to celebrate properly, I booked myself on my first non-river cruise, the wonderful 10-night Northern Cities Voyage cruise on the Azamara Pursuit (what I lovingly refer to as my “Fabulous 50 Cruise”!). This cruise starts in Lisbon, Portugal and ends in Stockholm, Sweden. As with my other cruises, this one covers entirely too many wonderful stops along the way to fit into just one single post, so this series is broken up into several parts. This third post spotlights the second part of the cruise, from Honfleur, France through Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Northern Cities Voyage Full Itinerary
Below is the full itinerary for the cruise. This post includes details about Day 5 through Day 7.
- Day 1 – June 7: Lisbon, Portugal
- Day 2 – June 8: Porto, Portugal
- Day 3 – June 9: At Sea
- Day 4 – June 10: St. Peter Port, Guernsey
- Day 5 – June 11: Honfleur, France
- Day 6 – June 12: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Day 7 – June 13: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Day 8 – June 14: Kiel Canal, Germany
- Day 9 – June 15: Copenhagen, Denmark
- Day 10 – June 16: Visby, Sweden
- Day 11 – June 17: Stockholm, Sweden
Missed the earlier posts in this series? No problem…click the buttons below to catch up:
Honfleur
I spent Day 5 of the Northern Cities Voyage cruise in and around Honfleur, France. The sun was shining as we arrived into the port of Honfleur around 7:00am. After breakfast in Windows Café I headed to the Cabaret Lounge to meet up with my excursion group for the “Taste of Normandy” excursion.
Busnel Calvados Distillery Tour
The first stop on the excursion was the Busnel Calvados distillery. After about a 30 minute bus ride we arrived at the beautiful distillery. Calvados is a delicious brandy made from apples and/or pears. We met up with our guide, an employee at the distillery, for a leisurely tour of the grounds and the distillery itself. Along the way he provided great commentary about the history of Calvados, the history of the distillery, and the process to make Calvados. Located in the heart of the Pays d’Auge region of Normandy, Busnel has been making Calvados since 1820. Today it is the oldest of the major Calvados producers.
Busnel Calvados Tasting
After the interesting tour we got to the good part…the tasting! We tasted two different types of Calvados: Pommeau de Normandie (a very fruity aperitif made with pure apple juice and Calvados, aged in oak barrels for at least 14 months) and Calvados VSOP (made from a blend of Calvados and aged for at least 4 years in oak barrels). We also sampled some of the apple jelly they make from the remains of the apples after they are pressed to make the Calvados…nothing goes to waste here!
Deauville & Trouville
From the Busnel Calvados distillery we drove through some of countryside in the Normandy region to Deauville and Trouville, an area known as the Parisian Riviera. These two neighboring seaside villages attract lots of visitors with their beautiful beaches, expensive shops and restaurants, hotels, casinos, and boardwalks. We had an opportunity to get off the bus in Trouville to walk around and explore the beach and the village on our own.
Sampling Cheese at Lunch
I returned to the ship for lunch after the morning excursion was finished. Aside from another delicious lunch in Windows Café, there was also a fantastic selection of fresh, local French cheeses and fresh-baked bread to sample. C’est si bon!
Exploring Honfleur
I spent the afternoon exploring Honfleur on my own. Azamara offered easy and convenient shuttle bus service between the ship and the center of Honfleur all day long, so it was very quick and easy to get into town and walk around. The weather was picture-perfect: bright sunshine, blue skies, and warm temperatures. I enjoyed leisurely wandering around, exploring the many small streets leading in and out of the city center. A refreshing strawberry gelato hit the spot!
I also rode the Ferris Wheel in Honfleur and got to see some amazing views!
An Evening At Sea
After a delightful afternoon exploring heavenly Honfleur, I took a shuttle back to the ship. We set sail at 5:00pm, heading for Amsterdam. I enjoyed a Cosmopolitan in the Living Room before dinner while the band Lucky Charm performed. Dinner was a fabulous French menu in Windows Café, and then I relaxed out by the pool deck and watched the gorgeous sunset (which doesn’t happen until after 10:00pm here at this time of the year!).
Amsterdam
I spent the morning of Day 7 of my Northern Cities Voyage cruise at sea as we continued to make our way from Honfleur to Amsterdam. A relaxing Sunday morning onboard was a perfect way to recharge for two busy days ahead.
Brunch
I spent part of my relaxing morning at the delicious brunch served in the main dining room, Discoveries. The scrumptious Sunday brunch buffet was a mind-boggling, never-ending sea of food…there were plenty of different sweet and savory dishes available to choose from. A mimosa (or two!) also hit the spot. The Pursuit house band also performed for us in the dining room. I even lucked out and got a seat right by the band!
Sailing Into Amsterdam
As we approached Amsterdam we sailed through the first lock of the cruise. I have gone through countless locks on my various river cruises, but this was my first one on a larger ship. It is always fun to see the process!
The scenery as we got closer to Amsterdam was beautiful. Everything was green and lush on this beautiful early summer day, and many people were out on the waterfront waving to us as we sailed past.
Edam
After docking in Amsterdam at 2:00pm, I headed out for my afternoon excursion. Since this was my fourth visit to Amsterdam I chose to get out of the city a bit. I did a wonderful excursion to Edam called “At Home in Historic Edam”. Edam is about a 30 minute drive north of Amsterdam and it is packed with a ton of Dutch charm. It is known for its cheese, of course. I enjoyed walking around the small but quaint city center.
Home Tour
The main focus of the excursion was a visit to an old residence in the heart of Edam. Here the residents warmly welcomed us into their home, gave us a tour, and fed us homemade Dutch apple pie and coffee in their garden. It was such a treat to get to see what such a historic home is like inside, and the owner was absolutely charming. She told many stories about the history of the house and how her mother accidentally discovered the intricately painted ceiling beams in the living room while doing some renovations. Oh, and the pie was absolutely delicious!
Cheese & Shoe Making Demonstrations
Our final stop in Edam was for a cheese and wooden shoe making demonstration. The personable and entertaining guide explained how they make these classic Dutch specialties. I was the lucky one who got to keep the demo shoe that he made!
Goodnight 49…
The excursion ended late afternoon and we returned to the ship. I felt like I had been eating all day so I chose to forego a full meal and instead opted for tapas and wine in the Living Room. Later that evening was the “Destination Celebration” event which was hosted by the senior crew and featured Dutch singer Glynis Grace. Next up was the Pursuit Band with some fabulous jazz and light pop back up in the Living Room. The fun evening, my last of my 49th year, ended with ABBA night in the Living Room. There were a lot of people from Sweden on this cruise, so they were thrilled to dance the night away to ABBA…I thoroughly enjoyed it as well!
Hello to the Big 5-0!
Well hello, 50! Day 7 on my Northern Cities Voyage cruise marked my 50th birthday. It was a fantastic day from start to finish. I brought my own celebratory tee-shirt and necklace to wear. I also returned back to my stateroom after the morning excursion to find some festive birthday decorations as well.
Cheese Making Workshop
My morning excursion was a Dutch Cheese Making Workshop. It was actually held at the same place we ended yesterday’s excursion, where we enjoyed the cheese and shoe making demonstrations. This time, however, we got to make our own cheese. This was a very fun morning as our host walked us through each step in the process, which starts with a bucket of fresh milk (it was inside the cow at about 5:00am that morning!).
About halfway through, it was time for a coffee break. We got to enjoy some coffee and a delicious slice of homemade pound cake topped with fresh whipped cream…it was oh, so good! Then it was back to the workshop to finish making our cheese.
We also had some free time to explore more of the workshop area and to do some shopping in the large gift shop while the cheese was being pressed during the final step of the process. After shopping we returned to the workshop to unwrap our finished product. Our cheeses were then sealed in plastic so we could take them back to the ship with us. At this point, the cheese is basically a mozzarella cheese. It has to be aged much longer to eventually become the famous Edam cheese!
After the cheese making workshop we stopped for a quick photo op at a local working windmill, then headed back to the ship for lunch and a mid-afternoon sailing. I got to see some more gorgeous scenery as we sailed out of Amsterdam.
Dinner at Prime C
I had an absolutely fabulous 50th birthday dinner at one of the specialty restaurants, Prime C.
After being escorted to a quiet table with a gorgeous view, I reviewed the menu while enjoying a lovely smoked salmon amuse bouche. My dinner choices included the tuna tartare and tempura shrimp starter, the lobster bisque, and a wonderful steak Diane with Pont Neuf potatoes with a side of Brussels sprouts. I was born and raised in Maine and I always have some form of lobster on my birthday, so this Maine girl was delighted to see lobster bisque on the menu to keep this tradition alive!
For dessert my server surprised me with a delightful birthday cream cake. I also decided to have some key lime cheesecake…because, hey, you only turn 50 once!
Elton John Show
My fabulous 50th birthday continued with a bang! I headed back to the Cabaret Lounge to see the Elton John-themed show. Elton John is one of my all-time favorites, and the performers put on a beautiful, high-energy show featuring many of his biggest hits. I was singing and dancing and enjoying every single second of this show!
Wrapping Up My Birthday
My fun-filled birthday ended back up in the Living Room, sipping on a Cosmopolitan while listening to Lucky Charm perform. Another glorious sunset made way for a spectacular view of the Strawberry Moon over the sea. What a fantastic end to a fantastic day!
Conclusion
Days 5, 6, and 7 of my Northern Cities Voyage cruise on Azamara Pursuit were incredible. Honfleur, France (and the greater Normandy region) is absolutely beautiful. I also had a great time learning about (and tasting!) Calvados and seeing some charming seaside villages. The two days I spent in Amsterdam were absolutely amazing, having an opportunity to get out of the city a bit and explore Edam was so much fun. Stay tuned for the next installment in this series which will focus on Days 8, 9, and 10 of the cruise, which includes sailing through the Kiel Canal, Germany and stops in Copenhagen, Denmark and Visby, Sweden.
Links
Click the buttons below to read the first two posts in this series:
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