Tour de Couture – River Cruise with Countess Excellence
Hej!
What an experience it was! A nine day trip to the hot spots of Fashion in the Netherlands and Belgium on board the top modern and comfortable Countess Excellence luxury liner ship http://www.excellence.ch
Also on board was our favorite Stylist Luisa Rossi http://www.luisarossi.com , who hosted workshops on fashion and make-up and accompanied us on our visits to local fashion designers, museums, and boutiques. The main focus of the tour was sustainability in the fashion industry, and that was really interesting.
Day 1 – Zürich to Nijmegen
We started our trip at Zürich Airport, where we were picked up by a small bus. In Rütihof we then changed to a luxury coach that took us via Basel to Nijmegen in the Netherlands, where the Countess Excellence awaited us in all her glory!
We went straight to our beautiful Junior Suite and unpacked our luggage. And although I am not someone who travels light 😉 there was plenty of room in the spacious closets and drawers for all my and mini-me’s belongings.
After a welcome drink in the nicely decorated lounge area, we had our first dinner on board. The food and service was absolutely excellent on every day of the trip, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner (or even the afternoon cakes and snacks too)!
During that first dinner the ship “set sail” for Amsterdam and we soon encountered our very first ships lock. What seemed exotic that first night, soon became a habit because we encountered what felt like a hundred ship locks on the entire trip 😉
Day 2 – Amsterdam
In the morning we visited the super cool House of Denim Foundation (see my separate blogpost: Denim Sustainability Efforts ) and in the afternoon we went on a shopping spree in Amsterdam (there was a guide along for those who wanted one).
Day 3 -Rotterdam
In the morning we sailed on to Rotterdam while enjoying a Styling Workshop with Luisa Rossi on board our Countess Excellence.
Upon arrival in Rotterdam, we were picked up by our friendly guide of the day and headed to the Blue City Lab (that used to be a waterslide paradise) and visited Fabulous Fungi fabulousfungi.nl This start-up company, founded by Ilse Kremer, wants to reduce chemical waste in the process of clothes dyeing by using various fungi to dye fabrics.
Later we visited a pub and had some local beer and snacks, went up on a rooftop with a smashing view and visited the Markthaal.
After a great dinner on land, we were taken by coach to the atelier of the young local designer Rosalie Key, where we enjoyed a short fashion show.
Day 4 – Rotterdam
In the morning we had another fabulous guide www.anne-marieros.nl who swooshed us around Rotterdam at the speed of light 😉 We visited several local boutiques and the start-up IF DENIM (see my blogpost: Denim Sustainability Efforts for more information).
The afternoon was dedicated to Beauty with an interesting make-up workshop by Luisa Rossi. All the while we sailed to Belgium!
Day 5 – Ghent and Bruges
The morning was spent in Bruges, either at the famous Lace museum or simply by enjoying the town on our own and munching on Belgian chocolates and waffles 😉 After lunch on board our ship we visited Gent for a few hours of shopping and sightseeing as well.
In the evening the Fashion Group had reserved a table in the RIVE Restaurant at the stern of the boat, where we were treated to a delicious Italian 3 course menu.
Day 6 – Antwerp
On this morning we visited the amazing city Antwerp and its Fashion Museum MoMu momu.be
In the afternoon we sailed on and had some relaxing time on board the Excellence Countess. Some visited the fitness room and others enjoyed the views from the deck, had their portrait drawn by a cartoonist or chatted with the captain (and some of us did it all 😉
In the evening we watched football in the lounge (unfortunately Switzerland lost) and enjoyed a delicious buffet there instead of eating in the regular restaurant.
Day 7 – Hasselt (Brussels)
On day 7 our Excellence Countess docked in Hasselt. The coaches took those wished so to Brussels for a day tour, including lunch. Because I already know Brussels, I decided to stay in Hasselt, however. I decided to go for a walk in the area and ended up in the pretty Japanese Garden www.visithasselt.be/nl/japanese-tuin
There was plenty to see and there were even some vendors that sold Japanese items and food! I found a vintage Japanese silk kimono from http://www.natsukashii.nl Definitely visit their web shop if you like vintage Japanese items!
In the afternoon we continued our trip to Maastricht, where we ventured out for a walk in the evening.
Day 8 – Maastricht
On our last day of the river cruise we spent a few hours promenading around and shopping in Maastricht. We had a guide for about an hour in the old town, before those who wanted to, took the coach to the Outlet Shopping Village Roermond. I decided to stay put in Maastricht where I did some shopping.
In the afternoon we sailed on and it was time to get ready for the Gala Evening – the last dinner on board! After a drink in the bar we were spoiled by a fantastic dinner and farewell speech and staff parade.
Day 9 – Home
And then suddenly it was time to say goodbye! After breakfast we got on our coach in Nijmegen and were brought back home with memories for a lifetime!
Personal Notes:
“The Tour de Couture” (Mode & Design in Flandern) in my opinion, is the perfect idea for a ladies’ trip for friends over 50, or solo travelers who like to travel in a group. The atmosphere was very friendly and happy and the group was a lot of fun with participant ages ranging from 16 (mini-me) to 87!
Luisa Rossi brought a vibrant energy to the trip and her workshops were, like always, a true inspiration!
The friendly staff looked out for our every need and we felt very comfortable the whole time.
As already mentioned, the food onboard was excellent and there were some very good vegetarian options. The cooks were also prepared to cater to those with allergies or other nutrition needs.
Next Excellence River Cruises
The next Excellence River Cruise with Luisa Rossi is unfortunately already fully booked, however, there are THREE Fashion Cruises with her coming up in 2025:
- Basel – Düsseldorf – Basel On March 31st to April 6th 2025 AND October 8th to October 14th 2025
- Holland and Belgium On June 17th to June 25th 2025
These trips can be booked starting December 2024 on http://www.excellence.ch where you can also read more about the ships, other available cruises and all about this Swiss, high quality travel company.
I want to thank Excellence again for their kind invitation and the fabulous time we had. I can only recommend you all to have a go for yourselves!
Ha en bra dag! Kram (hug) Jenny
( Ad / Werbung/ PR Invitation / unpaid)
