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TRAVELLERworks sing eloquently of an era andgeography naturally associated withhim and I felt I knew him, a little,having been to his home town. As avisit to Hoorn revealed something ofthe national character.Again we joined a local guideorganised by Uniworld andwandered Hoorn's old centre, hearingof its 16th-century golden age wheninternational shipping to the East andWest Indies was launched from itspiers. Understandably, consideringthe importance of the industry,some churches have gilded shipsdecorating their highest peaks –crafted in elegant, graphic style.Other churches feature goldenroosters, as a sign of reawakening,marking them as Dutch ReformedChurches. Others, being Lutheran,carry a swan as their flag.The guide that day, the convivialand knowledgeable Claude,also explained the ‘coffee houseculture’, the Dutch attitude towardvarious social issues, the shiftingcontemporary mood of his country.It readied us for our arrival incosmopolitan Amsterdam, whichcould have been a shock after daysspent gliding with languor througheasy, gentle beauty!But Amsterdam – a colourful,happy, engaging city – was also easy.We wandered, shopped and soakedCLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:Bicycles are everywhere inAmsterdam, but they don'tdetract at all from the city'sbeauty; the tulips are out – itmust be spring.up the city’s youthfulness and extremeprettiness. We took a free ferry to aformer industrial site used by artists,houseboat owners and boat restorers,sharing the ride with families out forthe day. Parents pushed their bikeson to the deck. Typically, womenhad small passenger seats on theirbikes, carrying the youngest infront and an older child, too youngto ride their own bike, clinging onbehind. The family men pushedbarrow-like extensions in front oftheir bikes, carrying the picnic andparaphernalia for the excursion; insome cases, a child was in there, too.Having looked around, we caughtthe boat back to the city, but not beforebuying excellent coffee and deliciousspicy buns to eat on the 10-minutetrip. The ferry docked and the crowdtumbled out directly into the metrostation for trains and buses, or past itto paths designated for walkers andcyclists. Those who needed to ditchtheir bikes parked them in a floating,multi-tiered bike park right there.That morning’s excursion spokevolumes of how well the city works,how clever and manageable andhospitable and inclusive it is. It’s abrilliant city – it’s the star of the show,in a way. But the real poetry, thedepth of character and the lasting,technicolour images lie in the journeytaken to get there. ←Lounging aroundAfter an intense 10 days inEurope and the inevitable,inescapable, long, long flightback to our corner of the world, Iaccepted an invitation to CathayPacific’s First Class lounge inHong Kong airport. The loungehas been renovated and hasnew cabanas and, happily, therewas one vacant, so I installedmyself and ran a bath in a roomthe size of a studio apartmentand soaked for an hour –incredibly – amidst the hubbubof Hong Kong airport. Then I atevery well from a buffet, althoughI could have ordered à la carte– but didn’t want to spend toomuch time eating when therewas freely available, top-qualitychampagne to be had.Access to the Business Classlounge on the way to Europewas very welcome for a shortertransit and Cathay Pacific hasrefurbished that, too. But I hadflown Business Class to try outthe new, roomier seats, whichare angled to be more convivialfor people travelling together, soI was not as badly in need of therecuperative value of the loungeas I might have been.Although airline loungesare reserved for passengerson specific airlines, HongKong airport also has generic‘travellers lounges’. Accessis paid by the hour forshowers, food and somewherecomfortable to wait in transit.VISITOR INFORMATIONUniworld’s 10-day Tulips & Windmills rivercruise travels between Amsterdam andAntwerp; departure dates are availablein March and April 2014.www.uniworldcruises.co.nzCathay Pacific offers daily one-stopconnections between Auckland andAmsterdam, via Hong Kong.www.cathaypacific.co.nzFor travel insurance,see www.aa.co.nz /travelPHOTOGRAPHY: LIZ LGHT74 AA Directions Winter 2013