- 5 weeks ago
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00:00Welcome to Getaway and welcome to this fairytale city of Bruges where if the canals and the bridges
00:20and the gliding swans and the cobbled laneways don't stun you as if you've been hit by a Bruges
00:27brick there's also this almost unreasonable low-hanging whiff of chocolate that makes this
00:34place impossible to resist and this is just the starting point the beginning of our five country
00:40tour with scenic linked by the most glorious of Europe's waterways
00:44the romantic Rhine and Moselle rivers will be my home for the next three weeks as I set sail on a
00:55sleek ultra luxurious scenic spaceship that will take me deep into the heart of Europe
01:00the glorious ride you just succumb to its constant comforting glide this is a story that's both sweet
01:13spicy is it organic yes it is no hangover nope no never full of surprises boy you couldn't get a
01:23more sort of beautiful vista could you and we are starting here in the magical Belgian city of Bruges
01:30before joining the ship in Amsterdam
01:32Bruges is the capital and largest city of the Flemish region of Belgium if you asked AI to design a
01:45fairytale medieval town you would be hard-pressed to improve on Bruges
01:52like neighboring Netherlands Bruges is classic low-lying Europe it's just two meters above sea level so dig a
01:59canal it's gonna fill in and bingo no wonder it's often referred to as the Venice of the north
02:06historically these canals connected directly to the North Sea at a time when Bruges was the major commercial
02:11city of Europe an urbanized hub for trade craft production art culture luxury and all-around sumptuousness
02:22it feels like the heart of town this is definitely the heart of Bruges here yeah market square market square
02:35every Wednesday the market since the Middle Ages always on a Wednesday the magnetism of medieval Bruges draws
02:44you closer everywhere you look you're transported back centuries this magnificent gothic structure here
02:52what's this this is the town hall or city hall of Bruges Bruges became a city in the 12th century and
02:59the color red the color red seems to be everywhere yes that's true because on a medieval building always the
03:07wooden window frames and the doors were red they stained the wood red because that was about the
03:16only stain color they had yes you can wander around Bruges by yourself but the beauty of a guided tour is
03:24gaining a greater understanding of Belgium's storied history and customs excuse me cheers good help though
03:35my grasp of Flemish may be patchy I am proficient in the language of beer and a Belgian beer tasting is
03:41all part of today's itinerary that is a classic Belgian beer yeah duvel light crispy the bubble means the
03:52devil duvel means the devil yeah yeah maybe that's what you turn into if you have too much
03:58you're the devil but if your tastes swing more sweet than bitter alongside beer Belgium is also
04:08famous for its world-class chocolate can I try that sure that's right at chocolateria Perala net you can
04:16learn the secrets of transforming cacao beans into delicious Belgian pralines there you go
04:23very powerful that's powerful just really opens up doesn't it the roasted beans have been ground
04:30into this paste and sweetened with sugar but it's the delicate creation of the pralines that is really
04:35fascinating and this is the process for every chocolate everyone is handmade this is just one
04:40layer sometimes we do three layers but let's face it okay chocolates are ready so let's give it a
04:48smash the real star of the show here is the chance to taste high-quality handmade chocolate oh my god
05:01daddy's book why is that so good Belgium chocolate made maybe after the break bruges savory side is no
05:12less sweet who would have thought savory waffle
05:16welcome back to getaway where I'm in Belgium the starting point of our 18 days scenic journey through
05:31Europe
05:32for centuries Europe's waterways have been its economic lifeblood and Bruges located just 15
05:42kilometers from the North Sea was built on the wealth transported here on its canals that is
05:48until the river feeding the canals silted up it's like Newton's third law for every action an equal and
05:57opposite reaction the water carved the canals but the water bought silt and the silt blocked the connection
06:04to the sea the canals remain but prosperity declined struggle followed religion flourished politics pushed
06:12back wars raged but throughout it's as if these calm wondrous waterways proved far
06:18too seductive and bruised remain preserved its beauty left to flourish
06:24good to remember that gives you an entirely different perspective of the city doesn't
06:42it true exactly yes this is why it's always so good to do both things on foot and on the boat and you get
06:49this real green aspect beautiful because throughout the city it's all cobblestone laneways and so on
06:55much more relaxing these canals are the arteries of the city where you dodge swans not tourists and a
07:06different picture of Bruges emerges it was a center for painters wasn't it it attracted artists yes yes
07:14even now today um yeah many many and the story goes the lakes to winston churchill loved bruges and he
07:21was an about an amateur artist at the time and he loved to come to bruges yeah very big on painting and drinking
07:36it has to be one of the most glorious cities in the world to walk around and absorb all the
07:43magnificent medieval nature of the place but then to float through it adds a whole other layer of absolute delight
08:01if you float long enough you'll arrive at Bruges original harbour entrance which is now a lake
08:07the lake is now called the lake of love oh how lovely
08:14and there's lots of legends attached to it the main one saying if you come here and you drink some of
08:20the water you will find yourself a lover but i won't be doing that
08:28but before leaving bruges one has to try what many people consider belgium's national dish
08:36it's not a little trade secret when talking to the camera one often just babbles and blathers on
08:45without really having an important or coherent point to make in the meantime hoping that an important
08:52and coherent point actually occurs we call this waffling on and the reason i'm telling you this is um
08:59um waffles belgium is responsible for introducing waffles to america after showcasing them at the 1962
09:10world fair here at the house of waffles you can order them any way you like who would have thought
09:17savory waffle this is the club blt egg bacon lettuce tomato and cheese
09:24in belgium we share do you okay all right i'll leave you a bit of sauce
09:36i'll leave your strawberry aren't you jealous
09:43discover the romantic ryan and mozelle in all-inclusive ultra luxury with scenic exclusive
09:49scenic and rich events scenic free choice activities plus all onboard meals and premium
09:55drinks are included at a bruges city extension and enjoy the benefits of a small group stay
10:01secure your 2026 river cruise and land extension with included economy class flights getaway viewers
10:08can save an additional 300 per person with an exclusive voucher for more information or to request
10:14your voucher visit scenic.com.au forward slash getaway call 1300 790 372 or speak to your local travel advisor
10:27after the break it's time to set sail on the luxurious scenic pool
10:32you become entranced mesmerized and what follows is a state of bliss
10:44you know
10:50welcome back to getaway where i've arrived in one of the truly great cities of the world amsterdam
11:04amsterdam was nothing but a swamp until the 17th century when during the dutch golden age canals
11:11be constructed draining the water into them creating dry land which is why they say god created the
11:17world but the dutch created amsterdam and surely god would have been envious had he not created perhaps
11:23the most splendid river of them all the rhine to which we're connected right here the starting point
11:29for our next leg sailing deep into europe aboard the scenic pearl
11:36scenic pearl will be my luxurious home away from home for the next few weeks as we cruise along the rhine and
11:42moselle rivers
11:50the glorious wine you just succumb to its constant comforting glide it lulls you into listening and
11:57that's when you hear the rhythm of the river and you become entranced mesmerized adrift and what
12:06follows is a state of bliss it's a bliss that continues below deck up to five dining experiences
12:15await did i mention all drinks are included and it's a very balanced full body wine to kick things
12:22off in style tonight i am dining at portobello's an exclusive and intimate venue with a five course menu
12:29now it's probably a good time to remind you you are on holiday prepare to loosen the belt this menu is
12:35extensive
12:39after a smooth and restful night scenic pearl has navigated through the lowland waterways of the
12:44netherlands and plontus in the delightful doordrecht
12:50doordrecht is actually an island within the massive rhine delta it's the oldest city in holland and for
12:56centuries it was a major trading town which gave rise to the well-known but uh somewhat unfortunate
13:03saying the closer to doordrecht the more rotten it gets which harks back to when traders were required
13:10to display their wares before being granted permission to sail on often causing those wares to rot
13:16but rotten be gone how can something so old seem so sweet
13:29before the advent of roads most of the merchants and traders would arrive in doordrecht just like me
13:36by water this is the old city gate of doordrecht one of the of the dozen that we had
13:42uh and it's one of the two that survived time so it's still upright it's the most important most
13:47beautiful city gate of the city and this is where all the traders would would and also important
13:54guests that would come to uh visit doordrecht so really uh welcoming yes city very impressive
14:01impressive way yeah all the wealth washing up on doordrecht's riverbanks allowed them to build the
14:07groat kirk or great church dating back to the 13th century it's built in what's known as the high
14:14gothic style it's so extraordinarily large it is it is the big church but you can see from the size that
14:26religion was really really important back in the day
14:29originally worshippers were divided with wealthy a-listers on one side and the great hun washed
14:38behind the fence and what's what's happening all the gravestones here so so you could be buried inside
14:45the church back in the day if you were wealthy enough you had to pay for it so these are family
14:50graves you see these little holes yeah they can lift them up and lift them up so the rich the rich would
14:55be buried inside the church but you can perhaps imagine the smile when it opens oh yeah so that's
15:02why we say stinking rich we're buried in the church that's one stinking rich that's where that comes from
15:08yeah neighboring doordrecht and well worth a visit are the kinder dyke windmills the largest concentration
15:16of old windmills in the netherlands could there possibly be a more quintessentially dutch scene
15:25like lush wet flatlands bright green fields low hanging sky and these guys like the mad national
15:33hero like a defiant statue in motion
15:40these iconic dutch windmills known as polder mills were designed to pump out the water in order to create
15:47farmland so we see the wheels turning but is it actually doing something it is actually
15:54pumping water so you saw them very big to this wheel out of woods it's connected to a scoop wheel
16:00and that scoops up the water over the threshold from low level from the canal in front to the
16:04higher level of the reservoir behind the windmill by opening up vast tracts of farmland these remarkable
16:11engineering masterpieces helped fuel the rise of holland's economy and maritime conquests in the 17th
16:18century this one was built in 1738 wow it's still standing still standing strong kinder dyke encompasses
16:29holland perfectly blending natural beauty technical ingenuity all wrapped up in dutch practicality
16:36and after the break something far less practical raw hearing and onion would you like some
16:48oh thank you you don't like it welcome back to getaway where i am meandering around the dutch delta
17:05aboard the majestic scenic pool and although built for river cruising we have nearly made it to the north
17:11sea and the holiday village of vera kisses like we get to my line
17:20with fewer than 2 000 residents vera is tiny but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in stories
17:32the history of these riverside cities is so often vast and compelling that if like me your adult mind
17:40struggles to absorb it then a place like this is purpose-built it's compact it's perfect for
17:46discovering history one footstep at a time and a casual dawdle around here soon reveals evidence of power
17:53and wealth and religion and defenses and scotland
18:01starting with religion cause well this is europe vera's great church certainly makes an impact
18:07for such a quaint town it's quite a brutal church yes it is it is napoleon came here with his soldiers
18:16and he bricked up the windows he brought three floors in the church for his soldiers barracks but also a
18:23hospital because a lot of soldiers had a fever here because of all the water and so it was also horse
18:31stable that was not a good combination being such a low-lying land the poor quality water here often
18:39mixed with the nearby sea which is where the scottish come into the story
18:46what's what's this this is a cistern uh sister yeah i will like a well to supply the scottish merchants
18:53with fresh water water water was collected from the roof of the church piped underneath and then a basin
19:01of 200 000 liters of water and the stones down they filtered the water and it was again for to wash the
19:09wool being so close to the north sea vera and scotland share a rich past and two old scottish mansions
19:17here have been converted into the museum vera you see that guy there he was also a noble man living on
19:28the castle nearby and he married a scottish princess the daughter of uh jacob a king of scotland uh-huh
19:38and is that when the trade started then the trade started now also fishermen went already to scotland
19:44the other side of the north sea for the fish their herring and fair granted to unique right to uh
19:51store the wool from scotland here before they could trade it elsewhere oh so that is the basis of all
19:56the wealthy that's true although the riches of the wool years are now in the past a legacy of the scots
20:05is alive and well to this day raw herring and onion the raw herring raw onion traditional
20:13local delicacy would you like some no thank you you don't like it no i don't like it can't imagine why
20:20not
20:34no wonder the dutch is so joyous anything after that has to be happiness
20:42thankfully herring isn't the only seafood option in vera our scenic free choice activity is a visit to a
20:48local oyster farm this is this is actually sea water here this sea water this fresh sea water is
20:55coming uh every day two times in and out with the with the tides tides yeah from from the sea there from
21:01the sea over there the oysters are grown out in the north sea and brought here for sale
21:08and what sort of oysters are they uh the mostly is uh the pacific oyster oh you got the pacific here here
21:14but also we have the native the flat oysters right as well now when the right and the world
21:22jose is the third generation of oyster farmers on this site and it would be selfish of me not to
21:28sample the fruits of his labor washed down of course with some bubbles
21:32that is a delicious kind of savory oyster with the real flavor of the north sea it's fantastic
21:48discover the romantic ryan and mazel in all-inclusive ultra luxury with scenic exclusive
21:54scenic and rich events scenic free choice activities plus all onboard meals and premium drinks are included
22:01at a bruges city extension and enjoy the benefits of a small group stay secure your 2026 river cruise
22:08and land extension with included economy class flights getaway viewers can save an additional
22:14300 per person with an exclusive voucher for more information or to request your voucher
22:20visit scenic.com.au forward slash getaway call 1300 790 372 or speak to your local travel advisor
22:31i'm reminded of that randy philander at casanova who used to eat 40 oysters a day just to stoke his
22:46monumental libido and as for champagne well that's like downing a galaxy of shooting stars expectations
22:54celebration and sensuality which is a bit like a rhine river cruise really the riding of the glide upon
23:02sparkling waters expectation at every bend and the pure elegance of it all
23:11next time it's not just the rhine river i'll be cruising it's the mazel too it's my journey it takes
23:17me deep into the mountains of germany boy you couldn't get a more sort of beautiful vista could you
23:24yeah the river in the castle we'll see you then good night
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