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The new Holland tour takes in the major museums and uses most mornings to appreciate the abundant green spaces, full of birds, all over the capital region. The Dutch environmental consciousness translates into careful attention to forest structure, and they preserve older, senescent trees that have cavities for wildlife, like this sleepy Tawny Owl. (Photo by participant Mary Deutsche.)
Vermeer's "Girl with Pearl Earring" is a fine way to brighten an afternoon! Godfried and Jay contend that the luminosity of the paintings of Rembrandt and Vermeer only comes through when one is face to face with the paintings themselves. (Photo by guide Godfried Schreur.)
The mornings' birding took the group to wetlands as well as woodlands. As a lowland country dominated by waterways, the Netherlands throng with waterfowl in winter, as well as other species that require wetlands such as Bearded Tit, Great Bittern, and White-tailed Eagle. (Photo by guide Godfried Schreur.)
