Last week I shared some of the surprises I foisted on a very grateful group of travelers.

There were more delights in store for them, which I could not reveal at press time. [If you want to read Part 1, click here.]

A bit of background: my group of 24 were guests of a radio station in Philadelphia – their most important advertiser customers. They’d arrived in Belgium on a Tuesday, where we spent two gorgeous nights in the medieval city of Bruges. Then we headed to Amsterdam, where we would spend three nights. There were lots of treats in store:

• a fun and competitive chocolate-sculpture contest
• a unique transfer to dinner on a beer bike
• dinner in a great restaurant, the structure of which dates from 1614 (and where the attic served as a hiding place for 16 Jews during the Nazi occupation form 1941-1945)
• a two-wheeled bicycle adventure (and it was, indeed, an adventure!)
• walk through the red light district (another unique adventure!)
• a sobering visit to the Anne Frank house (and grateful that we had a reserved admission to save a lengthy hours-long wait in line)

The trouble with creating great experiences is creating expectations for more of the same. Meeting those expectations is one of the greatest and most enjoyable challenges of this job!

So, what did I do next to “wow” them?

The grand finale started a little early, as I had a lot of moving parts to make fit. They had the full day free to sleep in or enjoy museum visits or shopping, so the 5pm start time wasn’t an inconvenience.

Our hotel had once been the consolidated headquarters for the six wealthiest shipping companies in The Netherlands, who moved into their prestigious new offices in 1916. Every detail – of the exterior ornamentation, wallpaper, carpets, stained glass, iron railings and even upholstery fabric – reflected its rich nautical heritage.

Most of my guests – rushing in and out for the past couple of days, had not taken notice of this architectural masterpiece, so I had them gather in the 2nd floor ticketing lobby – complete with marble counters and nautical motifs rendered in magnificent Lalique glass panels. Where a traveler once booked his passage to distant lands like Dutch East India (now Indonesia), Africa, China and South America, my guests were enjoying champagne and conversation. The masterpiece – which had eluded everyone’s notice until now – was the central stairwell, featuring a leaded glass cupola measuring more than 1,100 sq ft, depicting a map of the world with navigational courses, whales, ships and the zodiac.

It would have been a crime to leave this hotel without pausing to admire this magnificent detail!

In 1912, the architect Johan van der Mey was commissioned to design the Shipping House. This is a view looking down from the central staircase.

They don’t build ’em like this anymore. Even with all the intricate, hand-wrought details it took only three years to build!

After posing for a group photo on the magnificent staircase, we moved on. Fortunately, it was a glorious Indian summer day for our 10-minute walk through a lovely neighborhood to the Gassan Diamond Factory. It was 6pm – and they were officially closed … except for us! There was a diamond cutter/polisher on duty, plus a diamond expert to explain about the “Cs” (carat, cut, color and clarity). After we were suitably educated it was time for more champagne! But there was a little surprise waiting at the bottom of each crystal flute: a sparkly little stone. There were 23 cubic zirconia, and one real diamond! The gemologist analyzed each stone and the lucky winner was over the moon! (So was his wife!)

“I’ll take one of those, and one of those . . .”

Leaving the diamond factory, a canal boat was waiting on the Gassan private dock – the HRH. Her Royal Highness was built in 1913 for Prince Hendrik of The Netherlands, grandfather of the current Queen Beatrix. And, onboard the canal boat, I’d ordered hundreds of oysters, and an “Oyster King” to shuck and serve them! This is the guy I ordered off the internet (yum!):

The HRH and the Oyster King I ordered. (Like so many things ordered from the internet, I didn’t get exactly what I expected!)

The Oyster King on our boat was nice enough – but definitely NOT the guy in this photo. (I’d publish his photo but the lighting was really bad … and I’d rather have you look at this guy!)

We cruised around the canals of Amsterdam for an hour, admiring the historical gabled houses and lights of the city, slurping oysters and the libation of our choosing. Vodka was a popular choice!

We pulled up at a dock and disembarked at a special venue called the Ship Chandler’s Warehouse, circa 1624. Pretty enough on the outside, but – oh! – what treasures awaited inside. A table set for 26, laden with silver and crystal and fine bone china. The walls were lined with victuals and goods – just like the 17th century when sea captains would come here to order goods for delivery to their ships at anchor in the harbor a short distance away. Rembrandt van Rijn lived nearby, and he would often stop by because he loved the afternoon light streaming in through the small windows. Upstairs in a cozy parlor, pre-dinner drinks and after-dinner cigars were savored.

The final surprise: An incredible venue, perfect size, perfect ambience, and a 3-minute walk back to our hotel when the clock struck midnight! A perfectly perfect night!

All in all, a perfect program.

Now comes the next challenge. How am I ever gonna top this one next year?

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