Amsterdam

We slept vey well our first night on the boat and woke bright and early ready to explore Amsterdam. The breakfast buffet was abundant and we were amused to see both crispy and “proper” bacon – catering to all tastes.

We split up for the morning as the Pearces and Millers opted to do the offered tour which included a canal boat cruise  and the Morgans chose a restful start and a shopping trip. We set off around 9 pm for a walk through the main central sights of the city.

The first thing we noticed were the higgeldy piggeldy houses. Built on piles driven into the mud the bend left and right after centuries of settling. 

First stop, Dam Square,  the historical heart of the city . The Royal Palace  is one of the four official  residences of the royal family, the House of Orange. The WWII monument in the square was adorned with wreaths  as our visit coincides with Liberation Day where they remember the fallen and celebrate their liberation towards the end of the war.

 From there we walked west crossing a series of pretty canals. Amsterdam is dominated by bicycles, there are thousans of them parked along the streets and canals and you really need to be careful crossing the roads as they dont slow down for anyone! 

Some of the canals are lined with houseboats which are highly desirable accommodation in the city.

At the Westerkirk we saw the Homomonument, three pink marble triangles, one jutting out into the canal. It memorialises all who have died of AIDS and have been persecuted beacause of their sexuality. The pink triange was used to reclaim the symbol that was used by the NAZIs to mark homosexual men in the concentration camps. 

Also here was the little statue of Ann Frank and nearby the queue was already building of people wishing to tour the Ann Frank House. We continued west into the attractive Jordaan area which was relatively  peaceful and quiet. This is the part of Amsterdam where Id choose to live, given a choice.

From there we walked back east, past a anumber of “coffee shops” , where you shop for cannabis rather than cappucinos! A brief foray through the red light district which just looked a bit sad and dingy in the daylight before we headed back to the boat for lunch. We left Amsterdam at around 12.30 and sailed along many miles of canal. You really wouldnt even know you are moving, the boat cuts so smoothly through the water

This afternoon  we decided to christen the pool, such fun sailing along the canal while floating I n the water, especially when we went through our first lock! The first of 68 locks before we get to Budapest.

Dinner was a special one, the Captains welcome Cocktail Reception in the lounge where he introduced the crew. Followed by a gala dinner, we all made an effort to put on the bling for this one. Tomorrow we will wake up in Germany and spend the morning cruising to Cologne.