Our first leg …..
Cruise Brochure
This morning the choice is yours – board a glass top canal boat and explore Amsterdam’s maze of canals, cruising past 16th century merchant houses and charming churches, dating back to Holland’s Golden Age. Also, join Emerald Active city tour including a guided walk around the famous landmarks of Amsterdam.
For over 400 years Amsterdam has been know as the City of Diamonds, why not visit the Diamond Museum to learn about how these precious stones are found, cut, polished and used not only in jewellery but medicine and manufacturing as well. If you have time, stop off and watch one of the diamond cutting demonstrations before heading back to the ship.
After lunch on board, depart on your first day sailing through the Dutch countryside, including canals, locks and windmills.
We haven’t actually hit the water yet as our first morning was spent in Amsterdam itself. Adrienne and I opted not to do the “cruise” tour as Adrienne had planned a tour for us to do ourselves. So we wandered around and took in the main sites – Dam Square, the Royal Palace, the Nieuwe Kerk – and then wound our way through some of the charming alleys of higgeldy piggeldy houses – many of the houses are built on pilings in the mud – and along many a good number of canals.
One or two of the bikes in town…
Higgeldy Piggeldy Houses …
On our way back, we passed the Red Light district, or a corner anyway, with a couple of ladies advertising in the shop window ? It is currently pretty chilly – maximum of about 11 degrees today – and a nice hot coffee when we returned did just the trick to warm us up !
With everyone back on board after their morning activities, the boat finally pushed back from its mooring around 12.30pm. The first part of our cruising was a man made canal – the Amsterdam Rijnkanaal – which took us southeast from Amsterdam, past Utrecht, until we met up with the Waal River. As we smoothly glided down the canal, we sat in the lounge and had a delicious light lunch, washed down with a few drinks and plenty of laughs. Steve Miller has set us all a challenge for the cruise – The Allowonger “Splendours of Europe” Amazing Race – and there has already been plenty of scheming and planning in how all the challenges will be handled !
With lunch out of the way, it was decided that the heated pool at the back of the boat needed trying so off we went. (At this rate we would be trying out everything on the boat in the first afternoon ! ?). The few using it scattered quickly as our tribe descended !
Toward the end of our swim, we reached the first of the 68 locks along our path and our boat, together with 2 other working boats, negotiated moorings before the gates lowered and we rose probably 3 or 4 metres “up the canal” .
In the evening we had the Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Reception followed by the Captain’s Welcome Gala Dinner. If this evening’s fare was any indication, the food was excellent however we will all be going home 10 kilos heavier !
As we finished dinner we were getting close to the German border so tomorrow lunchtime we reach our first stop in Cologne. And after lots of cold, cloudy weather, the forecast of a sunny day and 21 degrees is very encouraging indeed !
Until tomorrow from Cologne ……
Today’s “Tour Trivia” – Amsterdam residents are the second largest consumers of coffee in the world. Usually, an Amsterdam local consumes about 3.2 cups of coffee per day (as of 2014 – sorry, Google need to get up to date ! 😉 ). However “Coffeeshops” are not what you think they are – Coffeeshops are alcohol-free establishments where soft drugs are legally sold and consumed !
Amsterdam is so beautiful!! I would happily live in any of those higgeldy piggeldy houses (or a houseboat!). Can’t wait to see your Amazing Race results. ???
Yes – I could just see you and Marlee living there. It was a lovely area indeed !