Sep 22 - Exploring Amsterdam

We surfaced about 8:30 a.m. Doug had about 9 hours of solid sleep under his belt. I had about 9 minutes. Sigh.....we have come to expect this on the first full night of our travels. But that's why I bring coffee along. We also brought cereal along for the two mornings we would be on our own. Coffee, cereal and a hot shower put me right for what became a very full day.

We set off about 11:00 a.m. for FoodHallen, a collection of over 20 small booths, each specializing in a different food type. Doug was drawn to the one with fabulous-looking pastrami and prosciutto; I liked the one that sold delicate little pastries. Fortunately, it wasn’t yet lunch time for us, so we were able to resist both. From there, we headed to the Heineken Experience. Along the way, I had to fire Google Maps before divorce proceedings began. I switched to the Apple maps app which cooperated perfectly and the tension level dropped dramatically. We arrived at Heineken with plenty of time to share, so we stopped for a real lunch. We had crepes - I had ham and cheese; Doug had apple cinnamon with butter and syrup. Both were delicious. The people-watching from our spot on the outside patio was spectacular.

The Heineken Experience is located in what used to be a brewing plant for Heineken Beer. The plant became too small and has been made into a place to showcase the success of Heineken beer. We found the whole tour noisy and crowded (despite our specific time-stamp tickets) and far too reliant on wild videos and crazy sound effects. The free beer at the end (not for me, thank you) was small reward for surviving the cacophony. There were two good things that we saw - the original huge copper brewing vessels and the spectacular stained glass windows.

We escaped and sat nearby along the canal, watching the traffic on the water. It was another lovely, warm, sunny day and thousands of people were out in droves soaking up this autumn gift. At 3:30 p.m., as part of our Rock the City combo ticket, we boarded a canal boat. For the next 45 minutes, we marvelled at the incredible architecture that Amsterdam offers. We learned that houses used to be taxed by their width, so the every penny-conscious Dutch built narrow, high (4-6 storeys) buildings to skirt the tax laws. The boat dropped us in North Amsterdam at a place that used to be the headquarters for Shell Oil. It is now a mixed-use building of business and restaurants, with the top floor dedicated as a viewing platform. From there, we enjoyed fabulous panoramic views of the city. If we squinted hard, we could just see England. There were crazy people who paid to sit on a huge swing and fly out over the edge up 20 floors. No thank you for this pair.

We headed back to south Amsterdam via the free ferry that runs every 4 minutes - full of bicycles and scooters and pedestrians. We noticed many people in running gear. Found out later there was a huge race with over 35,000 runners and cyclists in the city today. What a perfect day they had.

We bought big take-out salads (they have chicken in them, so, yes, we are getting our protein) and carried on with our observations of Dutch life at the central train station. We hot footed it to the Church of Our Lady and were able to attend 6:00 p.m. mass in English. It was a nice way to thank God for the abundant blessings that He has showered on us.

It was a half-hour walk home. Should have had a step counter on today. We certainly cracked 10,000 steps and probably even 15,000. And we didn't get hit by a bicycle or a scooter today. Pedestrians rank very low on the priority list in this city when it comes to yield the right of way.

Our plan for tomorrow is to see a diamond cutting and polishing demonstration in the morning, and then to come back, pack up, catch a tram to the Central Train Station and then walk a couple of hundred metres to the ship.

I, for one, am going to sleep well tonight!Read more