Nieuwe Heerengracht

Today is our only full day in Amsterdam and Sharon has booked a tour which will take us out to the countryside.

We woke early and had a decent sleep all things considered. Our studio is noisy with a bar next door and the owners in the next level. We were zonked so it didn’t really matter.

Our goal first thing was to master the underground system which we will do again Sunday. No problem. We are 200 metres from a station, and it is super-efficient. You don’t even need to buy a ticket. Just tap on and off with your credit card.

It was so quiet at Central station that we became worried about finding somewhere for breakfast. Sharon went into a cannabis cafe thinking they had food! They didn’t but they did direct us to a cute small cafe that served us a meal. Sharon’s mint tea was hilarious. Hot water in a glass crammed with mint on the stalk. She liked it with honey.

The meeting place for our tour was easy to find and by 9:30 we were on the road.

The first stop was a genuine Gouda and Clog making factory. The owner is fourth generation and he put on a great show on how the cheese is made and also a demonstration on clog making.

Next, we stopped at Edam known for its famous cheese too. We were there to walk through one of the oldest parts of Holland. It was such a beautiful place. Some of the canal homes are just stunning. The real flash ones have tearooms on the canal where the owners take tea in the afternoon.

Lunch was at Volendam. This is a lakeside village where you start to appreciate how much of this area is protected by dams because almost all of this region is below sea level. I had to use google translate to buy a sandwich.

Last part of the day was a visit to the last remaining working windmills. They are so much bigger than we imagined. Fascinating how they work and pump water back to sea.

Back to Amsterdam and stuffed up the train trip home. We had an unscheduled train to the suburbs and back. Misread the station name.

Back at the studio we decided to eat local. Right next to our front door is a bar with snacks right on the canal. We sat and enjoyed everyone buzzing by on bikes.

I’ve decided Heineken taste better here just like Guinness did in Ireland.

Time to pack. Tomorrow, we head to Rotterdam to board our cruise ship.Læs mere