Oud Zuid

Following our huge day of walking around Amsterdam, I suggested that some might like to enjoy an evening picnic in the Vondel Park. This would be cheaper than supporting another Amsterdam restaurant, and we could all enjoy the green surroundings.

Twelve of the group took me up on this suggestion. We first visited the local supermarket to collect supplies (mostly fruit, salads and drinks), and then walked to the park. Fortunately, the heat of the afternoon had dissipated, and the cooler evening air had taken its place.

We quickly discovered that thousands of others had also decided to enjoy the park as well. It really is a popular place for Amsterdammers to relax after a long day at work.

We did however manage to find a lovely patch of grass and settled down to a chat and our long awaited picnic. It soon became evident that our eyes were much bigger than our tummies. We simply had purchased far too much food. We probably had enough to feed another ten people. Oh well, that happens.

After the picnic we wandered slowly back to our hotel. After three days in Amsterdam, we are all starting to feel much more confident in finding our way through the maze of streets and canals.

Back at the hotel, we gathered in the lounge room. This has sort of become our unofficial headquarters (mainly because of the free coffee machine). It did not take long for Paul and Catriona to bid us goodnight and head off to their room. They disappeared up the stairs and we soon forgot about them.

About ten minutes later we were somewhat surprised when both of them reappeared in the lounge room. "Why are you back ?", I asked. "We went all the way up the wrong stairs", was the grumpy reply. When climbing four flights of stairs requires about as much energy and dexterity as summiting K2, I could understand why they were unhappy. They will never make that mistake again (although they almost replicated the event the very next morning).

After a great night's sleep, we awoke to our last full day in Amsterdam. We did not want to set a new record for the number of steps completed in a single day, so we settled for something much less energetic - a boat cruise.

Fifteen of us parted with 20 Euro for a ticket and were soon climbing aboard a lovely open boat. The captain was a lanky, 23 year old blond guy. The cruise was meant to take an hour, but it ended up taking considerably longer than planned. I would have to say that the young captain did a great job and most of us were almost asleep at the end.

Tomorrow morning we catch the train from Amsterdam to Maastricht, where our ride will begin.Læs mere