Day One Hundred Sixty-Seven - June 21

Around 08:20 our ship leaves the North Sea to enter the canal and the Ijsselmeer (IJ). This one canal allows for the monitoring of seal levels as the city is located below sea level (-2 meters).

All types of boats must use the canal before arriving in Amsterdam. The Amstel River flows north and south through the city towards the IJ.

On our way towards the city we see small pleasure boats, ocean container freighters, one person container ships that may move coal or building supply products.

Although our arrival time is noon with an overnight stay, we still needed to limit our exploring because of the Around the World event tonight.

Amsterdam has more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) of canals, most of which are navigable by boat. The city's three main canals are the Prinsengracht, Herengracht, and Keizersgracht.

A total of eight shipboard tours are offered but we prefer to go exploring ourselves. As we leave the cruise terminal for a twenty-minute walk into the city, we hear a voice from the other side of the road yelling out. It is Cliff who is in town to follow the English cricket team. We had meet up with him earlier in Portimao, Portugal back in May as well as a segment of the World Cruise.

We decided to walk around the city with him as well as take a canal boat ride. Many canal boat tours operate across from the main train station and run about one hour in duration. Upon completion of the tour the three of us grab a drink before Cliff departed for his hotel and we return to the ship to get ready for the event tonight.

I would like to make a comment on the bicycles in the city. Estimates say there are more bicycles in the city of Amsterdam than there are people. When you are coming to an intersection, one must make sure to check in all directions for cyclists because even though the light says you are safe to cross, the cyclists may still have the right of way on the bike paths. Be very aware of these two wheeled vehicles!! The city however is very bike friendly, and the motorists and cyclists share a mutual respect.

The Around the World (ATW) event is referred to as A Night at The National Maritime Museum. The previous two ATWs used buses as the means of transportation but not here. All the ATW passengers were escorted onto canal boats to make the fifteen-minute trip to the museum.

A shanty choir sings to us as we leave the boats while a replica of the Dutch East India Company (VOV) ship The Amsterdam is moored at the museum. The Ship made its maiden voyage on January 8, 1749, only to wrecked off the coast of the UK near Hastings on January 26, 1749, due to horrible conditions in the English Channel. The wreck was discovered in1969 and is now a protected treasure managed by Historic England.

A dance group in period costume from 1850-1875 greets us as we enter the museum. There is a short period of time for exploring before we sit down in the main reception hall for an after-dinner Desserts Menu including:

· Cheese Platter

· Chocolate Mousse

· Apple Tart

During our dessert a string orchestra played 10 songs accompanied by a singer for some.

At the end of the night Rembrandt Painting's The Night Watch (1642) comes alive as the characters march out in period pieces climbing the stage to reproduce the picture.

We are applauded from the museum by everyone in their period pieces as we climb back into our canal boats to return to the ship.

It was an enjoyable evening and although it was already 22:30 when we got back the evening was not done yet. Joan and Richard wanted to see the red-light district since it was their first visit to Amsterdam. So off we went with another couple as we figured we were better as a group. After checking out the sites we back on the ship before 01:00.

Day One Hundred Sixty-Eight June 22

Amsterdam one more day

I decided to venture out this morning before our ship tour in the afternoon.

We were going on a two-hour bicycle ride titled "Ride like a local". The rental shop is directly off the ship in the cruise terminal. Once we picked up the bikes, we rode towards the ferry which takes us across to the other side of the waterway. There is no charge for the ferry that is open to pedestrians and bike riders. Part of the bike ride is over cobblestone streets and you need to be aware of the oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, one of the passengers fell into an oncoming car and we found out later that she suffered a shoulder injury and she and her husband left the ship with their luggage. Luckily, they were not on the ATW.

As we leave the city, we travel into the countryside along bike paths with a small break at a golf course for a snack. We also saw one of the remaining few windmills in the area. It's sad that they are slowly disappearing, a little like our grain elevators in Canada.

Leaving Amsterdam, we look forward to another seaday before making it to our next port Waterford, Ireland.