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2017 09 25 - day 9 - Amsterdam.
A buffet breakfast is served every morning. There is a daily special and today it was French toast.
We were heading off on a bus tour of Amsterdam which lasted about an hour. Some interesting facts that our guide told us were: the red light district got its name from when the husband would go away, the wife would put a red light in the window to indicate that she was available and would expect payment. Another fact: if you see a 'koffee' shop, you can buy cups of 'coffee'. If it is spelt 'coffee' then you can get marihuana there. In the Netherlands it is not illegal to have marijuana in certain quantities, but it is illegal to sell it.
We got off the bus and then did a walking tour of Amsterdam which lasted about 50 minutes. We mainly concentrated on the area around Dam Square which is the site of the original dam that was built on the Amstel River, hence the name Amsterdam.
Next we boarded our canal boat for our cruise. We went past some very exclusive houses defined by how wide they were, the type of staircase they had out the front and their style. We then cruised out into the main waterway in front of Amsterdam Central railway station. Points of interest that we sailed past included the Maritime Museum, a floating Chinese restaurant, the VOC-ship Amsterdam (a colourful museum of a replica 1749 VOC [Dutch East India Company] ship, offering historical nautical exhibitions and artwork) and the NEMO Science Museum (interactive science exhibits, experiments and shows in a huge, waterfront, boat-like museum).
Canal cruise over, back on the bus to return to our ship for lunch.
The lunch menu consisted of:
Soup: Green bean soup with herb croutons.
Appetiser: Broccoli salad with ham strips.
From the pasta station: Tagliatelle with broccoli, green peas, zucchini and mushrooms in a Marinara sauce.
From the buffet: Minced meat patties wrapped in bacon; and Pan fried plaice topped with shrimps, bacon and onions; and Potato leek ragout with steamed cauliflower and green beans.
Dessert: Classic vanilla custard with forest berries.
Just as we were finishing lunch the ship set sail from Amsterdam for Cologne, Germany. It would take us 24 hours to reach our destination in Germany.
We went up to the sundeck and watched the countryside pass by. It was staggering how many bridges we sailed under and some were so low you could almost touch them. The design of some of them was incredible.
We also passed through some locks during daylight which was amazing to watch. The first lock we went through had four different types of vessels in the lock at the same time. All had their engines running to keep them steady as the water rushed in. Incredible how quickly the locks fill or drain!
During our cruise we will pass through 1 lock heading out of Amsterdam which is not on the Rhine River and then another 10 locks on the Rhine River.
Before dinner each night there is cocktail hour in the Lounge. During the cocktail hour there is a 'Port Talk' about what is planned for the next day. Talk over, time for dinner.
Dinner tonight consisted of:
Appetiser: Pancake filled with cream cheese, spinach and smoked salmon.
Soup: Roasted cauliflower soup with spiced tomato coulis.
Mains: Rack of lamb with Dijon mustard crust and thyme gravy, gratin potato, ratatouille Provencal; or Grilled Mediterranean sea bass on wine Sabayon with roasted vegetables and buttered bavette (is the French name for flank steak); or Vegetable stuffed whole wheat pancake.
Dessert: Rice pie from Limburg with black currant sauce; or Hazelnut ice cream with crocant caramel; or Cheese selection from the buffet; or Fresh sliced fruits.
There was the usual entertainment and late night snacks in the Lounge which is on every night. As well there was a 'competition' called 'Dance with a Chance'! We decided to give that a miss and retire for the evening!
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