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WEDENESDAY 4th JULY 2012
AMSTERDAM
It was 7.30am on the coach this morning, so that we could be at a little town called St Goar on the Rhine River to catch a boat for a short cruise.
Unfortunately we missed on exit on the highway and lost about twenty minutes while we did a U turn and got back to the correct exit, meaning a quiet, leisurely scenic drive along the banks of the Rhine turned into a mad dash for the 10.00am departure!
The Rhine is a huge river that provides a much used transport route for the countries it passes through, we saw barges carrying all types of cargo and also the new, big cruise boats that are now very much in fashion! The amount of traffic on the water was surprisingly large and with the river flowing at a rapid rate because of the recent rain upstream, some of the barges going against the flow were really struggling to make headway!
The short drive took us through many little towns along the river - very picturesque little spots - and there were railway lines on either bank, also very busy. Numerous castles dominated the steep cliffs along the way - built centuries ago to give their owners control over a stretch of the river so they could earn money taxing the users! There were also lots of vineyards - hadn't seen many since leaving Italy.
We made the cruise with seconds to spare (second time we have been lucky) and set out upstream a bit to look at the Lorelei Rock which was the centre of a local boating legend!
The boat then turned downstream and we sped along admiring the wonderful views of the surrounding countryside and checking out the boat traffic!
After watching a few of the huge river cruisers go past we thought that it might be a pretty good way to travel! It would certainly be very relaxing, as Rohan and Cindy testified, having done one a few years ago. The daily stops and shore excursions would be right among smaller local towns, giving a much more relaxed time!
The strength of the current caused the ninety minute cruise to be over in an hour, and we were all quite disappointed to have to leave and go ashore, but it meant we would be able to take a more leisurely approach to the afternoon.
Back on the road again we stayed with the river and saw fantastically pretty scenery and some excellent dairy farming land - much bigger herds and looking very prosperous. We passed numerous big cities including Mannheim and saw lots of industrial parks with the factory names being very familiar! Miele, Phillips, etc!
Had lunch at a truck stop and then made an afternoon stop in Heidelberg where had time to sit at a bar in the main square and have a beer!
It was very noticeable as we entered the Netherlands that this is real dairy country with large herds of red friesians and lots of cropping and hay being cut. There was a lot of water lying about and I reckon they would be able to grow just about anything.p
Because we had gained some time we reached Amsterdam early and instead of going straight into the city for a tour we went to our hotel which located in Schipol, close to the airport and about eighteen kilometres from the city. We had time to get our cases to our rooms and freshen up a bit before heading into central Amsterdam where Victor took us on a bit of a walk about seeing some notable landmarks including the Palace and the infamous Red Light District! Saw numerous "coffee shops" along the walk - no chance to try one the famous "cookies" though, had to settle for a drink at one of the busy bars. It had become pretty hot again and many people were making the most of their time seeking some shade.
We then hopped onto a boat and did a tour through the canal district of Amsterdam, a very interesting time seeing all the house boats and the beautiful old houses built right on the banks of the narrow canals. We passed Anne Franks cottage, much to Mumsie's anguish because she had wanted time to visit it properly.
The tour ended at a floating restaurant tied up to the docks, where we had a beaut Indonesian meal - the place packed with tour groups! Unluckily for us the air conditioning had broken down and with all the people in there and hundreds of little table food warmers going, the restaurant heated up like a sauna, so we skipped sweets and took the coach into the city and found a nice cafe to have a coffee and cake!
This was basically the last night of the tour and we made the most of having a good time with our new friends as they are leaving the tour here to fly home, instead of going back to London.
We kicked on for a bit at the hotel bar and reminisced about our month long tour and the highlights and lowlights! The eight of us have really clicked together and are already planning catchups once back home! We have had some absolute ripper nights!
The forty nine of us on tour have got on remarkably well, but naturally groups of friends have formed and it was quite funny to see us all split up into bunches, discussing the trip!
Rohan, Cindy, Nigel and Liz have promised to have brekky with us so we can say our farewells properly.
Mumsie and I went to bed quite apprehensively as Katie is due to have her Caesarian tomorrow morning at three am our time!!!! Not much sleep going to happen!
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