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Lynda and Fred Travels
Well another sunny day...lucky people that took the ship this week! I woke early...in fact did not sleep...so at 6am decided to go for a stroll...wrong decision! Apparently this is the first of summer holidays in Amsterdam and there is a concert all weekend that druggies like to attend according to one shopkeeper....and Amsterdam like all Europe countries never start early in mornings...shops never open before 10 and on Sundays 12 noon! So yesterday we saw lots of queer stuff....guys dressed in skirts, or totally dressed in pink even glasses, Guys walking around in Mexican outfits...and much much more.... So today at 6am it was the day after the big night and I got terribly lost....in one hour I must have made world record walking time....there was rubbish all over streets and only people around were drugged or hung over....or lying on streets passed out...a lot of that here! I accidentally got into red light district with all it's sex shops, live porn, etc...and guys falling out of buildings...anyway I was too scared to take time to read map and that led me astray...was never happier than reaching our hotel again... Then a leisurely breakfast with Fred and then Jan and Ros and I took tram to Maritime museum. We walked all through a replica of a famous Norwegian sail ship...and saw an imax film of ancient sailing including the titanic...it was great....we had lunch on the wharf, then Jan, Fred and I wandered into town to buy a new suitcase....then we stopped for refreshments in a major shopping village along one of the 64 canals in Amsterdam.....then the three of us took a small sail boat along the smaller canals...fantastic...learned that Amsterdam is 800 metres below sea level in some places....their main fears are low water which exposes the wooden piles that houses sit on which then dry out and rot....a good part of the old Amsterdam houses are all askew...other fear is fire which destroyed 30% of the old wooden houses in 1800s so since then all houses ..even existing...had to be built or rebuilt with stone or brick.....last fear is the Black Plague which killed 30000 people. They painted the houses black and even today they cannot be repainted....they forbade the people with plague to come outside and delivered food and water to their door..when they died they burned and buried them at their homes so the germs would not spread... Other interesting thing is that they are very strict with immigration...everyone is given a year to become fluent with Dutch language and customs....if not they are sent back to home country and never allowed in again! Great, eh! They believe if you want to live in holland then adopt Hollands culture and language. Well after the cruise Jan, Fred and I took a ride home with a cyclist who had a carriage on back of bike for 3 people....well that was a thrill....he went fast, purposely went from curve to curve and had me screaming all the way home! Great for his business! Had a ball! Then dinner with Jan and Ros...and off to bed...early night as fly to Manchester tomorrow and start the family thing!
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Irene & Trevor Best Love hearing all your travel news, glad you got back to the hotel safe, Lynda - a bit scary! Love all the photos, you both look well & happy & the scenery is to die for! Now for your UK holiday - keep us posted. Miss you both. Love Irene & Trevor xx