Amsterdam - May 2024
Participants: Tam & Kev and a good few others!
Most of the
others in our party stayed on the ship in Amsterdam so Tam and I
went for a wander on our own. It was a mostly overcast day, but
didn't rain until we were on our way back to the ship when it
poured and we got a bit damp.
We'd been to Amsterdam before, but only for a day when we'd
stopped there on a previous cruise. Our plan was to walk around
the canals and not worry so much about the touristy areas such as
Dam Square and the red light district. These days if I saw the
scantily clad women in the shop front I'd be more likely to think
'that lady needs to put some clothes on, she'll catch her death'.
We were off the ship quite early and for the first couple of hours the streets were very quiet and peaceful.
This is the floating flower market although there's not a lot of floating going on in this part of it.
We also found a small market with craft stalls and vintage goods. Tam couldn't resist the lure of homemade jewellery and bought a couple of pairs of earrings which made her very happy.
We did a canal tour last time we were here, but as we passed this sign we thought we may as well do another one as it wasn't too expensive. I can't quite remember how much we paid ... it might have been 14.50 Euro. Not sure how that came to me. I think it lasted an hour as well.
We very much enjoyed our trip on the boat. You see things from a different perspective and the commentary gives you a lot of the history as well.
Part of the tour takes you out into the port for a close up view of our ship from the water. You can see the orange magic carpet that goes up and down the side of the ship.
This chap welcomed us back from our tour.
We wandered some more and then stopped at a bar up on the left in this photo before we returned to the ship. Tam says we walked for the best part of 10 miles. it was an Irish bar, so I had a pint of Guinness. Well, when in the Netherlands ....
We had a great time in Amsterdam. There's just about something for everyone - quiet areas, bustling tourist attractions, bars and restaurants and nightlife. And that's without mentioning the coffee shops!