Amsterdam

 The last sailing day of our cruise is now well and truly under way and a feeling of sadness falls upon us. We have met some fantastic people on the cruise and after spending a few weeks living and laughing with them, as well as experiencing the wonders of Europe, it is all coming to an end. Many of the passengers are either heading home or on to a final add on to the cruise. We are staying in Amsterdam for another 3 days before heading to Doha for some sun and sand. 

After a full night of celebrations with the crew and passengers we awoke to see the land above the ship. It is a little unnerving to know that we are something like 4m below sea level. Sailing into Amsterdam we only saw two traditional windmills, although we may have passed a few during the night. The countryside and houses are vastly different to those we have seen in our travels on this tour. Amsterdam was drawing closer and the river traffic was getting heavier.  Before long we were manoeuvring into place alongside another river cruise ship. The port of Amsterdam is one of a few ports in the world where you have river ships and ocean ships docked alongside each other. Later today the Cunard line, Queen Victoria will be docking next to us.





After lunch we were off on a canal cruise with local guides. These tours are in glass topped boats that go through the canals  and point out historical areas and places of interest. Amsterdam being a city built on reclaimed land, it is nothing unusual to see waterways used as a mode of transport. Bicycles are also very popular, and Amsterdam has a world first, an underwater bicycle park for 7000 cycles.  According to our guide, it seems cyclists here are no different to those in Australia. Road rules don't seem to apply and they have no regard for pedestrians.

The tour took us through the merchant sector, Jewish sector, past Ann Frank's house and under a plethora of bridges. Interestingly, there are also houseboats that people live in and they can be either converted merchant vessels or houses built on a floating concrete base. Some of the prices for these houseboats are eye watering and can vary from 350 Euro to 1.4m euro depending on size and location. And we think it's expensive in Australia!




Our canal tour had ended and we were walking back to the Vega to find the Queen Victoria in her moorings. Next to the Vega she looks pretty dominating but after 2 weeks onboard this floating 5 star hotel I know where I would rather be. The Travel Marvel Vega, the cruise director and all the staff have won our hearts, so much so that I am considering coming back and doing the trip from Amsterdam to Budapest and maybe even to Bucharest. I just haven't told Ann this yet, but I am sure she will find out soon.

Queen Victoria and TM Vega

Day 17 So long, Farewell Auf Weidersen, goodbye

Comments

  1. Anonymous19 November 2023 at 02:36

    Thank you for making our holiday very special. Without the fun we had with you two it wouldn’t have been the same. Keep smiling M&M xxx

    ReplyDelete

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