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| Me in front of soldier statues. It was a very windy day! ” Rembrandtplein (Rembrandt Square) is a major square in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was cast in one piece, and it is Amsterdam’s oldest surviving statue in a public space.” |
With many photos from Amsterdam yet to be posted, we may save them to share at a future time, perhaps on the cruise on a sea day. Today, we board the ship.
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| Tom, arm-in-arm with the statues. |
Checkout time is noon at the Eden Hotel (charming, canal view) when we’ll arrange a taxi to take us to the passenger cruise terminal, a short distance from here. We’ll be ready to go.
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| Diplomatic building with many flags. |
Now, at 10:30 am, Tom is streaming a Minnesota Vikings pre-season game with one quarter remaining. Since we never unpacked, only opening the bags to get clean clothes and toiletries, it will take 10 minutes to close the bags and be on our way.
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| There are 1000 bridges over the canals in Amsterdam. |
Last night we had a great meal at Rain Americana Grill, walking distance from the hotel, adding to our daily distance up to 3.5 km, 2.2 miles. It was a lot of walking for me. But I’m thrilled I was able to do it, however difficult it may have been, and suffer no ill effects today.
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| Many of the vast estate homes have been converted to offices, apartments, and condos. |
Tom needed some American food, so we selected this spot. He had a burger and chips while I had a gluten-free, starch-free burrito that was delicious with lettuce leaves as wraps. I have been craving Mexican food for some time. What a treat!
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| Menu of marijuana and other such products are available for sale to any adults who desire to partake. We happened to walk down an alley to run into people smoking pot outside at the cafe. From this site: “Cannabis has been available for recreational use in coffee shops since 1976. Cannabis products are only sold openly in certain local “coffeeshops” and possession of up to 5 grams for personal use is decriminalized. However, the police may still confiscate it, which often happens in car checks near the border.[citation needed] Other types of sales and transportation are not permitted, although the general approach toward cannabis was lenient even before official decriminalization.” |
This morning we decided to wait until we board the ship to eat since they have such great options in our fare. Until I meet with the maitre’d to review my printed food list, we’ll wing it in the buffet. There will be plenty of salad bar items that will work for me.
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| The small park where this statue of Rembrandt is located is a popular gathering place. |
During the day, I’ll drop off the food list and make a particular order for tonight’s dinner until they coordinate my restrictions with the chef. Most likely, it will be grilled salmon, veggies, and Caesar salad (minus the croutons) on this first night. Fine with me.
Today’s photos continue from yesterday’s sightseeing along and in the canals of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, as the boat moved along, I couldn’t recall the names of the structures in many of the photos.
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| The Sea Palace Chinese Restaurant is located on one of the canals. |
Also, I try to “live in the moment” and pay attention to the scenery before me rather than worry about identifying the buildings the next day when I prepare a post.
And live in the moment we did. The unique scenery continually enthralled us. Everywhere one turns, there’s something magical to behold. We both agreed we’d like to return to the Netherlands at some point and see more of this unusual country with design elements unique to the country.
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| There are approximately 2500 houseboats with permits to dock on the canals. Utilities are made available for those houseboats. Illegal boats can’t access city services. |
We’d yet to see tulips (wrong time of year), windmills (not in the city), and stores selling wooden shoes, all very touristy but fun to see. Yes, sometimes we behave just like tourists delighting in the all too familiar tourist traps and sightseeing expectations.
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| Various types of mallards paddle in the many canals. |
So, off we go, folks. Our next post will be from the ship on a sea day. We’ll share all the photos and excitement we’ll experience along the way.
Have a lovely day filled with wonder.
Photo from one year ago today, August 11, 2018:
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| What a lovely scene on the Crocodile River, as seen from Marloth Park. For more photos, please click here. |
Good to hear you enjoyed your visit to Amsterdam. Maybe next time when you are in the Netherlands indeed a chance to visit the tulipfields and the windmills of Kinderdijk. The city of Rotterdam is worth a visit as well. No old buildings, just a few canals, but after being destroyed in 1940 (World war 2), it has been built up to a very newfashioned city around one of the biggest harbours of the world.
Maybe you will be back in the Netherlands.
Have a good cruise and continue your world exploration.
Kind regards from Rina and Cees (real Dutchies)
Rina and Cees, so nice of you to write. Yes, we hope to return to the Netherlands someday. We'd hope to see you both while we're there along with the wonderful sites you suggested. Today, we're in Tallinn, Estonia. We're getting off the ship soon to check it out.
Thanks for staying in touch,
Much love,
Jess & Tom
I've been eating a ketogenic diet for health reasons for over a year and have taken a couple of cruises during that time. I haven't found a good strategy yet to communicate to the ship what I can't eat. Do you find giving them a list of foods to avoid is best? Thanks!
Kay Lynn, definitely give the restaurant manager a food list. This may take a bit of adjusting for them to get it right but they will cooperate. If you'd like to send me your email address, I will email you my list and you can make changes as preferred.
Keep on ketoing!
Warmest regards,
Jess