http://kirstincronn-mills.com/?tag=thank-you We were up bright and early, well early anyway. I guess it was bright every time lightening struck. Weather didn’t dampen our spirits a bit. After a sumptuous buffet breakfast in the dining room with choices of cereal, fruit, yogurt, scrambled eggs, bacon (soft or crispy), made-to-order omelets, a vast spread of bread and rolls, we geared up with hats, coats, and umbrellas for our morning tour of Amsterdam by canal boat.
darkly a boat along on canal boat tour
We had walked these canals (Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, and Herengracht) earlier in our stay and it was great to see them from another perspective.
These humpback bridges cross Amsterdam’s canals lending a sense of charm
Earlier we watched a canal tour boat make a sharp right turn from a little canal into one of the bigger canals. The maneuvering was exact, check for oncoming traffic, pull across the canal, back up using thrusters and turn the bow into the new canal. Now here we were doing the same thing.
A canal toll house in Amsterdam
After our canal tour we headed to the Rijksmuseum, the Netherlands premier museum, with a superb collection of of works from the 17th century Dutch Golden Age. It had undergone a 10 year refurbishment and to announce its re-opening, the museum held a flashmob-type event featuring characters from Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch.” I loved the video and wanted to make sure I saw the original work.
The exquisite interior of the Rijksmuseum home of works by Rembrandt, Vaermeer, etc.
We viewed works by all the Dutch Masters, Vermeer included. Unfortunately “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” is in The Hague. The museum also houses a fine collection of silver, furniture, and porcelain. On our way out of the museum, we caught sight of two “doll houses”, miniature fully furnished canal houses – completely decorated!
Who’s painting is this?
It was now after one o’clock, cast of time was scheduled for one. We hurried aboard and as the last person stepped off the gangway – the crew broke it down. Now it was lunch time: a buffet of local and regional favorites, with wine included.
magnificent chest in the Rijksmuseum
Model Sailing Ship at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
As we dined, we watched from the stern dining room as the River Queen made her way out the river. A quick change of clothes, a visit to the fitness center, then topside to sit in the sun.
The daily briefing was very long today, with our guide briefing us with what we will find throughout the entire trip. Around 5 pm, we approached our first lock – it was great to be able to watch and not have to jump off and catch the lines, have Carol throw me the lines, Shoe on the bow getting soaked, and Mike at the helm!
We’re finally underway along the legendary Rhine River – albeit under overcast skies
Tonight was the Captain’s Welcome with sparkling wine at 6:30 PM. Our captain is young but grew up on the river and seems very capable. Just before 7PM we entered our second lock and, once through it, we were on the Rhine River. We will cruise for 18 hours between Amsterdam and Cologne, our next stop. Â After dinner, we listened to Csaba in the lounge playing tunes from the 50’s.
