Mini Cruise to Amsterdam
I hadn’t known what to expect when I booked this short trip – a Mini Cruise to Amsterdam. I thought everyone would want to see the sights and sounds of the Dutch capital – (even the naughty bits!), but half the coach had other ideas….! I was surprised that we had to get off the coach and go through rigorous checks before walking onto the ship with our cases – but in light of everything that is happening around the world, it is better to be safe than sorry.
It was a delightful evening when we set sail and the ocean was so tranquil and picturesque. I was pleasantly surprised with my cabin, although small, it had a toilet and shower with towels and toiletries provided; I freshened up and went exploring (taking photos) before dinner. I had prepaid for my meals, which was very good value compared with the price to buy them on board. The restaurant was very busy, but it wasn’t a free-for-all, the organisation of showing everyone to their own table was excellent.
It made the mealtime experience a pleasure rather than the nightmare I had been expecting; and the food was superb. The choice of salad, soup, hot dinner, sweets and cheeses, as well as soft drinks and hot drinks afterwards, made it really good value for money. After dinner I had another trip outside to see the lights before I settled down with my book and had an early night; we were losing an hour in the night and had to be up very early – that was my excuse! Nothing to do with me being worried about being seasick - I had my sea bands on and would be fine! Apart from some party-goers returning to their cabins about 2am, I slept really well and didn’t feel much movement of the ship at all – what a relief! I was up bright and early the next morning, (before the announcement tell everyone that breakfast was being served), and went up for some fresh air. I was surprised to see so many ships I our vicinity – I hadn’t expected that; but this section of the North Sea is always really busy. The sea was surprisingly calm and the sun was shining – how lucky was that! I had one day in Amsterdam and I so wanted it to be fine and dry.
I had planned my day, so not to waste any of it; and was very disappointed that we weren’t dropped off until just after 11am and was even more upset when the driver told us that he would be picking us up at 3.45pm. I had booked this trip for a full day in Amsterdam – not a few hours. But there was no time to waste! I decided against the hop on, hop off boat, it would be quicker to see everything I wanted to see on foot (rather than waste time waiting around for the next boat).
I have been to many capital cities, but when I got off the coach, there were thousands of tourists about; so map in hand, I headed away from the Central area as quickly as I could. The first thing I noticed was a multi storey car park – just for bikes; that was something you would only see in Holland. I was happy walking along the canals, this was what I had come to see, to soak up as much of the atmosphere as possible. I followed one canal that took me past the Royal Palace to Dam Square, which was buzzing with activity and music.
There were several old pipe organs being played which was in keeping the place, but a man in a kilt playing the bagpipes was definitely not! I passed Madam Tussauds, and a Medieval Museum of Torture – which looked interesting. I was happy crossing the old arched bridges over the canals, avoiding the cyclists, and enjoying the spring sunshine.
Quite unexpectedly I came across the flower market – there were so many stalls selling brightly colourful flowers and plants; it was a beautiful sight and a real gem of a find. From there, I was searching for the Begijnhof – a place not to be missed according to my guidebook – it took some finding though!
But whilst trying to find it, I saw a Diamond Factory and the Royal Delft Shop that sold the most exquisite blue and white pottery with traditional windmills painted on. The buildings alongside the canals were all so unique, they were very tall and many of them leaned precariously – but they had unusual crests on them, colourful shutters and many had balconies with plants and flowers. There was so much to look at – and I was trying to take it all in – whilst looking for the Begijnhof. I eventually found it, after passing that area several times; the entrance just looked like the doorway to someone’s house.
But behind this archway was a different world that was completely walled off from the rest of the city. It dates back to the 14th century when Beguines, ladies who helped people but were not actually nuns, lived and worked. It was an interesting courtyard, with paintings on the walls, bluebells in the gardens, tall buildings, 2 Churches and a small gift shop. Most of the restored buildings date from the 16th century and were originally housing for the elderly, although nowadays only women live there.
I was glad I had found this place, it was full of character – the guidebook was right! Next I found the Amsterdam Museum, with its huge statue of David and Goliath, and various paintings such as one of Napoleon entering the city – but I was in need of a rest, so I had a cappuccino in the museum’s café (a safe café I decided!).
There wasn’t time to sit for long, so I headed back out following the canals on my map towards Westerkerk, the largest church in the Netherlands, built between 1620-1631. Unfortunately, it is right next to the road with traffic lights only a few feet away, no ground is wasted here for grass or surrounding walls. Somewhere else I particularly wanted to see was Anne Franks House, but I wasn’t under any illusions that I would be able to get in (pre booked tickets had been sold out for months), I just wanted to see the place. Disappointingly though, there wasn’t anything to see from the outside, it is all behind a modern façade - but this was the place that told the most tragic tale. The queues to get in must have been 200-300 people long, so I headed off along yet another canal! This time I was heading to the Jordaan district, where the canals are smaller, the streets are uneven and there is more a sense of tradition.
It was a pleasure walking through this area, taking pictures of sunshine glistening off the water, seeing houseboats with their rooftop gardens, looking at the leaning buildings, passing small food markets and generally just watching the world.
The canals were lined with tables and chairs full of people eating, drinking and enjoying themselves. The guidebook was right again – the Jordaan is an area not to be missed.
I loved the houseboats on the canals!
With their rooftop gardens!
I was quite confident of my bearings, and headed to the Central Train Station, a beautiful building with ornate crests and gold clocks; and then I popped into the tourist information office. (The toilets there cost 1 euro, but are nice and clean). I did want to see Amsterdam’s windmill, but that was a tram ride away and I didn’t want to risk missing my coach.
So I walked some more! I went to see the Oude Kerk, whilst looking for the Amstelkring Museum, and had to walk through a bit of the red light district (something you just have to do apparently), and I did feel rather uncomfortable walking up one street where there weren’t many people. Strange really, I had been avoiding crowds all day as much as possible, and now I wanted to be in one! But I survived it and came back out opposite the station.
I sat on the steps by the waterfront watching canal boats go by, quite happy that I had fitted as much into my time as I could have; then to my delight a brass band started playing. It was a fitting end to my “half” day in Amsterdam; I wish I had had longer – but there would always be another time. It had been the most glorious day, so I was happy that I had seen Amsterdam in the spring sunshine for half a day – it could have been a whole day in the rain! I had avoided being knocked over by the thousands of bicycles, and I hadn’t got lost in the maze of canals. The coach took us back to the ship, where we had more checks before we boarded again. By the time we set sail, the wind had picked up and the forecast was for force 6-7 gales. Luckily dinner was before we sailed, very organised again and a very good selection. Afterwards, I sat and enjoyed the cabaret with a few ladies from the coach trip; a drink, a sing along and some company on a Saturday evening – what more could I ask for! I have no idea whether it was a stormy crossing or not, because I slept so well (whether it was all the miles I had walked or the glass of wine) and when I got up, the ship was in the calm waters of the Humber Estuary. After breakfast, we all disembarked and headed home – it had been a very different but enjoyable Easter.
I hope you enjoyed this short Easter adventure - thank you for reading and following me.
Lynne
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