Amsterdam ,Day 1

We arrived Tuesday morning in the very interesting and stunning city of Amsterdam . With friends Alan and Barbara we set off in search of the canal cruise boats and found them over at the Central Station. We bought our 24 hour tickets and set off on the Blue Line.

However before that I must comment on all the bicycles... They are everywhere ! You have to be careful walking around as there are many bike lanes so not only are you watching out for cars,trucks, and trams but also silent bicycles. And they are not fancy bikes like you'd see at home but very utilitarian vehicles and people park them everywhere including a massive parking structure just for bikes- good luck finding your bike at the end of the day.


And then there are the canals. The city is a true network of canals and bridges. And the HOHO canal bus was an excellent way to see the principal ones. And the scenic views just kept on coming. There are over a 100 Kms of canals in the city and who knows how many bridges.



After our circuit on the Blue Line we wandered up a very busy main street near the famous old church Oude Kerk. After some lunch we went over to the Red Light District and wandered some more. A fascinating experience for a bunch of staid Canadians.


Some more wandering then we returned to the canal bus for some more travel.There are 2500 houseboats on the canal system and the City has now limited permits to moor. The canal system of Amsterdam sits 4-6 meters below sea level. The houses along the canal are generally limited to 6 meters in width (taxation reasons) but can be quite long, up to 40 meters deep.







And of course some interesting architecture.

We returned to the ship sometime before 7pm for a quick dinner in the Lido and a movie in the showroom. Now necessary to recharge the batteries before another morning of wandering. Departure is scheduled for 1pm.

From RCD's iPad

Location:Amsterdam, The Netherlands