Day 8 – Amsterdam

We actually arrived in Huizen on the last day and departed the ship for a bus into Amsterdam. We’d said goodbye to Liz, Charles, Wayne and Janet the night before as they had early flights and were being bussed right to the airport in the morning. Our plan, since our flight wasn’t until late afternoon, was to take a canal tour and grab lunch before taking a train to the airport.

Our chef, Ivan, was with us on the bus and was leaving for his break, looking forward to his own bed and cooking for his family. He was great; he helped everyone find where they were going once off the bus. He walked with us to the train station and bid us farewell. We found the luggage storage facility close to the station and off we went.

One thing all our guides and Sam, our program director, warned us of was the Dutch on bicycles. Cars might let you cross the street, but bikes don’t stop. I think all of us almost got taken out by a bike at one time or another while walking the city.

Our canal tour was with Those Dam Boat Guys, a hilarious outfit with potty mouth captains, raucous jokes and a fun tour. It was 10AM so we weren’t drinking, but I bet an afternoon tour with beverages would have been a blast. Our guide spoke perfect English; he spent 3 years in Austin, TX. He showed us the sites and provided some history.

Few countries have so much land below sea level; about half the country consists of reclaimed land. Sea walls and coastal dunes keep the sea back, and levees and dikes protect against river flooding. And it’s flat! Our guide in Kinderdijk showed us a small hill and called it their mountain; it was 50 feet above sea level.

Amsterdam is on a peat bog, so all the houses are constructed on wooden pilings driven into the mushy base. They’re built close together, basically holding each other up. And some are actually leaning!

Smaller boats are docked in the canals, and they are privately owned. We asked when the canal is busiest and he joked, “One Saturday in July, or our one day of Summer.” He also said that tourists can rent them, and no one needs a license or permit. He said it’s a shitshow.

He also mentioned how many people drown in the canals each year. It averages 18, mostly men, tourists, drunk, and trying to take a piss into the water. They call it the “wild wee”.

There was so much to see, and it deserves another visit to take in some of the museums and other sights, but we needed to get going and grab lunch. We found what looked like a takeout shop for burgers and doner (shawarma). They had tables on the second floor and a bathroom on the third with the narrowest staircase I’ve ever seen. No way they’d ever get a permit for a place like that in the US. We were glad we found it, as the doner wraps and burgers were excellent.

Back at Centraal Station we were able to get a quick train to the airport and check in for our flight back to Boston. It was a great trip!

Next up – Special Moments

Deborah