Amsterdam

We arrived in Amsterdam this morning, May 20th and the sun is shining and the weather is warm but a shower is in the forecast.

It was an easy disembarkation with no customs or immigration inspection, ah Europe and its open borders. A brief taxi to our hotel and we are in the heart of Amsterdam and many of the attractions are an easy walk. Not so easy is the climb to our hotel. Egads it is 37 steep and narrow steps to the reception desk and another 19 to our room which is adequate in size. The bed is comfortable, the shower roomy and the inclusive breakfast more than satisfying. We are greeted by the two resident kitty cats who have free roam of the place except during breakfast when they get locked away for health code reasons.

The stairs will be troublesome but the staff is more than helpful and carried our luggage, all six bags for us up the stairs and to our room. We were early for check in & left the hotel and headed for the canal boat excursions. I know, we just spent 2 weeks on a ship and 8 of those days at sea without seeing land and the first thing we do when we get off is get on another boat! Crazy but it is a good way to get an overview of this small but important city in the Netherlands.

So, for the next hour we wandered slowly through Amsterdam and the tour guide gave us an interesting talk on the sights and history of the city and we escaped the rain shower while inside the glass covered boat. Lunch was a shared sandwich at a canal side restaurant & a short walk to Westerkerk Church. A non-denominational yet Protestant house of worship (there are not many in Amsterdam) with ornate gold chandeliers and devotional candelabra but no altar. A beautiful organ with recorded play filled the building when we entered.

We returned to our room for a much-needed nap and to unpack and settle in before exploring later in the evening. Refreshed and ready to go we headed for the infamous "Red Light" district and The Old Church. Unfortunately, the church closed about 30 minutes before we arrived after a healthy 1.5 mile walk from the hotel. It was early, around 7 pm and many of the "ladies" had not yet arrived for work but there were a few and Laurie got a kick out of waving at them and their boldness. Most were dressed in what would be considered modest beach wear for some of the US or Caribbean beaches. The erotic shops catered to all types and tastes but the true entertainment were the people walking the streets.

It was Saturday night and the party was in full swing. Rolling beer kegs mounted on wagons powered by a dozen drunken young men and or women singing and hollering up and down the streets vied with the bikes, cars and trams and pedestrians for room on the streets. Roving wedding bachelor and bachelorette parties in the oddest of costumes, full drag to diapers and Tiaras sloshed their way around the district and into and out of various drinking establishments. The heady aroma of marijuana was everywhere since it is legal and sold in coffee houses on every block. It was more fun than NYE in Penn Station in the 80's!

We opted for Argentinian steak burgers at one of many restaurants situated all in one area on the edge of the District. We strolled back through a bustling Dam Square and a gelato to make up for the exercise. A long day was followed by a very restful night after the difficult climb up 56 steps to our room.

It's Sunday morning and we are running a bit slower today. A leisurely breakfast and then off to the museum district by tram and a huge outdoor craft fair surrounding a pond with some odd sculptures. A slow walk past the vendors and then a lite lunch al fresco before tackling the Van Gogh Museum. Amazing works by him and other artists. A huge collection of self-portraits and use of blue and yellow and on the verge of Impressionism. Four immense floors of art. We took the tram back after the visit since we couldn't also try and see the Rjksmuseum and the Dutch Masters as well. Dinner in a small restaurant of good Spaghetti Bolognese and a stop at a pastry shop for chocolate eclairs. A long climb up our stairs. Our feet are tired!

It's Monday morning and we are up early for a scheduled 10:15 am visit & tour of the Anne Franke house. They have done a great job in keeping as much of the original layout as possible while still providing access for the visitors. Lots of interactive multimedia. It is sad that this event had to happen and yet it was interesting to learn how creative the friends were in developing the various hiding techniques. A must see if you visit Amsterdam.

We moved on to the site of the Old Jewish Market which was a large area of stalls used mainly by the Jewish population to buy and sell fresh foods and clothing and other essentials before the war and before German occupation. It obviously fell in to disrepair and was resurrected in the 50-60's by the "Hippie" generation and now is a thriving flea market for used clothing, memorabilia, old coins and used German military uniforms. How ironic!

An Al Fresco lunch and then a visit to the Rembrandt house. A large home he purchased when his career was at its height and then caused him to go bankrupt due to the high costs associated with such a large home. Most, if not all of his belongings were sold off at auction but the meticulous Dutch keep records and with the detailed descriptions of his belongings, they have been able to recreate the home close to what it was like when he owned it.

The studios where he taught students are amazing and spacious and many of his art work is still there. An interesting and informative (especially for Laurie) demonstration on the history of making the various oil paint colors was fascinating. Another not to be missed attraction.

After our Tram ride back to the hotel, an early dinner and then another treat of Dutch pastry before heading up the stairs and a well-earned nights rest.

We had a slow start this morning and needed to get some laundry attended to as well as some packing as we leave somewhat early tomorrow. Off to the Rjksmuseum for an extraordinary collection of work by Rembrandt as well as Vermeer and other Dutch Masters. The Night Watch and the Jewish Bride (made more interesting after our lecture on colors yesterday) & dozens of fabulous works. Recently renovated, the museum does a great job of presenting the works in areas large enough to avoid crowding. We enjoyed a nice lunch in the Cafe before our "roaming" and were some of the last visitors to leave.

Alas, we were in rush hour crowds on the Trams heading home but I’ve ridden the NYC subways! A recommended Guide book restaurant turned out to be a disappointment. It was listed as Italian but was very modern with a small plate menu and mainly raw foods. The Filet was, in reality, raw beef slices. The oysters were only served raw. The short ribs were cooked but the veal tips were only partially cooked. A stop at a local pastry shop eased the pain! An unexpected disappointment from Frommers which is usually spot-on with its suggestions.

We were back in our hotel early to complete the packing process and a good night’s rest before flying off to Florence in the morning. We have really seen the major highlights of Amsterdam and it is doubtful that we will return for any extended time. At our ages, there are too many other places to see first before repeating a location. A sad reality.

Atlantic Crossing (continued)

An early 6am wake up. Buses left at 7:30 to tour Quimper. A small coastal town near Brest in the Brittany region of France. Guide spoke poor English and babbled on about the region while most wanted to catch a nap before we got to town. Constant rain contributed to the gloomy mood of the passengers. A 1-hour tour which concentrated on the old church in town and its stained glass. An hour of free time let us find a market area for coffee and a wonderful chocolate crepe. Some window shopping and a rainy ride back. Guide insisted on playing French music on radio with PA system microphone held up to the speaker. Especially annoying was the French Rap music.

Last of the Gala dress nights today as well. Table for only 4 tonight and then a great show by the ship's singers and dancers. A full day and we sail to Cherbourg for tomorrow. Sunset is now about 10pm.

Another early wake up, 5:30am for a 2.5-hour bus ride to Mount St. Michael. The Benedictine Monks built this centuries ago on top of a small mountain which sits on an island off the coast. Originally, you could only access it at low tide by walking on the sea bottom. Alas it has become a major tourist attraction and very commercialized.

Our guide today is much better and she was informative and not overbearing. It rained all day and sometimes a steady and heavy downpour. You get off the coaches at huge parking lots and walk to a shuttle bus station for the ride out to about 500 yards from the entrance. Heavy presence of armed French police and soldiers and the beginning of a climb for about a mile of steps and cobblestone street which is at about a 10% grade. Then you reach the base of the Abbey structure for another 800 steps to the top. Very few handrails and slippery conditions.

We took our time and I was amazed at myself for being able to complete it. Most of the Monks are gone now and only a handful come up each morning to clean and keep the place organized. It's a beautiful medieval monastery with an herb and vegetable garden and simple living conditions at the time. It was cold, gloomy and harsh but that was monastic life back then. It is no longer used as a church for services & is classified as "not consecrated" but we still said some prayers in this once holy place. The golden statue of Archangel Michael is impressive.

We stopped for lunch on the way down, a warm ham, egg and cheese crepe was perfect but of course not as good as the Long Island "double egg bacon & cheese on a hard roll" but the lunch fit the surroundings. The over commercialized souvenir shops are crowded and the school field trips bring hundreds of little ones on tours. But a major attraction on our bucket list completed.

The long bus ride back & a quiet guide allowed for a nap and we made it back just in time for the 4:30pm "all aboard"! After dinner, we skipped the show and made it an early to bed night. Our legs will be sore in the morning.

Atlantic Crossing (continued)

Our free specialty dinner at the Pinnacle Grill was nice. Surf & Turf. The fillet was good, tender and flavorful but the lobster tail was very disappointing. I sent the first one back because it was over cooked and like rubber! The second one was at least edible but lacked any flavor. Frozen, 10-ounce tails don't compare to fresh lobster at home. Everybody on board got a free glass of sparkling wine, compliments of the Captain for missing Horta. The Ukulele "boy band" returned with a new show & again a fun performance.

Happy Mother's Day. We had breakfast on the Lido and spent the morning reading in the Crow’s Nest lounge part of which also became a nap. We are getting lazy. The weather has been very overcast and with spotty showers. Found a comfortable chair and soon the eyes close and a nap ensues. We enjoyed an interesting lecture on Neanderthal man and the search for the origins of man or homo-sapiens. Called Katie & Kristin to wish them a Happy Mother’s Day. It's $2.99 /minute from on-Board. We met Marge & Henry for dinner and then enjoyed a repeat performance by the ship's singers.

Ah, Monday morning and more rain and fog! We ate breakfast in the room and I went back to bed. I had stayed up last night and visited the blackjack table. Just about broke even and then sat and read till 2 am. I needed the rest!

We listened to a lecture on Zeebrugge, Belgium and then Laurie went for a nap and I sat in the library reading. As you can tell, ship life is very slow paced and lazy!  So, cocktails in the Ocean Bar Lounge, dinner with some new folks and a movie: "The Girl on the Train". A good psychological murder mystery set in upstate suburban NYC using Metro North equipment. Couldn't keep Laurie's interest and she retired early. I enjoyed it. The trombone player was originally scheduled but got sick and cancelled.

It's Tuesday and food is again the focus of the day. As frequent customers of HAL we are enrolled in their Mariner Society program which gets certain perks as you increase your days of sailing with them. We are 2 Star Mariners with 60+ days. You need 75 to make 3 star and 200 for 4 star. But no matter your level you get a special brunch on-board and ours is today. Spent the afternoon reading and a short nap. Met Henry and Marge for cocktails and then a nice table of 8 for dinner, Mike & Clare from North Carolina and 2 gals from Canada. We bought champagne for the table to celebrate Marge's 70th birthday. Closed the dining room and caught the tail end of the piano show. Early wake up for our first landing in France.

Atlantic Crossing - Our ship's Cabin & Bermuda

We arrived in Hamilton Bermuda this morning around 8:30 am local time, the clocks went ahead an hour during the day yesterday and we were off the ship by 10 after a nice leisurely breakfast in the dining room. We snagged a $50 taxi tour of the island, and the rate and guided tour was worth it. We followed it by a walk around town and a visit to the Bermuda National Art Gallery and a stop at the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral for a few prayers and a candle for safe travels.

We returned to the ship for lunch and a short nap before departing Hamilton around 5:30pm and scenic sail-out to the ocean. We head north to the Azores and although tonight will be smooth they expect 9-foot seas and rain tomorrow.

On a sad note, we spoke to long time close friends by phone and discovered that the wife had a small stroke yesterday afternoon and is in a medical center in New Jersey. They have family up in the Jersey and Long Island area and were there visiting from Florida for a few grandchildren graduations. The prognosis is good but we are concerned due to their advanced ages.

Dinner was good but our table companions were not at all talkative and it was like pulling teeth from an orangutan getting them to contribute to the conversation. He was an AFL-CIO executive and the discussion could have been interesting but alas he contributed only one or two syllable answers! His wife spoke even less. Was it their mid-west life style from Springfield, Illinois? We'll never know. The evening entertainment was quite pleasant with a trombone virtuoso who had a full range of music from the Big Band era, early Blues and Jazz as well as some Dixieland arrangements. His tributes to Hoagie Carmichael's Stardust and Louie Armstrong's A Wonderful World were moving and most enjoyable.

Well my prayers to St. Christopher (yes, I know the Roman Catholics don't consider him a saint anymore, but I do) seem to be working and the low-pressure system seems to be dissipating. Today's weather has been very good with moderate seas and plenty of sunshine and temps in the 70's.

A nice breakfast and conversation with a retired business teacher and avid sports fan, he works part time for the Chicago Cubs giving tours of Wrigley Field, and then a lecture on tsunamis and the devastating consequences. We did our usual 1-mile walk-about and then lunch in the dining room for a change. We'll lose another hour shortly and I'm determined to finish a novel I bought along and start the next in the series. A WWII spy thriller by one of my favorite authors, WEB Griffin. I also have an interesting non-fiction work called "Conversations with God" which I have started but only read the preface and part of the first chapter. Intriguing subject and treatise.

I hope to get this up on my blog page in the next few days rather than waiting till we return but perhaps at the high cost of internet time I may have to wait till Amsterdam. We'll see.

Dinner was interesting on Wednesday night. We joined friends Henry & Marge again and a gentleman named John who had foot surgery by Dr. Wapner in Philadelphia. Same surgeon who worked on Laurie's feet. Small world. Henry & Marge are also from Florida and have a home in Winter Park, a very upscale suburb of Orlando. He is the retired CFO of the Board of Internal Medicine Examination and has his MBA from Wharton. She worked for AT&T in computer programming. They are avid travelers and will be visiting their daughter and grandchildren in Amsterdam.

The evening entertainment was a 5 member "boy band" from Liverpool who all play Ukuleles, sing and dance and proved to be quite engaging. A fun evening. The seas continue to remain relatively calm and the weather is getting a bit cooler but still in the low 70's.

Thursday morning was grey and overcast and we slept in with breakfast in the room. I'm a bit tired today and we only walked a half-mile. It was windy but the ship is steady and the ride is comfortable. Some breaks of sun. Our morning lecture by Dr. Southerland was on undersea mountains and the origins of life in discovered organisms. Somewhat interesting.

We had a table of eight for dinner with Henry & Marge, Jenny & Roger (the Swiss chef and Elvis fan) and Tom & Susan from Naples. Eclectic conversations and good food, including Quail.

The ship's singers and dancers returned for an evening of song and interpretive dance with a spectacular performance of song from Les Mis and Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. A talented group of young performers. Laurie returned to the room and I donated some funds to the casino slot machines.

Laurie slept in on Friday morning and I enjoyed a big breakfast on The Lido. We matched up later for some serious reading time while skipping our walk. The winds have picked up and the temps are in the high 60's. The ship is handling it well. Surprise! We are skipping Horta in the Azores. The Captain announced that a storm had formed just south and west of us and he has altered course to "run away" from what is expected to be 18-foot seas and 40 knot gale force winds. He would not be able to dock in Horta. We are heading for Brest in northwest France on the Brittany coast. Unfortunately, it will take several days to get there and we won't arrive until next Wednesday, May 17th. Four more days at sea.

We called and spoke with our longtime friends and she seems to be doing better but there were the obvious signs and she will be in rehab for a long period of time. We are saddened by this news.

Our lecture on Volcano's timed to be just prior to our arrival in Horta, a volcanic island was still interesting and we learned intriguing facts about the search for Atlantis. We were invited to join Marge & Henry at the specialty restaurant, Canneletto. An Italian smorgasbord of small plates, antipasto, meats and pastas. Our evening was capped off by a piano virtuoso and performer who is quite talented and entertaining. He was due to disembark in Horta but will be arranging another new performance next Tuesday before he returns to Branson, MO.

I sent an email update to family and friends and will await their replies.

Saturday morning and we had breakfast in our room and then walked our 4 laps. A fun lecture on dinosaurs was followed by a serious lecture on how Europe’s demand for sugar made many people wealthy from the slave trade. Last year’s fact of Brazil being the largest importer of slaves was again confirmed in this year’s lecture. The US was only a minor player in the slave trade until the invention of the cotton gin increased the demand for labor in the south.

Catholic mass at 5 pm by Fr. Steve. He was an Anglican priest from Australia who converted to Roman Catholicism. Have not had the opportunity to explore that subject with him.

European Adventure - 2017

Hello and welcome to another Laurie & Gene adventure. I know I've started these blogs before and never finished but I will do my best to complete this one.

So, we are on board Holland America's Prinsendam  enroute to Amsterdam with stops in Hamilton, Bermuda, Horta, Azores, Cherbourg, France, and Bruges, Belgium. We'll disembark in Amsterdam and spend 4 days there before flying on to Florence, Italy for four days and finally Rome for 5 days. We'll stop in NY to visit with the grandkids before heading home in early June.

We thoroughly enjoy Holland America ships (HAL) and this is our 4th trip with them, The Prinsendam was built in 1988 for the Royal Viking Line and HAL acquired the ship in 2003 and completely refurbished her. It's smaller than most with only 835 max passengers and a crew of 435 (pretty good ratio). We are almost full with 800 guests on this voyage. The ship is about 700 feet long with the standard 12 decks. Four laps around the Promenade deck is just under a mile and we've been diligent so far and walked both days since we boarded in Fort Lauderdale on May 6th.

We rented a car at Sarasota airport and dropped it off at the Alamo center just outside the Port Everglades security booth. The shuttle was waiting for us and 15 minutes later we were checking in. No lines and by 2 pm we are enjoying our lunch on the Lido deck.

We have an upgraded suite which is quite roomy with a huge closet and larger than most bath room. A nice balcony on the starboard side which will give us land views as we head north along the European coast. It will take 2 weeks to get to Amsterdam and so far, the weather has been sunny, warm & with smooth seas and a light breeze. The Captain does expect the weather to change as we approach Horta due to a large low-pressure system that is tracking north. We're skirting the south end of it but there will be some "ocean motion" in our future. We'll have to wait and see how a smaller ship handles the seas.

HAL is a more senior clientele ship and yes, the average age is 60+ but it doesn't seem crowded and the staff is very attentive. The food is great. Last night’s escargot, rack of lamb and cheesecake was superb. Laurie's fillet and shrimp was perfect & no she does not eat snails! Our cruise consultant from Cruises Only really took care of us this trip. Besides the upgraded suite, we got beverage packages for each of us which allows for 15 drinks each/day if they don't cost more than $8.00 each. She also got us a $200 credit towards internet minutes, a free upgraded specialty restaurant dinner and $150 on-board credit. Plus, everything I spend on board up to $400 is a cash back once we return. Not a bad deal.

So, the ship was in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday morning after transiting the Atlantic from a 2-month tour of the Mediterranean and needed to restock. We didn't leave until about 10:30pm.

We have open seating/anytime dinning and our table of 9 the first night was made up of folks from Florida, go figure. We prefer to be in a group setting for dinner and look forward to meeting other travelers. Last night we sat with a couple from Atlanta and a much younger couple from Palm Harbour. Roger is a graduate of a prestigious culinary arts institute in Switzerland where he was born and now manages an Assisted Living facility's food service. His partner, Jenny is the HR manager for the facility. I suggested he have his tax account write the trip off as a business / research expense. He was intrigued by my suggestion.

The evening’s entertainment was a musical collage of rock from the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Elton John and many others. A very energetic group of singers and dancers. Yesterday's lecture was presented by a professor from University of British Columbia and a recognized expert in geology. He focused on a cataclysmic event some 66 million years ago which caused a mass extinction on earth caused by an impact from space of an object large enough to create a crater several miles in diameter and thus the Gulf of Mexico. While generally fascinating, I did manage to doze off twice during his 45-minute talk.

Last night’s gala or formal dress night was fun and late so we slept in and had breakfast sent into the room. Our 1-mile walk was followed by a relaxing hour starting this blog and then off to lunch. The clocks will move ahead an hour today and we'll have a lecture this afternoon on what to expect in Bermuda.

Well the lecture was a big disappointment. The speaker was Les Krantz, a published author and NY Times columnist who had no ability to engage his audience and spent the first 20 minutes talking about how great he was and all his accomplishments. He mentioned the word Bermuda twice, a slide of a Bermuda onion and a picture of Bermuda grass. By then, we and 90% of the audience had walked out. He stood there and read from his laptop. He has six more scheduled lectures and we plan to miss them all.

Dinner was fun with a couple from Palm Beach who are truly world travelers. Goldie is approaching 7-star mariner status which is over 700 days at sea and her husband is a 5 star. They owned several rental apartment buildings in Palm Beach and have sold most of them and spend their lives traveling. They have homes in Brevard county, Florida as well and have some fascinating stories.

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