“My experience in Amsterdam is that cyclists ride where the hell they like and aim in a state of rage at all pedestrians while ringing their bell loudly, the concept of avoiding people being foreign to them.” ~ Terry Pratchett

We woke up after a restless sleep and went to breakfast at a local place. The food was good but the benches were made to encourage you not to linger after eating. We checked out of our hotel and took a cab to drop off our suitcases at the ship as check in was not for a few hours. Being the spontaneous person that Skip is known to be, we made an unplanned, yes not on the excel sheet, trip with our cab driver to see the windmills of Zaanse Schans. Zaanse Schans is a neighborhood in the Dutch town of Zaandam, near Amsterdam. Historic windmills and distinctive green wooden houses were relocated here to recreate the look of an 18th/19th-century village.

It was a charming village and I would have wandered more if the meter on the cab was not running! Our new best friend also known as our cab driver left us in the Jordaan area of Amsterdam so we could have a leisurely stroll back to the ship. There along the narrow canals are hip eateries and pubs and cute boutiques, where again we made no purchases. In Amsterdam, you must be aware and respectful of the bicyclists or you will get hurt!

The sounds, sights and smells of Amsterdam are wonderful, especially from the bakeries. It is a very clean city, though very crowded, but full of life.

We made our way to the ship to be reunited with our friends and to begin the river cruise and celebrate our old friends ( to clarify for Tom Haas I speak of people we have known for some time not of age) and to make new friends.

“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,
To gain all while you give,
To roam the roads of lands remote,
To travel is to live.”

~Hans Christian Andersen