[ Main Index ] [ Previous Day ] [ Next Day ] [ Photo Gallery ]
I slept better (not great the first night). But apparently snored Marion out of restful slumber on every breath. We have to get everything packed up for boat transfer. I still don’t see our boat out there but presumably it will show up soon. It’s our anniversary today. 30 years. Wow.
Another good breakfast at the hotel. The buffet is really nice. We got everything packed. We tried to put the important stuff into the suitcase that locks since the carry-on bags will be left as well. It took a little effort to figure out where to leave the bags but ultimately, it was just ‘pile them here and hope’. No reclaim ticket, no nothing. We will think positively.
We decided to do the Rijksmuseum today. Mostly because they had a miniature doll house area that Marion wants to see. And because at some point in my life, Dad had told me it was a great museum and I should go if I ever had the chance. It’s a bit of a hike, especially after yesterday so we decided to try the trams today. We walked over to Central Station and there finally, we saw our boat. So I guess we’ll be sailing after all.
It took a little effort to figure out which tram to get on but it’s a great system. It goes everywhere. Every few minutes. You get a card and swipe on and off. We rode through areas we’d mostly walked through but then got a bit farther out and we were there. There were two British couples sitting near us who were having a grand time. Lots of laughing. One guy was trying to convince the other couple they needed to get off at the next station in the red light district and go enjoy themselves.
The museum is a cool looking building and in fact the central station is built to look like it (or vice versa, I can’t remember which they said). They always talk about long lines and long waits but we pretty much walked up to the ticket counter and paid. Or attempted to. I didn’t quite work the credit card machine right and it refused my card (actually, I think I pulled it out too soon). But we worked it out. But since we had so much issue with the Visa card, now we were worried it was not going to work anymore. But off we went into the museum.
We managed to end up in the Dutch grand master room right away – where the famous Vermeer, Hals and Rembrandts are. Huge paintings of Dutch business leaders of the 1600’s. The Dutch tended to paint business men vs saints and the like. Business was the religion. And the room is *mobbed*. We can hardly get near anything. So now we’re thinking ok, we were late and the big lines have already gotten in. This is going to be a bit of a slog.
But, as it turns out, everyone was in that room and the rest of the museum was relatively quiet. Which is how we like it. There’s lots to see. We were a bit tired after yesterday so we didn’t see it all but we saw a lot. The miniatures were very cool. There’s an awesome multi-story (3 floor) library with a big circular staircase. Some modern stuff on the top floor. A large couch sized furry vagina (how I didn’t get a picture of this, I don’t know). Some interesting sculpture. A great series of rooms of jewelry, glassware and dishware, locks, silverware, miniatures and all sorts of stuff and lots more.
We walked around until we got tired then stopped at the café for lunch. Pretty frou-frou and expensive but good. And we determined that thankfully, the credit card still does work when used properly. So there’s that. Then a stop in the museum store and we were off to the next place.
The next place was a cat museum that Marion found in the guidebook. Seemed as good a choice as any to me. We walked over. This part of town is much more ‘modern’. It looks like where the ‘real’ people live. A bit more industrial and working class than the medieval center. We found the museum which is a little hole in the wall. 3 rooms full of cat paraphernalia – posters, paintings, sculptures, advertisements, etc. And only $6 euros (sarcasm). It was certainly different anyway. Pretty much the other end of the spectrum from the Rijksmuseum. We found some nice postcards and we got two for free since we had a special coupon. So we can’t really complain.
From there we figured a tram ride back to Central Station and we’d find the boat. But first we had to find the tram. We walked a bit and happened on the flower market. It was packed and big and we were tired so we didn’t venture in too far. But it looked like fun. Our guide yesterday says it’s pretty touristy now. A bit overpriced and all. The locals don’t go there anymore. And as Marion said, she can order anything from a catalog now. But it was fun to see it.
We found the tram and being the seasoned tram riders that we are now, we quickly figured out where we should be, worked the card system and off we went. We got to the station and figured we should get some money. So we headed in. On the way down the sidewalk suddenly Marion waved at a girl who turned out to be one of the El Salvadorian girls from the red light tour last night. What are the odds? I would never have recognized her but Marion is good with faces. I’m not sure she recognized us. But it was funny.
We found the ATM after some effort, including a walk across the street to ask at tourist information, and headed to the boat. We got ourselves checked in and taken to our room on the ship. Which is small, as expected. But nice. A big window. A comfy bed. Room for all our stuff (albeit a bit of a Tetris game to get it all to fit). A bathroom big enough to turn around in. What more could you ask for? It’s at the far end of the boat though, so we’ll get our exercise going to and from. The boat is very long.
Toilets on boats are always interesting. This one seemed fairly ‘normal’ except that sometimes, and I really could find no rhyme or reason for this, it wouldn’t flush right away. It was like it had to work itself up to it. Like it was thinking, really? Now? Oh, all RIGHT. Fine.
I did a bit of an exploration. There’s a sun deck up top of the whole boat (so it’s big). It includes a shuffleboard and a couple of putting greens. There are lots of chairs. Some small spots on the side that I bet I will like for watching the world go by. A bit quieter and more private. There’s a little nook with a library of books and a couple of computers for those who don’t travel with them. And a large lounge in the front with a bar and comfy chairs and big windows to watch the river go by.
The crew is very friendly. We were a bit late to the orientation talk but don’t think we missed too much. Then on to dinner. We met some new folks, John and Chris (female) from Toronto (originally England) and we also sat with Dean and Norma, the couple from Colorado Springs we had met earlier. Lively conversation. Everyone is very interesting. The food was good too.
The waiter (from Macedonia but sounded Russian) has a crush on Marion. Or so I thought. We would learn over time that he is a huge flirt with all the ladies. Angling for a bigger tip. But any time he saw her, he directed us to the tables in his area.
6/24/14
[ Main Index ] [ Previous Day ] [ Next Day ] [ Photo Gallery ] [ Top ]