Wine on the Rhine...Viking Cruise 2023

Departing early this morning. We’ve been docked very close to the city in Amsterdam. View from our balcony: So about the food….amazing.  The portions are European portions; enough but not overwhelming. There is a breakfast buffet and a continental breakfast area from 7-9:30 or just a coffee/tea station on our floor available 24/7. That has been my favorite: pastries in the morning, cookies in the afternoon/evening.  Lunch is noon and the menu includes a starter, an entree and a dessert. Same for dinner at 7. Here are the dishes we remembered to photograph.  And yes, we had dessert every day for lunch and dinner. Small but delicious portions. We especially loved the ice cream. We asked a few different servers, and the chef (!) for the brand. They explained that it wasn’t made on the ship but wouldn’t give up the brand name! We especially liked the Pistachio and the Walnut.  We’re headed to the airport at 9 am. Flying at 1:30; we’ll be home by 4:30 Detroit time! At the Amsterdam airport,

They built a dam on the Amstel river: Amsterdam.  Today a canal tour by boat. There are 2500 stationary houseboats in Amsterdam (called floating houses; no engines) on 65 miles of canals.  The water is managed and the canals do not flood. In the 17th century 80% of the world’s trade went through Amsterdam. All of the floating houses are occupied. They cost upwards of 800,000€ if one were to become available. Electricity and plumbing all from below.  Houses are taxed by number of windows so a house 2-3 windows wide runs 5 million € +. See the hook at the top of the building (bottom left) for getting the furniture inside (IKEA is a good plan?). Many of the old mansions have been combined to form hotels. Here is the Waldorf Astoria, 5 houses wide.  Amsterdam is home to both the East and West Indian Trading Companies. East: spices, guns and ammunition. West: transporting slaves. All the guides have mentioned that The Netherlands accepts their past, acknowledges mistakes and have paid repar

Still in the Netherlands and another perfect day!  Our cruise Director says we’re not getting the full Dutch Experience (rainy and cold), but we’re good with it!  A little breakfast on the terrace of the ship before our tour of the city. This might be the cutest town we’ve seen, founded in 1250; Population 70,000. Lots of canals and quiet tree-lined streets. And like the other cities, lots of open cafes. This is the main defense tower to the harbor. The white brick is the salt water side; red brick is the fresh water side. The Coat of Arms shows a cornucopia (region is shaped like a horn, hence the name), and the Unicorn is also a symbol of the town.  Boys could work on the ships at 14. The 3 boys on the wall are (translated): The Cabin Boys of the Spotted Cow. (Black and white cows are big here too.) This church helped to hide the Jews during the occupation. Someone turned them in and the ones hiding the Jews were shot.  There are 4 memorials around town commemorating this; here are 2