Amsterdam: Canal Cruise / "Dinner Date" - well, not :(
Good morning Amsterdam! (from our balcony)
We were in bed by 9:00 but watched a new Netflix series, "The Night Agent" which was very good - well, let's be fair I watched the episode and Kim slept through most of it :) Both of us slept somewhat fitfully, I'm sure partially because of the way our luggage situation was up in the air. We were up at 7am and headed to breakfast where we met Gary & Claudia. As we finished and headed back to the room to get ready for our 8:15 am meeting to head out on our excursion I considered stopping at the front desk to ask about our luggage. But as we walked out of the restaurant one of the girls from the front was there, greeted us with a huge smile and said, "Mr. & Mrs. Love...." and gave us a double thumbs up, then continued, "....your luggage is in your room!" Oh how exciting! We were able to get some warm clothes and I got more comfortable shoes and we headed outside where it was a brisk 35 degrees. Took a selfie in front of the ship and then walked along the water way to the pier with our guide to await the arrival of our canal cruise boat.
We had to wait about fifteen minutes or more, but the glass-domed boat was ultra comfortable and we headed out with our guide narrating throughout the more than hour journey. To be honest, the canal cruise was very visually interesting. Our guide narrated throughout, but there weren't that many stories of note - mixed in with some history. But nothing that made me want to take a specific photo to tell a story. What it WAS though was relaxing and painted a nice picture of the canals and life in Amsterdam - at least in the older part. While the photos of the buildings (the first set of photos below) may appear very similar at first glance, I'd encourage you to look carefully at the buildings as they were almost all unique in some fashion....the different kind/style of brick or in particular the top of the buildings and the styles of architecture or decorations. You'll also notice what appear to be many posts sticking out of the top of the buildings with a hook and/or rope. If you've never been, taxes on buildings in Amsterdam are based on the frontage facing the canal. So most everyone built very narrow buildings, so the stairs to the many levels are very level. To get furniture etc. upstairs you hook it onto the line and hoist it up - even still today! The canal shots are just scenic (I think) and all the bridges are somewhat similar, but also a little different in their design.
And finally, all along the canals were houseboats - I didn't remember how many houseboats there were on the canals. Some soooo cool and relatively new, others soooo old looking!
We were back onboard by around 10:30 am where we unpacked and relaxed for a bit. Joined Gary & Claudia for a walk - by now the temperatures were in the low 50's without much of a breeze. Very comfortable. At 6:30pm we had arranged for a taxi to pick us up for our "dinner date" with Jennifer. She had been a student of mine back at Western High School, over twenty-five years ago. Jen's mom was a director of guidance and a counselor at Cypress Bay High where Kim and I worked together. On our first trip to Europe we ended with a multi-night stay in Amsterdam. At that time Kim was still working and Jen's mom discovered we were going, and mentioned to Kim that Jennifer lived here and would probably enjoy seeing me/us. So we arranged to meet her here (first photo below). When we knew we'd have two full days here this trip I reached out to Jennifer and we arranged to meet for dinner tonight. And so the epic tale of our "non-date" below the pic...........
We were in the lobby at 6:25 and the front desk explained the taxi would be here shortly. At about 6:35 he called......THIS EVENING, right up the road, less than two minute walk at the train station, an impromptu protest had occurred BY TAXI DRIVERS protesting and the construction and our ride was trapped in the middle, would not make it. The front desk suggested we could walk to the train station and try to get a cab, I asked if we could ask the cabs near the ship we could see. "You can try, sure." Found a cabbie, explained where we needed to go, he said sure, but it would take longer because we basically would need to circle the city. How long I asked, 20-30 min perhaps? About that - well that would put us with Jennifer at about 7 or 7:15 at the latest....sure. So we get in the cab and at about 6:55 we get stuck in another traffic jam for about ten minutes. Finally break free and he says (at about 7:10) we are about 3 minutes away. Go to make a turn and he says, "Oh no...." and points out the side street - nothing but tail lights. "I'll circle around." Five minutes later, yet another traffic jam. After waiting about five minutes he whips around and pulls over on the sidewalk...... "You can wait and ride with me, it might be another 30 min, but look....." Pulls out his phone and shows us a map ("Map 1" below) - "You're only four minutes by walking - straight shot, not turns." I look at it and I say, "It's right there - no turns...four minutes" - "Yes, see" OK, I say reluctantly with flashbacks to the last time we met Jen and we got so lost when it was "so easy." Followed the route, came to a dead-end on a canal and I said to Kim (who'd taken a photo of the map), "does it show crossing a canal?" Yes....cross over and it's a dead end. No restaurant. Wonder around a couple minutes, go into a pharmacy - "I don't know where that is." Come out and I ask a young girl standing there....
"Do you speak English, can you help us?" "I'm new here but I can pull up my map app" and she pulls up "Map 2" - "Oh, it looks like it's right here" and points in a direction to the right of where the first map seemed to be taking us. "OK" we say and head out following the map. Soon, nothing. Stop and ask a couple sitting at an outdoor table, "Do you speak English - can you help us?" "Sure..." gentleman pulls up the map gets up and looks to the right (we'd be heading to the left) and says "Look, it's right around the bend," pointing to the right. "looks like it's right up here, you have to bend around and then you find this street and there it is...." One more photo (Map 3) and we head out....about ten minutes later, nothing. Go into a bar, ask yet again. The owner, a nice woman says, "I've busted my phone, I don't know if it will work" so she calls the waiter over. He pulls up the map with directions and points out - "You're less than six minutes away.....see that bridge" - which is in yet another direction of where we'd been heading - "Yes," "Go to the second bridge, turn right......over the bridge, see?" Shows me on the map. Go straight to the third street and turn left....it's right up there, see?" I look at the map, look him in the eye, "Just take the second bridge, go right.....straight for three streets, turn left....right there" "yes, see?" OK....don't even bother taking a photo! Now it's about 7:45 - is Jen even there we wonder? We follow the directions and as we're walking on the "third street" Kim says, "You know where we are, right? I glance around, "No, where...." - "The Red Light District!" "What?" "You didn't see those three girls in the windows we just walked by" Kim asks....."not a clue" I said.
"Would Jennifer have picked a restaurant HERE?" Kim says incredulously? "No, absolutely not - maybe it's right up here." Now it's a little after 8 pm. "Well if it's not right up here - which it won't be," I say, "...we'll ask directions back to the ship." Sure enough - nothing. Stop in a small Italian restaurant - "Where's the train station?" "Oh easy....." I've heard THIS before I'm thinking "....head straight up here to where the road ends, turn left - about two minutes, so easy!" OK, uh huh. But of course of ALL the directions, these were the only accurate ones. Got back on board about 8:20 - dinner still being served. Gary & Claudia found us - after we'd walked around the dining room and couldn't find them (of course) and we all laughed very hard and very long (over a couple glasses of wine) about our 50 Euro adventure that lasted nearly two hours. As I said in the end, and Kim agreed - very much disappointed we didn't get together with Jennifer, but WHAT A GREAT STORY and adventure!
Big day tomorrow - two adventures, back-to-back in Hoorn. We'll leave around 9 am and won't be back until around 6:30 pm!
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