We had to be up and ready to go by 8.30am today for the glass boat tour of the Amsterdam canals and the walking tour. The tours were great and our guide fantastic. We spent nearly an hour on the boat travelling up and down the canals and learning of the history of Amsterdam and the culture. We then did a 40 minute walk around the red light district and headed for the place to meet the bus. While we were playing tourist the boat had left Amsterdam and gone to Utrecht so we could make our booking for the Lock. The bus trip took us through the countryside along the river to a Dutch Windmill and then we were back on the boat for a 12.30pm lunch. Did I say the food is great! Four courses for lunch. This afternoon we are relaxing, enjoying travelling up the river and going through locks with our big door open enjoying the fresh air and scenery. We have done a practice evacuation drill and our washing and we are looking forward to the Captain’s Welcome Dinner, which is a more formal affair than last night.
The Captain’s welcome dinner started with a glass of champagne for everyone and a red rose for each lady. The crew were introduced to us and we were given a chat about the boat and some housekeeping information. We then went for dinner and sat with a couple from Traralgon. Rob is a retired mower mechanic and his partner Robyn an auditor and compliance person who knows RTO world and compliance. We had a good old chat about GippsTAFE and the problems we experienced when we were contracted to deliver the training in New Guinea. She nodded knowingly and told us about the challenges she had experienced there. We had a very funny night and the guys even had a couple of ports. Off to bed and we slept well while we cruised overnight.
