Tulips and Windmills

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Day 7 - April 21 Hoorn, Netherlands
We awoke and looked out our cabin wines and all we could see was open water as far as we could see. Usually on river cruises you see land on both sides of the ship. We realized that during the night we entered the North Sea. On day 1 they tell us that river cruises don't need life boats because the shorelines are not far from the ship. Well, we could not see land anywhere on the horizon.

We arrived in the charming town of Hoorn at 7am. Very picturesque and quaint. We went on a morning walking tour with a local guide. The walking tour was about 2 1/2 hours through the most historic parts of the town. Like all other cities in this country, there are canals everywhere. Due to the age of the structure, the aged wooden pylons, many have foundations that have shifted causing the homes to tilt and/or appear wavy.

A sailor and citizen of Hoorn, Willem Schoutens was the first to navigate the southern tip of South America in 1616. He named the storm-lashed bit of land Kaap Hoorn (Cape Horn) after his home town. In the afternoon, Jim and I decided to skip the afternoon tour and stay on board and rest and nap. It was a great thing for us to do today.

Before dinner the cruise had a Dutch folklore dance group Blokkerder perform. They were 6 elderly couples and they danced traditional Dutch dances some with wooden shoes. They were really entertaining. Dinner was great again and after dinner we retired to our cabin. A great day.

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