Extended Stay - Amsterdam

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The last morning on the Viking Vidor arrived early. We were up by 5:30am to say farewell to a couple from Texas who were catching their shuttle to the airport at 6:45. We were ready to disembark by 7:30am, but because we were staying in Amsterdam we had to wait until 8:15am. New passengers were already boarding.

Outside we had to identify our luggage so it could go on the bus that would take us to the Mövenpick Hotel that we could see from the dock. Although our room was available upon check-in, we chose to go on the walking tour to City Centre. The "8 minute walk" is deceptive, as that only gets you to the outside edge of the city area. There are "Coffee Shop" signs all over town. This denotes a place to purchase and smoke marijuana. It's not legal, but it's also not illegal. We did not partake. Our guide left us at Dam Square where a WWII monument was constructed in 1956. Across the way is the Royal Palace.

Being on our own, we wandered down a main street, then turned down a pedestrian shopping area to find a place to eat. The restaurant was maybe 10' wide and 40' deep. Roger had spaghetti bolognese and I had a strawberry crepe. Turning left at the door, we found ourselves in The Red Light District (it's actually identified that way on maps) and the smallest laundromat I've ever seen. We did mark the location, as doing laundry had become a priority.

Continuing on, in the general direction of the hotel, Roger suggested we take a different way back. This took us around the Oosterdock waterway, the NEMO Science Center, the Naval Training grounds and across the tram tracks. By the time we reached the hotel we'd walked over five miles. Our bags had been put in our room. A nap was in order.

About 5:30 we walked to the nearby Delirium Cafe. They offer 720 different beers, with 30 on draft. Outdoor dining area looks out to the port where our river cruise boat was still tied up, flanked by several others. We enjoyed our Dutch-style burgers, and the beer was okay too.

We again walked into the city to experience it at night. At least as active as during the day. We stumbled across the Happy Inn Laundromat on this trek and agreed it would be our first destination the next morning. It was time to head back to the hotel and sleep.

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