Amsterdam

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We have been to Amsterdam on a few occasions but this trip was slightly different. This was the first time we had been on an Emerald river cruise. The Emerald Sky is a nicely appointed ship. The cabins are not huge but there is actually space for everything and we were on level 2 which means a large picture window, floor to ceiling so you can watch the world go by when sailing. The food has not been the best so far however so we are reserving judgement. Our first morning we were taken in small groups with a guide around a completely different bit of Amsterdam to which we had seen before. We saw the old Jewish quarter, the River Amstel where the canals extend off the river, the church where Rembrandt's 2 children are buried, all done on a gentle walk with a very amusing guide. It was he who explained the city flag which consists of a red band above a black band and 3 crosses which stand for what the city has had to overcome i.e. water, fire and the plague. We were also taken to the old Botanical gardens where a local guide showed us round and also stopped at a café for coffee and apple cake. We did not stop at a coffee shop as these are places not for drinking coffee but for smoking hash etc.! Looking at the guests they probably thought that was not a good idea! After lunch we had a very short safety briefing with the life jackets and then the ship sailed down the river. A very pleasant first day. Gala dinner tonight so let us hope that the food will improve.

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Comments

[Paul Crotty]

That's a familiar face!
Amsterdam in the Spring; sounds wonderful - and, I'm betting, a lot more civilized and less "colourful" than the Amsterdam I enjoyed, a number of times, back in the early 80's with my LIRFC teammates - Heineken 7's. Enjoy the tulips!