Aug 15, 2018 - Zaanse Schans Windmills, Marken and Volendam

Once again, we were in for a long day. We made our way back to the tour company office and joined our group for the walk to the bus. Then off to visit the Zaanse Schans windmills. This is a drive through the countryside, seeing some of the present windmills, some of which still operate.

On arriving at Zaanse Schans, our bus was only the second one in the lot. We were given a time we had to be back to the bus, and then set off on a tour of the area with our guide. There were the usual gift shops which we looked at on the way by, but our main interest was the windmills. We had a photo shoot where we got a look at the windmills that were there, still working as tourist exhibitions.

Our tour took us inside a milling windmill. The miller was grinding peanuts and making oil. He showed us the process from the time the peanuts and shells were put on the grind stone, collecting the ground shells and nuts to cook them a bit, and then pressing them to get the oil out. Most of these things were run by the windmill, and it was quite amazing how the various gears moved different parts when needed.

After the oil has been squeezed out, he removes the outer cloth, and they use the remainder as food for the animals. Not much wastage here.  He told us that he can make 600 litres of peanut oil in a year. Now, this process is done in factories, and they make more in a day than he does in a year. He is paid by the tourism industry and by the peanut oil companies to keep the windmill operating and demonstrate how the mill was used in the past.

One of the other windmills there was a lumber processing mill. We didn’t get to that one, but it likely worked on the same principles. The Dutch were very rich at one time because they were able to make their ships quicker than other countries so they were able to move to the Carribean, Indonesia and other places to bring back their products for sale to other countries.

From here, we when to Volendam where Edam cheese is produced. We had to walk a fair amount again to get to the chees factory, but it was a very interesting explanation of the process. We got to sample the various cheeses that they produced, and of course, shop at their souvenir shop. They had a different type of cheese slicer/grater so we purchased one to bring home.

Then a walk to the shore of the lake (used to be ocean but the dykes have made it a lake) and were able to get something to eat. Our guides (Garen and Kathleen) showed us the recommended restaurant but we decided not to go in. Instead, we decided to try a waffle from the street vendor. It was pretty good, but the fruit on top certainly attracted the wasps.

Before leaving, we took a quick tour of a store where the original stroopwaffle cookies were made. These are thin waffles originally made from the left over bread dough but now following a recipe of the original person in this house. The waffles are pressed in a cooker (looks like a t-shirt decal press). When cooked, the waffle is taken out, and sliced in half so there are two rounds. Then a filling is spread (could be caramel, chocolate, or various other sweet ingredients) and the pieces put back together. It is these that are then sold as cookies.

When this was done, we boarded a ferry to go across the lake to another village where our bus was to meet us. Here we were taken to a small shop where wooden shoes were being made. It was very crowded, but he showed us the process of making shoes from a small block of wood (fresh cut is best because it is still soft). He used a system of lathes and gouges to shape the outside of the shoe and then gouge out the inside. In less than 10 minutes he had made one shoe. It was amazing. The same machine is used to make both left and right shoes. Depending on which direction the lathe wheel turns, either a left shoe or a right shoe is made. They always make the shoes in pairs so that they are identical except for the side the foot goes into.

Then it was back to the bus for our trip back to Amsterdam and the afternoon tour. Our guides were fantastic. They were knowledgeable, humorous, and very concerned about making sure we were getting a good experience.

Then the Afternoon Trip to Delft and The Hague and Madurodam

We had about ¾ of an hour off, and then had to return to board the bus. This was a different guide; one we weren’t overly happy with.

We first went to a factory in Delft where Delftware is produced and had a tour. This pottery is very similar to the Chinese pottery. Apparently the idea came from the Chinese, but after a while, they developed their own artwork on the pottery. Again, a gift shop which we had to visit and make some purchases. Our guide didn’t accompany us. Instead, we noticed him smoking his cigar by the coffee shop.

The we went to a tour of the town square. There had been a market there, but they were shutting it down when we got there. The big cathedral there was the church where the Dutch Royal Family members are buried. Again, our guide walked us to the square (quite a ways) and told us what time to be back to the bus, and then disappeared (another cigar, I suppose).

Once everyone was back, we moved on to The Hague. Here it was just a look at the site. It was closed to the public, but this was where the war crimes trials were held.

Finally, on to Madurodam, the miniature city. This was a tour where we got into the park and were able to walk around all the exhibits. They were working, miniature replicas and were quite interesting to see. We were very tired by this time, so didn’t spend too much time walking around. We did see the guide and the driver sitting at the cafe, smoking again. Not a lot of guiding going on.

Finally back on the bus and the return trip to Amsterdam. Both of us slept on the way back. When we got there, back to our hotel and out for a light dinner and back to the room for bed.

Aug 14, 2018 - Trip to Bruges, Belgium

Today, we found our tour company (only a few blocks away) and waited until the trip was to begin. It is a busy neighborhood, although pretty sketchy looking. We had breakfast a McDonalds nearby and then continued to wait. Once ready to leave, we walked out the bus pickup location (about 10 minutes away), boarded the bus, and set off on the 3.5 hour trip to Bruges, in Belgium.

When we stopped at the parking lot, there was a bathroom facility there. This was our first introduction to having to pay to use the bathroom. Here, it was half a Euro and there was clearly a demand for the service.

Dawn's Mussels

We had a tour with our guide, who showed us the highlights and suggested things go to do. When that was done, we were left on our own for the rest of the 5 hours there to sightsee, eat, and generally get a feel for the town center. There was a woman about our age (Kathleen Dunn from various places but now living in Ireland) who seemed to be on her own for this tour, and she sort of latched on to us. We made sure she was included in the various things we did.

Brian's Fries

Our guide suggested a restaurant for mussels and fries. He said it was the best in the city (and maybe the Netherlands) so we had to go there for Dawn to give it a try. They serve the mussels in a huge pot where I’m sure they had been steamed. The fries were in a cone basket. Dawn ate ALL the mussels (okay, I had one) while I at the fries. I didn’t miss not eating them.

After that, we had to find our way back to the bus. It wasn’t as easy as I thought, and we missed the turn to get back to the bridge to the parking lot. We wandered around for a while. I could see where we were supposed to get to, but couldn’t find the street to go down that would take us there. We ended up on the wrong side of the pond/river and had to backtrack a few times. We finally got back to the bathroom, paid our next half Euros to use them, and then waited for the rest of the tour and the bus to get back.

Ammunition Storage 

After that, it was back on the bus, and another 3.5 hours back to Amsterdam. Fortunately, the bus let everyone off closer to our.hotel, so it was a fairly quick walk back. We got back about 9:00pm and were quite tired. We went out to a nearby restaurant and had a light supper, and then back to our room to bed. My step counter indicated that we put on 19,000 steps today and we were tired and sore.

Aug 12 And 13, 2018 - Trip to Amsterdam

Flight to Amsterdam and our First Day

We were up early and on the way to Kelowna by about 6:30 am. We wanted to be in the Kelowna Airport by 9:00. The drive was good but we were in smoke from the fires the whole way. We made it into the airport almost exactly on time and had some time before our flight so had breakfast in the White Spot after we went through security.

Very shortly after we finished, they called us to board our flight, and we were off to Toronto on time. Flying over the Rockies, the smoke from BC filled those valleys as well, reaching to the peaks of most of the mountains.

It was a pretty uneventful flight and we arrived in Toronto in less than 5 hours. Then it was a long 5-hour wait there until our flight left for Amsterdam. Finally, we boarded. We were flying on a 747, and they weren’t fully booked. So despite the seats not being overly comfortable, we were in a row for three, but only the two of us were there. Much nicer than being jammed into the seats.

We managed to sleep a while on the plane, which was good. The meal they served was not a real palate pleaser, and we didn’t eat all of it. Then there was a small snack shortly before we landed.

The flight took just under 7 hours which was also less than we were expecting. The winds must have been in our favor. We landed in Amsterdam at about noon CET on Tuesday, which is 9 hours before Kamloops time. It was about 17 hours from the time we left Kelowna.

Then it was the difficulty in trying to figure out how to get to our hotel. We decided to try the train which took us to Centraal Station. It took about 15 minutes and then we had to figure out how to get to our hotel. It was supposed to be close by, but trying to interpret the street names, find where they were located, dodge the crazy bicycles and scooters, dodge the pedestrians, and not get run over by the cars was an adventure. We took a wrong turn, but when we asked a fellow going by, he was able to show us on his Google Maps where it was located. We were close and only had to backtrack a bit and go down the right street. The thing that identified where it was located was a small street sign and an arrow telling us to go down a small street. Finally, there it was. We checked in and went to our quite nice room.

We ended up having a short nap before we went for our dinner cruise. This cruise left from near Centraal Station so we walked back toward the station to try and find the cruise company. We found it and then had to wait about an hour before we were able to get on the canal boat. It was finally time and we were close to the beginning of the line so we got our choice of window seats.

When everyone was aboard and seated, we were with a young couple. They were celebrating their 1 1/2 year relationship, and it was quite sweet. After a while, we began talking with each other, and they explained a lot about the Netherlands to us. They were most helpful in our understanding of the country and about Amsterdam.

The 4-course meal was great. The food was tasty and hot. After the salad was a cup of something they called cappuccino and red pepper (it tasted just like vegetable soup which is what I think it was).The main course was a choice of veal medallions or salmon in parchment. We had one of each and they were both very tasty. The dessert was a type of chocolate pudding and rhubarb compote. All were very tasty and along with the canal tour around the city made for a very interesting evening.

Slept pretty well until about 2:30 am when our bodies told us it was time to get up. Only dozed until the alarm went off. We had to get up then to go for our tour that day.

Saturday, January 6, 2018 - Back to Fort Lauderdale and Jungle Cruise Dinner

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Didn’t sleep too well last night. Because my phone was on the wrong time zone, I was afraid I would miss the get up time. So, it seemed I was up checking the time, half the night. Then when the alarm went off, I had to check again, and I wasn’t on Ft. Lauderdale time, so it was too early to get up. Back to sleep again, for another hour. Again, it didn’t feel like I slept much.

Finally we were up and showered, so thought we should vacate our cabin so they could start tearing it down for the next guests. We went up to the buffet on deck 9, got our breakfast, found a place to sit, and hunkered down until it was time for our group to leave.

We got the call at about 9:30 and went downstairs to start the procedure. Off the ship, find our bags, line up to go through the customs area, and then find a cab to take us to our hotel. That took about an hour in all, and then when we got to the hotel, our name went on the list of those waiting to check in.

Our Hotel

This provided some more wait time. It was much colder in Fort Lauderdale but the sky was clear and the sun was warming things up. We sat outside and had a coffee/tea, read, knitted, and talked. Our friends, Carl and Martha, had gotten off early, and waited for us at the hotel for about an hour. When we still weren’t there, they decided to take off. They were driving to Sarasota to visit a friend, before driving off to other places. We didn’t get there before they left, but I texted them while we were waiting to tell them that we had a good time and enjoyed their company.

Guests have to be checked out by 11:00, so we had some time to wait until our room was ready. There are a few off our ship who are also waiting, and the order on the list will be the one used for getting into rooms as they become available.

We have a dinner cruise scheduled for this evening, so will have to wait until about 5:00 to call a taxi to take us to the location for this adventure.

We left for the dinner cruise aboard the Jungle Queen Riverboat at about 5:00 pm. It was a fairly short taxi ride (about 10 minutes) and then we had to figure out where the boat was. Our driver let us off at a hotel/.yacht club entrance, but that wasn’t the place. We had to ask a couple different people where it was and finally found it just a short walk away.

Some of the Boats at the Yacht Club

There was a short lineup that we had to go through. They tried to take our pictures but Dawn wasn’t having any of it. We looked around for seats by the water and found a couple where we sat at the edge and were able to see out.


Of course, by the time the ship was full, it was almost dark when we left. I did get a couple shots of some of the boats that were parked at the yacht club, but they weren’t overly much compared to the ones we would see in a while. By then, it was too dark to be able to get photos, so I didn’t bother to take any while we were sailing along the rivers of the Intercoastal.

We went by some very large yachts and houses. The driver talked about one where the yacht cost $60 million dollars and the house cost $40 million. We couldn’t see the house too well because of the light, but we were pretty close to the boats, and they were mostly quite impressive to see. Even the small ones which weren’t nearly as impressive were likely more than we could afford.

Where we sat for Dinner

We toured for about an hour, and then came to the island where the dinner and show were held. It was a private place beside the water. It covered a large area, and the eating area was huge. There were tables set up that were like large picnic tables that seemed able to hold from 8 to 16 people. We were directed to an area, and chose to sit at a table. A couple of young ladies joined us shortly afterwards, but that was all who came to this table.


When we sat down, there were already a couple different types of shrimp there, and we were able to start eating right away. We had to peel the shrimp before eating which was a pretty messy way for us to do it, but they were good. One was cooked plain with lemons, and the other was cooked in some sort of spice. They were tasty, but we didn’t eat too many.,

Lisa, Our Server

On the table, there was also coleslaw in a couple small bowls, and baked beans, also in small bowls. We dished up some of these, and then our server, Lisa, came along with huge trays of barbecued ribs. We could have as much as we wanted, so Dawn took one piece, and I took two. There was so much barbecue sauce on them that they were hard to eat. But they tasted very good. I couldn’t use my fingers because of the sauce, so had to figure out how to cut them up with my knife and fork.


Next, she came with huge trays of barbecued chicken. We each had one piece of chicken breast. They were also quite tasty. There was a lot of food.

Each place had a napkin and a package of wet wipes. There were also a couple rolls of paper towel on the table, which was very important because the napkins didn’t go too far. Dawn and I both took some additional wet wipes from the plates where there weren’t any people. My hands were filthy. I even got some barbecue sauce on the sleeve of my jacket, which wiped off with a wet wipe.

We were freezing, so asked for hot tea and coffee. It took a bit of time, but Lisa was able to get them to us. Suddenly, everyone around us was gone, but we thought we would stay there to watch the show. Little did we know, we had to move to another area where they had a small
theatre.

By the time we got there, the first act was almost over.This was Polynesian Dancers, which was pretty good. There were a couple pretty girls, and a man who dance with the fire baton. It was fun.

They were followed by a ventriloquist. Not spectacular, but he did have some funny moments. We laughed a lot. This guy was followed by a comedian who looked like Dave Chappelle. He had some funny material and played the crowd well.

Finally, the last act was a performed who was Argentinian. He used the bolo balls on a rope and told jokes and danced using those balls. Again, he was pretty funny, and it was pretty impressive how he didn’t hurt himself by the swiftly swinging balls on the end of the ropes.

Jungle Queen Tour Boat

The show ended, and we headed back to the boat. We got the same seats returning, so had a look at the houses and boats on the other side of the river. Overall, they weren’t as spectacular as the side we looked at going to the dinner. However, they were still pretty nice. We can’t imagine how all these places and boats made out during the hurricanes. I’m sure there is still lots of damage that we couldn’t see.


Once back at the dock, we got off the boat and then had to look for a taxi back to the hotel. One finally came along. We got in, told the driver where we needed to go, and he drove us. It was almost like we were disturbing him because he talked on his phone non-stop, the whole time. He was speaking French, and was fairly quiet. Once there, again it was like we were disturbing him because he had to stop speaking to whomever he was talking to to tell us the amount and let us pay for the ride. We weren’t impressed with him, but he was the first driver we had that sort of experience with.

Back at the hotel, we continued to be freezing, so headed to bed with an extra blanket to warm us up. I even turned the air conditioner heat up, which was a mistake overnight when it got too warm. Fort Lauderdale is still suffering under cold temperatures for them. It was in the high 50s last night (about 15 C). It took a while but when I woke up, I had to turn off the TV.

Tomorrow a free day before we fly out the next day.

Friday, January 5, 2018 - Final Day at Sea

Friday, January 5, 2018

Our last day on board the ship. Woke up at what I thought was 7:00, but we were in a different time zone, so it was really 6:00, and it was still dark outside. So, back to sleep for an hour. Then up and shower and then upstairs to have breakfast. We met Martha and Carl up there. They had already eaten, so stayed and visited with us while we ate. They are pretty nice folks and we are happy to have them as friends.

Today is a “sea day” so we will be sailing non-stop until we reach Fort Lauderdale tomorrow morning. We were able to take our time and basically do nothing for most of the time. There was a “debarkation” meeting to get instructions for getting off the ship tomorrow, and we decided to go to it.

The room was the theatre, and it was really cold in there. The music before the presentation was really loud; so loud I could hardly hear Dawn and Carl as we were talking. I said that it was too loud in there, and the music suddenly got quieter. I don’t know if someone heard me, but it was much better.

Finally, the Cruise Director came on the stage. As usual, it is a big production, trying to get the crowd into it. We just wanted to hear about what the procedure would be for tomorrow morning, so could care less about the other stuff she spoke about.

Finally, she got to it. Some people who wanted to carry off their bags themselves would be the first called to leave the ship. Others were given tags with numbers and had to set their bags outside in the evening so the crew could take them downstairs for unloading in the morning.

We were in the second group. So had to be sure that our bags were ready to be put out before we had to go to the lounge for the hockey games. We mostly had things packed when we went down. We could put our bags out in the hallway between 8:00 and 10:30, and we would be watching the Gold medal game at 8:00. Dilemma!!

We decided to go back and finish packing and put them out after the USA game. That game was pretty boring. Most in our group was hoping for the Czechs, but it was definitely not their day. The US really beat up on them. I think the Czechs had played their best games leading up to the Bronze medal game and were no match for the US.

Back to our cabin, finished packing, and put our bags out at about 7:00. Some others on our deck had put theirs out already, so we figured that it wouldn’t be a big problem. Then, back down to the lounge. Someone had paid for a buffet to be set up (I suspect it was Destiny Tours who paid for it) so we got some snacks to eat; breaded shrimp, breaded chicken, cheeses, and fruit. It was nice because we were hungry, and weren’t going to make the dining room due to the games.

Then the Gold game began. Wow! What an exciting game. No scoring in the first period. The Swedish team sure seemed to be stronger than the Canadians, but they were able to hold them off.

In the second period, Canada scored. Along with most of the arena, our room erupted. Lots of clapping and happiness. It was as if people thought that they were on their way to a win. However, the Swedes had another idea and continued to play very well. They scored a short-handed goal close to the end of the period, which took a lot of wind out of our room.

In the third, it was quite tense. Back and forth; each team working to get the advantage. The Swedes looked really scary and seemed able to stifle any good chances that our boys had. The end was getting closer and closer. Canada had a power play with about 5 minutes left and almost scored.

Then, with 1 minute 40 seconds left, the break we were looking for occurred. Canada had some pressure on and was able to get the puck moving around quite quickly. A beautiful pass from the point to a forward just off the net was followed by a tip into the back of the goal. The place went wild. It was looking good.

Sweden pulled their goalie, and we managed to score into the empty net with just under a minute to play. Jubilation. The Swedes pressed, but our boys held them off until the final buzzer.

Dawn and I felt that we were pretty lucky, but clearly, the teams were pretty evenly matched. I’m sure the Swedes thought they were the better team but just didn’t get the luck when they needed it. There were some pretty happy boys in red, and some pretty sad, depressed boys in yellow.

It was a great ending to the game for us. We were able to go back to the room and get ready for our last night on board the ship. Early up in the morning so we could clear out of our room, get breakfast and then leave the ship.

Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018 - Amber Cove, Dominican Republic

Amber Cove

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Up as usual in the morning. We were still sailing, and expected to be at Amber Cove about 10:00. Up for breakfast and coffee, and were able to watch us come in. Once the pilot camae on board, we went into the pier. The ship backed in, once again beside the Holland America ship that left early from yesterday’s port.

Docked beside Holland America

When we were ready, we decided to head ashore. It was a fairly long walk along the pier before we got to land. Of course, the port was mostly tourist stuff. We went into many of the stores and purchased a few things. Met up with Carl and Martha and decided to head back to the ship. It was fairly hot, although overcast, so it would be nice to get back to where it was cooler.

We went up on deck to read and look around. After a while, Dawn went back to the cabin to knit and maybe have a nap.

We went downstairs to get set up for the games at about 3:00. The internet signal wasn’t overly strong, so the picture wasn’t the greatest. However, we did watch things and cheered when the Swedes won the game. Then we went up to the buffet for something to eat, and came back down to watch the Canada - Czech game. It got fairly quiet when the Czechs scored first, but once Canada started to get going, things became louder and more raucous.  In the end, the outcome was as we wanted it to be, Canada won 7-2.
We were pretty tired, so off to bed we went. Tomorrow is a day at sea, and then we watch the medal round games; USA vs Chech  for Bronze, and Canada vs Sweden for Gold.

Wednesday, Jan., 3, 2018 - Grand Turk, Turks & Cacos

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Up at 7:00 again this morning. We were still sailing and weren’t expected in Grand Turk until about 10:00 so we went and had some breakfast. Then we looked around, as we arrived in port. Our ship docked right beside a Holland America ship. Lots of people were going to be in Grand Turk today.
Shortly after people started going ashore, we decided to go and have a look. The first thing was to find where we got off the ship. We are having a real problem figuring out the ship’s layout. There are some decks where you can’t get from one area to another farther along.

Finally, we found the spot and got off. It was a walk along the pier before going through the Duty Free shop. Then out into a plaza with a number of stores where souvenirs and expensive clothing could be purchased. We looked through a few of them. Dawn spotted some things she “had to have” so we agreed to stop back and pick them up when getting on the ship.

We sat on a bench outside of “Jimmy Buffet’s Margarita” shop and restaurant. It was crowded and loud ( a DJ was playing and people were drinking). Took a few photos of the beach area, which was very crowded. Lots of people laying on lounges, and others swimming.

Christmas Tree

We decided to head back to the ship. Dawn stopped and picked up the things she had looked at (plus a few more). Then we found Carl and Martha and talked with them for a while. They wanted to do lunch, but we couldn’t find any place that looked appealing, so we'll went back to the ship to eat there.

Sandwiches at the sandwich bar, and some cold drinks. Of course, I ate too much when I went back to the dessert bar and as I write this, I am somewhat uncomfortable. Dawn decided to head back to the cabin for a nap and maybe watch some TV. I went up on the back deck to read and relax.

We’re meeting for dinner at 5:50. Should be finished by 8:00, and then we will likely take in the comedian again. It is supposed to be a different show tonight. There are no games tonight, but there will be the next two nights, so this is likely the last afternoon/evening for “free” time.