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Today’s port was Amsterdam, city of Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Anne Frank. Amsterdam is also known for its bicycles and canals. (Predictably, the highest theft rate is of bicycles. But people don’t steal bicycles to use them; they steal bicycles to throw them into the canals.)
After escorting a tour yesterday, Gail had a minor relapse and was feeling pretty miserable. She cancelled today’s escort assignment, “Culinary Amsterdam.” (It was all fish and beer anyway.) She tried walking with Russell into town, but only made it to the end of the pier before she turned around and went back to the ship. She got some more sleep while Russell made a small walking tour.
In the afternoon, we did take Viking’s free excursion, “Amsterdam Canal Cruise.” The cruise boat met us just down the pier from the ship and there was no additional walking, which suited Gail. (The seats were also inside a well-heated cabin.) We spent a leisurely hour and a half seeing Amsterdam’s sights from the canals, including the Anne Frank house.
Passengers continue to approach us to tell us how much they have enjoyed our lectures. People who did not attend live have been watching them on Viking’s closed-circuit television.
This evening was Russell’s fourth and final lecture. We have been talking this up as our final lecture, and many of our new friends made a special effort to attend. The subject was lighter, and the story was entertaining. Afterward, Russell brought Gail up on stage and we thanked everyone for making our first Viking cruise an extraordinary experience.
Our “work” is now done and we can now relax and enjoy ourselves for the rest of the cruise. Unfortunately, there are only three days left (and one of them is a debarkation day). But we are having fun!
