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20140501 Thursday Hoorn to Amsterdam

Vantage: Hoorn
Cultural Connection: On your way to Amsterdam, learn about "Life & Art in the Golden Age" during an onboard lecture. After arriving in this historic port, which has been undergoing a renaissance for the past quarter century, you'll explore Amsterdam on a city tour. The highlight of your explorations is sure to be the canal cruise along the city’s 17th-century canal ring, which has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll also visit the recently renovated Rijksmuseum, home of Amsterdam’s premier art collection, including works by such Dutch masters as Rembrandt and Vermeer. This afternoon, you may explore the city at your leisure, or join your Cruise Director on a visit to a renowned diamond shop. Later, gather with your fellow river cruise passengers for the Captain’s Farewell Reception with live entertainment on board.

Actual: PhotoLink-O ..... PhotoLink-D ...

We did get up in time for the lecture and found it worthwhile. The canal boat cruise was interesting and brought us to the Rijksmuseum.

Unfortunately, today is Labor Day in the Netherlands, which creates a long weekend. Also, the children are out of school this week. So the museum was a zoo. There were people everywhere. Our tour guide, huge Harry, bulled his way through the crowds and we followed in his wake. He had many comments on the paintings and was very interesting to hear.

The sun came out after this, during our bus return to the ship from the largest underground parking lot I’ve ever seen - made especially for buses.

We had a nice lunch and then sat around wondering what to do.