Sunday, October 28, 2012

Avalon Visionary River Cruise - Day 1 - Amsterdam

October 28, 2012

 

It’s cold here!!!  Was 39 when we got off the plane yesterday, and it didn’t get above 45 all day.  It was a little overcast, but cleared off by early afternoon.  Sunny and cold I can take.  Got a note from a friend yesterday afternoon.  She and her husband have been living in Basel, Switzerland, for the past year.  She said it was snowing like crazy there.  We don’t arrive there until next Sunday, so we are just hoping we have enough warm clothes with us.  I did remember to pack gloves, hats, etc., so by layering on the sweaters and turtlenecks, we should be okay.

Daylight savings started last night, and we got that extra hour of sleep.  Neither of us slept on the plane over, so we took a 3 hour nap yesterday after we got into our room.  The hotel is beautiful.  We are staying at the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky.  Take a look at the pictures on their website.  We met four of the couples who are with us for dinner last night at an Argentinian steak house.  There are lots of them in Amsterdam for some reason.  We had, at first, thought we might want to have Dutch food until we saw the menus at some of these restaurants.  Pork belly didn't sound very appealing. 

The hotel is located at the Dam Square which is one of the largest in Amsterdam, and there was a carnival there today.  We did a little shopping and just walked around after our nap.  Our hotel is also located at the edge of the Red Light District.  Of course, last night after dinner, we had to take a stroll through it.  WOW!!  is all I can say.  This area is huge.  We were warned about the coffee shops that aren't really coffee shops, but pot houses.  Saw one seed store that had seeds from every type of marijuana plant that you could possibly want.  This is like no place we have ever been. 

We are headed to the Anne Frank house this morning, and then have to be at the ship by 3:00 this afternoon.  We overnight onboard and have a sightseeing tour and canal cruise tomorrow. 

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