At 11:15, we returned to the ship. We left the dock at 11:30. It was sunny, warm and very pleasant on the upstairs deck. Except for lunch and the mandatory safety vest practice, we stayed on the upper deck and enjoyed the sun. Good thing I had sunscreen with me. The sun was by intense. However we saw many churches, bridges, cows, sheep, horses and people in or near the river.
Tonight is the captains cocktail meeting and dinner. The food so far has been spectacular.
Today was a busy day. We went to the Van Gogh museum on the tram. Tony really liked this. 
Tony has been wanting to go on the tram since we came to Amsterdam. This is my favorite painting in the Van Gogh exhibit. There were many extraordinary paintings.
Afterwards we went to the Ryks Museum. We laughed about the bikes driving through the main foyer and hoped no tourists gave up their lives walking through the thorough fare.
The fountain was so much fun. Everyone was running through trying not to get wet.
After we walked home and had Lunch in Betty's garden. It was lovely. It is a quiet lovely place in the city. It was hard to say goodbye.
This is our room on the Viking ship. We are going to go on the top deck and see us disembark. So far e have met up with,our friends John and Marianne. We also met other people at dinner time. We loved our time in Papendrecht and Amsterdam. Thankyou Marja and Betty. I wish we lived closer together. I think us three cousins would have enjoyed each other. Love. Tomorrow we are in Kinderdyk.
In the small boat before the tour with our captain Eddie. A smaller boat can navigate the smaller canals, the big ones just go,around in circles.
The history of Amsterdam is interesting. The canals are well managed and the Dutch had no problems with the recent river floodings in Europe. That is because they have over 900 years experience dealing with floods.
The houses along the canal are built on wooden pilings. If the water levels drop, then the pilings rot and the houses collapse. It is important to control the water levels. The houses that are black are where the Black Plague hit in the 1600s.
Real estate is expensive. The house boats on the side of the canal with the slips can be over 500,000 euros. There are many private boats that line the canals. They go up and down all day.
Many bridges are draw bridges. One of the statues on this building was used in Rembrandt's painting the "Night Watch." Ater the tour we went to Vodel Park for a picnic. Everywhere there were people doing the same thing. We had a lovely day! Tomorrow we do the museums and board the cruise ship.
After the fabric market, we bought buns, meats and cheeses at the Albert Hein grocery store. This was late breakfast and early lunch. We sat on a bench and ate our food. Amsterdam streets are narrow and some have canals down the middle of them. We walked everywhere and saw many bikes, people walking and flowers planted everywhere.
We walked to the Karthuizer Hofje. This is a courtyard surrounded by buildings. Inside there was a garden and pump houses. In the olden days, the gardens were called bleaching fields. The inside gardens are very cool and beautiful. It looked like a picture from a calendar.
This was a part of Amsterdam that I did not know existed. Apparently there are many places with inside private courtyards.
I had to have a picture of the West toren. At home there is a picture hanging in the living room, which shows the exact same scene. We had to walk to the next bridge to take the scene on the camera.
Tonight we are having dinner in the park across the street. Tomorrow we plan on a canal tour of the smaller canals in Amsterdam.
Marja and George's apartment.
On the waterbus to Rotterdam.
On Sunday morning, after a lovely breakfast of croissants, eggs, fruits and cheese, we left on the waterbus to Rotterdam. The water busses go up and down the river and connect the small cities along the way. People bring their bikes and park them in the back of the ship.
In Rotterdam.
In Rotterdam we walked to the Hotel New York for lunch. I had croquettes and Tony chose the open faced salmon sandwiches. We ate outside and watched the other guests eat lunch, it was very nice.
Waiting at the Hotel New York for lunch.
The Erasmus bridge. Touring the harbor.
We walked back over the Erasmus bridge and bought tickets for the Spido harbor tour. It was a great hour and 15 minute ride through the harbors of Rotterdam and Schiedam.
Tony in front of the SS Rotterdam.
At the end of the tour we took the water bus back to the apartment. Again we had some great beer on the balcony outside because it was a hot day. Marja made a delicious dinner of soup, spaghetti and dessert. A great way to end the day. 
After dinner they drove us to Amsterdam to our cousin Betty's house. We were sad to say goodbye to Marja and George but promosed to try to get together in the future.
It is now after 2:00 am and tomorrow is another busy day. More to come about Amsterdam later.
I guess it is time for bed. Hard to believe that almost a years worth of planning has gone into this adventure. Tomorrow we fly to Amsterdam. Let the fun begin! 
Tonight Janet came over and shared with Tony and I our travel itinerary. Yes I am getting excited! In two weeks we will be travelling to Amsterdam for four nights before boarding the longship "Odin" of the Viking river cruise line. We still have a few things to do. We need new luggage. Tony needs a new camera. Also Janet tells me the Internet connection on board is pretty bad. Guess I will be looking for internet cafes all over Europe!
