Somewhere on the North Sea
Thursday, 30 August 2012, 3:30 pm

Greetings from the North Sea as the Eurodam heads toward Stavanger, Norway.  The waters are remarkably smooth (even the Captain said so during his noon address today) and the weather is bright and balmy.  I had a good night's rest after first night's dinner on board and I am ready to start catching up on blog entries.  My own computer is on the fritz, so I'm not sure I'll be uploading more photos, but I will certainly send them all when I return home to Tucson.

Monday, 17 August 2012
Amsterdam

I arrive at the Hotel Mowenpick around 6pm and am treated to a spectacular view of the waterfront and Central Station from my 7th floor windows.  So rather than unpack and relax, I head back into town by the tram in front of the hotel for an evening stroll and dinner.

Although much of Amsterdam has not changed over the past 50 years, the city has become more crowded and dirty---this seems especially so after bering in the cleanliness and order of Berlin.  The waterfront along the River Ij has been redeveloped into a busy and trendy area, but there's not much here for tourists.  The streets and byways round the Damrak and Leidesplein offer wonderful opportunites for window shopping, even if one can't afford the prices.  Men's fashion here is way ahead of America and it's fun to see what will filter down to New York in a couple of months.

One of the things that hasn't changed here is the red-light district, which in spite of new buildings and general spiffiness, is still home to the bars and clubs of my younger days.

Tuesday, 29 August 2012
Amsterdam

A lovely day, in spite of the forecast for rain, to continue exploring the shops and streets of Amsterdam.  Although I was at first disappointed that de Bejinkoop, the city's main department store, no longer carries the socks I bought two years ago, I was able to find 12 pairs at a sport shoe store just a few blocks away
(it's not easy finding Puma in Tucson).

After a Turkish barbecue dinner its back to the hotel for repacking for the start of the cruise tomorrow.

So I'll save embarkation and sailing days for the next blog entry.