Saturday, 3 June 2023

Paris

Three days in Paris are going by very quickly; tomorrow the Avalon tour visits Verdun, a famous WWI battlefield before moving on to Remich, where we board our ship, Imagery II. Yesterday evening I met Katy, the cruise director who will be with us for the whole journey, and shared a glass of wine (or two) with a small number of fellow cruise passengers who had already arrived.

But I get ahead of myself. For now, I will repair to Rotterdam for debarkation, a brief tour of the the city with a transfer to Amsterdam's Schipol Airport and my early evening flight to London. So this edition of LFLatSea will take you through a number of different locations.

Sunday, 28 May 2023

Arriving Rotterdam, Netherlands

 

There isn't time to watch the Zuiderdam's long backwards journey into the port of Rotterdam, which not too long ago was the world's largest. It has now been superseded by Shanghai and other ports in China.

I leave the ship for one final shore excursion:  a panoramic ride through various neighborhoods of Rotterdam, Netherlands second largest city. Much of the city was bombed during WW2, but the rebuilding and restoration work created a much more authentic and creative place than Le Havre. 

Our guide was born and raised here and his family have lived in Rotterdam for centuries. Although the tour views the city mostly through the bus windows, we do have one walk through the oldest section of the city, known as Delfthaven.

Scenes of Rotterdam and Delfthaven

The Well-Known "Pencil" Building

A Working Gin Mill in Delftshaven

Emblem Over an Old Butcher Shop

Bridge over One of Many Delftshaven Canals

Original Hotel at Holland America Pier in Rotterdam

Around noon we leave the port city for the 45-minute drive to Schipol. My flight to London does not leave until 715pm so I have ample time to check my large suitcase and take a short taxi ride to the Hampton Inn by Hilton to leave my small bag until I return for two nights before flying home on13 June. The Hampton Inn is a short walk from a train station that is just one stop back to the airport, where I pick up my big bag, check in for my flight, and spend time in the business class lounge.

The British Air flight departs on time, but I have a long wait for wheelchair service in London, because some other passenger took the chair reserved in my name and the chair pusher was gone for a long time and there was no other around. He was just about the worst helper I ever had. 

But my pre-ordered car and driver are waiting as I exit the building and the driver knows all the back streets to use to avoid London's horrible traffic. I arrive at the Wilde Apartment Hotel by Citystay in quick time by 9:30pm, just as the city is getting dark.