Long, rambling tale of our Viking Rhine Getaway on the Mani 8/26/16

My husband and I took this cruise as a sort of retirement gift to ourselves. We always wanted to do the whole Castles on the Rhine on a cruise. We booked with Viking because we liked their ships and because they had a stop at the UNESCO World Heritage site, Kinderdijk.

My husband's father comes from Holland, so we also wanted to do some time pre-cruise in Amsterdam. We chose to do it on our own rather than through Viking because we'd been there before.

We also treated ourselves to business/first for our flights - which we booked through Viking Air Plus.

Flight Over

Tuesday, August 23

Limo Express arrived on time and off we went. Drive to the airport was quick and painless at 2:30 in the afternoon. We found the Delta Sky Priority desk quickly and with TSA pre-check (Hooray for Pre-Check and not having to pay for it!) we were through security in about 15 minutes – maybe less. We headed for our first visit to a First Class lounge. It was lovely. Really surprised me because all the reviews of Delta’s First Class lounge at Newark Liberty made it sound like the Black Hole of Calcutta - not at all. Not even close!

They had comfy chairs and chairs with tables, 2 different kinds of soup, Starbucks coffee, a tea selection, bottled water, bar-type snacks, pasta salad, green salad, some other kind of salad – chicken, I think, bread, and cheese and crackers, and popcorn … oh and FREE drinks – can’t forget the free drinks. And WiFi. It was fantastic – so much better than the general boarding area. I could get used to this!

With about 10-15 minutes until the start of boarding we headed to the gate – which was close by. Got to board right after those needing assistance. On board we found lovely seats with console on the left side of each seat. When we booked I had chosen row 5 center (so we could sit together - the window seats are singles) but somehow we ended up in row 6. I hate when the airlines do that – and I watched every day. Must have been a last minute thing.

Here we are in our row 6 seats

Let me tell you – if you have never flown first class, it’s sooo much nicer. So much more expensive, but I think it was worth it. Before the other passengers were even allowed to board, we had a choice of several pre-flight drinks. I chose champagne of course!

We had really nice headsets, a Tumi case – very nice case, too – with a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, lip balm, hand cream, tissues, earplugs, eye mask & socks – don’t quite get the socks, but I guess if your feet get cold.

We also each had a good-sized pillow - not those small ones they give you in coach, when you can get them - and a small one person-sized comforter.

They passed out hot towels before dinner - very hot towels!

They handed us a menu with choices for dinner. They addressed us by name - I don't know why, but that impressed me! I don’t remember the choices, but I had halibut and DH had steak, of course. We also had a shrimp and something else salad – very good – soup (pumpkin, I think) and cheesecake for dessert. I think Roger had the ice cream. Next time we travel I have to remember to take pics of the menus. I never remember with the food, because they put the plate down and I'm eating!

You get a little tablecloth and real napkins and silverware (that was magnetic so It would stick to the trays and not fall on the floor) and the meal is served on another tray placed on top of the metal folding one.

We played around with the seat configurations - loved the massage button. Took advantage of the included drinks - choice of 2 wines or champagne with dinner, or beer or a mixed drink. I read up on jet lag tips and they said not to drink, but I had taken a natural jet lag pill and a little wine helps me sleep. Didn't seem to have any ill affects.

Flight was fairly smooth – little bumps here and there. I watched a movie – Doris with Sally Field. I think DH watched Casablanca. Doris was fantastic! About 9pm (3am, Amsterdam time) I put my bed down and tried to sleep. I always have a hard time on a plane, but I dozed a bit and rested.

About 45 minutes before we landed they came around with another hot towel and breakfast if you wanted it. There was a frittata that sounded good, but I rarely eat eggs and only if they have a ton of other stuff to mask the egg. I didn't want to take a chance, so I got the granola and yogurt - came with a croissant and fruit. Way more than I normally eat but I wasn't sure whether would manage to get lunch. And the granola was very good.

Amsterdam

Wednesday, August 24

Being in Business/First, you also get to get off first. We followed the signs for customs and immigration. Easy peasy - everything was well marked and in English. They are so accommodating in Europe for us Americans who only know 1 language.

There was a long line for Passport control, but they managed to keep it moving and it didn't take too long. After that we headed to get our luggage, which came down fairly quickly - another benefit of flying business/first. Then we were on our way to customs. It's on the honor system. One door if you have something to declare. Nothing to declare? Out the other door and into the main terminal.

First time we went abroad and encountered this was in England. Again 2 doors - one had a list of things that started with "if you are carrying..." - long list. We read the list and we had none of those things, so we went through the other door and found ourselves in the main terminal. No sign of a customs agent anywhere. Figuring we'd screwed up, we spotted a Bobby and asked him where customs was. His reply? "You've already been!" in a very proper British accent. Welcome to Britain.

But I return us to Amsterdam ...

We had made arrangements with The Toren - hotel we had booked - to have a driver waiting. The terminal was very crowded and took us a bit to find him, but find him we did, and he took some of our luggage and led us out to his car in the parking lot. It cost more than a taxi and more than it would have if I'd made the arrangements myself, but it was hassle free and he already knew where the hotel was. FYI the company was called Wheels Unlimited, if you want to make arrangements for your cruise.

The ride took about 40 minutes. Morning commuter traffic exists everywhere! The street between the hotel and the Keisersgracht (gracht = canal) was very narrow. He just stopped in front of the hotel and everyone else - mostly bicyclists - waited or went around.

This is the Toren with the black awnings

The hotel was gorgeous - just as I pictured! Old Dutch home, decorated in a traditional style with lots of warm colors. The two women at reception were wonderful. They welcomed us and told us that they had upgraded our room from a small double canal view to a large triple canal view. I don't know if we won the "lottery" by arriving so early and that room was not booked, or if someone had booked it, and didn't want to be in the other building - a few doors down. Didn't bother us, and my mother taught me never to look a gift horse in the mouth!

All during our stay, whenever we gave the room number, everyone said - "Oh the big room in the front!"

The reception ladies offered us breakfast or a cup of coffee, but I was still full from the one on the flight, so we graciously declined. The room wasn't ready and we didn't expect it to be at around 8 or 9 in the morning, but they said they could hold the luggage and that it would probably be ready around 11am. We visited the restrooms, freshened up a bit and got a few things out of the bags before they put them away. They provided a map and some tips for things to see and do, and then off we went!

We'd been to Amsterdam before, so I wanted to do some things we hadn't done the first time. We did want to do the Heineken Experience because it was one of those things we didn't get to do it the last time. It was some kind of holiday back then, and everything was closed.

In checking about getting tickets, I got the impression that now it's mostly a tourist trap. They moved the brewery, so it's no longer a working brewery, and I read that they show you a film, that's mostly a commercial. We decided to skip it.

Next on my list was Het Grachtenhuis - The Canal House museum. We couldn't find it. It was on the map. We walked around and around the block. We didn't know it, but we kept passing it. It was around the corner from where I thought it would be.

Along the way we passed this and I couldn't resist taking a photo. I thought perhaps the CIA had developed a sense of humor :D

I have to mention that it was HOT - very hot - and sunny. I'm thinking high 80s maybe even low 90s. The Amsterdamers were loving it! They are not used to that kind of weather, so for them it was a treat. Basically we were still wearing our clothes from the plane. I had changed to a short sleeve top, but I was still wearing my jeans. DH had jeans and a short sleeve polo. We were hoping for A/C in the museum, but it wasn't very cool - not like A/C at home.

Anyway, they gave us headsets for a self-guided tour in English and pointed us to the start. It was really very interesting - as I'd hoped it would be. There was a history of Amsterdam, and it told why they built the canals and how. There were lots of excellent visual displays as well - showing how the city grew. At one point we went into a room that had sand on the floor - these are rooms in the original Dutch home that houses the museum. One of the museum people came in at that point to explain that this room displayed what was below all the houses and canals. It showed workers driving the piles and setting the foundations. She explained how some buildings lean forward a bit over the streets that run along the canals. She said that it was done on purpose, so they could use the hoists at the top of the building to get furniture and goods to the top floors without breaking any windows. Very smart, these Dutch!

She also said, that the canals are made of 3 meters of silt, 1 meter of bicycles and 3 meters of water. Not sure I got those dimensions correct, but the bicycles part cracked me up. I've seen photos of them dredging bicycles out of the canals so I can imagine it was close!

To be continued so I can add more photos ... but here is a canal

I can't wait to read more!

After the Canal House museum, we headed back to the hotel because the reception person - I hate that I have forgotten her name (they remembered ours!) - had said that the room would be ready around 11:00am. They had us check that all of our luggage was there, and while they were giving us the key card, they had it moved to the room. One of their people walked us over, showed us how to use the key card to get in the front door, and showed us the room. Wow is all I can say. It was gorgeous! Large room with 2 tall windows over looking the canal and flower boxes filled with geraniums. Large queen or king bed, 2 chairs, console with a big TV - an extra bed, so you could have 3 people in this room. Large bathroom with black granite, huge whirlpool tub, sink, separate toilet, and a big walk in shower. The upgrade fairy (ocean cruisers will get this) did good!

This was our room - 401

Looking toward the bathroom from the windows

Sorry about the mess!

View from the window of the Keisersgracht

Loved the geraniums in the window boxes

Check out this tub

Here's another canal and some of the ubiquitous bicycles. Do watch out for them if you are in Amsterdam. They follow NO rules. You may have a green to cross the street and the cars will stop, but not the bikes

Thank you for taking the time to do this review. I enjoy other people perspectives of where I've been and info on where I want to go. Also helps pass the time until the next cruise/vacation🙂.

Enjoying it immensely!

Loving your review😀

also love your review and pictures. travel can be such a joy.

Loving this, thanks for sharing and I'm looking forward to more!!!!

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Thank you for taking the time to do this review. I enjoy other people perspectives of where I've been and info on where I want to go. Also helps pass the time until the next cruise/vacation🙂.

I know what you mean! I always need that vicarious adventure to help pass the time!

Thanks to everyone who is following along! Hope not to bore anyone, but I'm writing this up from a file where I'm just kind of dumping impressions and feelings about the trip. And as I said in the title, I do ramble on!

We hung out in the room for a bit and took a little nap. We had gotten tickets for a concert at the Concertgebouw - Amsterdam's famous concert Hall.

For those who don't follow classical music, this hall is famous for it's fantastic acoustics - much like Carnegie Hall in New York City. The last time we were there, we passed it and were sorry we did not have tickets for a concert. This time, I looked ahead and found a concert for this first night. Oddly enough, it was a performance by the Minnesota Symphony - Minnesota in Amsterdam. Go figure! But it was a summertime series with guest orchestras. The program was Beethoven's 5th Symphony, a Prokofiev Violin Concerto and a modern piece - I have to look up.

I had also researched a place for us to eat that was close to the concert hall, but I forgot to take the address with me - duh. I did remember the name Brasserie Keyser. We do a lot of walking at home, but the distance from the Hotel to the Concertgebouw was not as far as we usually walk each day, so we thought we'd walk there, and take a cab back.

We had a map - we were good, right? Wrong. We needed a compass. I'm sure we were going the right way because I had mapped it all out with both Google & City Maps to Go. But DH kept insisting we were going the wrong way. He wanted major intersections where the bicyclists mostly obey the traffic signals, so he had us going out of our way and got me all twisted around.

But we finally found the Rijksmuseum so I knew we were close. There was a lot going on in the Museumplein area - road construction, and they were setting up for a huge concert of some sort in the park there.

We did stop to take photos of the IAMSTERDAM sign!

I thought we could zigzag a bit through the streets around the Concertgebouw, hoping to find the restaurant - but we had no luck. We decided to go over to the concert hall and walk around it to see if there was another place that looked interesting, and as we approached, I saw the Brasserie Keyser - right next to the hall! Duh - it didn't look that close on Google maps when I first looked it up.

As most restaurants in Europe do, they had outside seating, so we took a table and checked the menu. They had Heineken beer on tap, so we ordered two. Let me tell you - it is 100 times better in Holland. Nothing like here in the States. I don't drink it here, but I could have consumed a lot there!

I also wanted to try the bitterballen - a Dutch fried meatball - but we had just missed the end of time they do lunch service. For dinner it was a whole platter involving other things, and I didn't even know if I'd like them. Neither of us was terribly hungry - we were still kind of jet lagged (although the pills I got at Whole Foods worked remarkably well). I think back home it was the middle of the night or something close. A big meal, and I'd have fallen asleep at the concert!

We ordered hamburgers, of all things! They were HUGE and very good. They also came with THE best French fries - "pommes frites," said the menu - I have ever eaten. And being in Holland, they came with mayonnaise. Last time we were in Holland, I didn't try this. It kind of sounds disgusting, but this time I was thinking that I put mayo in my potato salad, so why not. It was quite tasty!

We took our time and had an after dinner beer as well, then headed over to the concert hall. We couldn't go in the front. I don't know if it was because of the construction, but everyone was going in through a side door. The lobby was packed with people getting tickets - which we already had - but we finally found a ticket holders line. After a short wait, we were allowed in and found our way up to the balcony where our seats were.

We started to go in, but were told we would have to wait a bit, so we went back to the lounge area. We could have had another drink - drinks are included in the price of the ticket (so very civilized!) - but I didn't want to fall asleep during the concert!

We were finally allowed in and found our seats quickly. They were great - over looking the orchestra & stage. The hall is beautiful - very much like Carnegie Hall, but there are no boxes. There is just the main portion downstairs and the balcony up. Didn't look like there was a bad seat in the house.

The concert was amazing. The 2 pieces preceding the Beethoven were quite good. I enjoyed them. I have to say that the Minnesota Symphony did a splendid job with Beethoven's 5th. My husband said, "Even Lenny (Leonard Bernstein) couldn't have done it better!" And the acoustics in the hall lived up to their reputation!

They got several standing ovations and curtain calls, and did 2 encores. We left at the end of the second one. We needed to get back to the hotel and sleep. We'd had a very long day - and a most enjoyable one.

We knew that you can't just flag down a cab in Amsterdam like you do in NYC, so we asked where the nearest taxi stand was. We were pointed to an area on the side of the hall. There was a cab just leaving, so we waited. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Lots of cars picking people up. TONS of bicycles, but not a taxi in sight.

We decided to walk back in the direction of the hotel, hoping to find another taxi stand. Now, we knew what to look for. There are a lot of restaurants and bars around the museums, so we headed that way. We did have to walk a bit - past 2 empty taxi stands, so we kept heading toward the hotel along what looked like a busy area, and bingo! There was a stand with 3 or 4 cabs waiting. YAY!

And upon arriving at the hotel, we decided to get a nightcap in the bar. Not that we needed it, but we wanted to check out their bar. It was quite lovely and I tried the jenever - which is the traditional liquor of the Netherlands from which gin evolved. It was interesting, but similar to bourbon, I thought.

I've got 6 pics in hear and that's all you can do, so follow me down to the next comment ....

I have some random pics of interesting things we saw, so I'm loading these up at the top

There were people blowing bubbles - I just thought it was cool

This was the roof of a supermarket - they put a park on top! Loved it!

Here's the Van Gogh museum, right near the Rijksmuseum

And of course, there can never be too many canals

Thursday, August 25

We slept pretty well that night, then we woke up around 8 or so, and the jet lag was mostly gone. I wanted to have breakfast at the Pancake Bakery. I'd heard a lot of good things about this restaurant, and I wanted to try the Dutch-style pancakes. Now the Dutch (and most Europeans) don't eat pancakes for breakfast. They eat them for lunch or dinner - maybe a snack. For breakfast they eat, cheese, cold meats, bread and fruit mostly. But I'm American - I'm eating pancakes for breakfast!

The place was right around the block from our hotel, so we walked. We walked most everywhere in Amsterdam. The restaurant is charming, down a few steps from the street in a cozy setting. We were seated and given menus - so many things to choose from, but I settled on the Cinnamon Apple pancake - thin crepe-style pancake the size of the plate, apples underneath, cinnamon throughout, cinnamon ice cream and whipped cream on top. Simply scrumptious!

They had a machine that they loaded a bag of whole oranges into, and out came fresh squeezed OJ. Haven't had any that good in years. Their coffee was excellent as well. DH didn't want breakfast - not a meal he usually eats, but he had some bacon and juice. I ate enough for both of us. I couldn't finish, though. Wish I could have saved it for later.

After breakfast we took a walk down the Prinsengracht toward the Westererkerk and the Anne Frank house. We passed an office selling tickets for canal cruises. We made a note of it for later. It was something you just have to do in Amsterdam.

I didn't get tickets for the Anne Frank house. It's kind of a pain - you have to get them online ahead of time, and there is a limited window of opportunity. If you don't have tickets you have to wait on a very long line after 3pm to get them. I've heard from people who have done the tour, that there's no furniture or artifacts - just photos, a film and a walk through the empty rooms. I read the book, and was moved by the story, but I wasn't compelled to view the house and neither was my husband.

We took some photos of the outside, and some photos of the Westerkerk, but we didn't go in. We went back to the hotel to freshen up and set out again. I had several museums on my list. One I wanted to do was the Museum Van Loon - an old canal house from the Dutch Golden Age, but it was kind of out of the way of other things we wanted to see, so we didn't get to it. We'd done the Het Grachtenhuis so I felt I'd gotten the essence of what it was like from that museum.

This is the Westerkerk. I was fascinated by the blue globe on the top.

And that's 6 photos ... so off we go again

Great review. I'm so glad you're including photos. It helps me relive my time in Amsterdam in August. I enjoyed reading about your first class flight. I'm afraid that will never be me, but I can dream.

This is still Thursday, August 25

Another on our list was the Amsterdam Museum - a kind of history of the city. It was very interesting. Lots of exhibits and short films.

This is a statue of Goliath - I think David is to the side. It was from a parade or celebration they had. I took his photo - I forgot to get his info I took the photo from a walkway, then when we got down to the statue, we were looking for the exit.

That's not David in the suit!

Tip: they don't allow large bags - my Rick Steves city bag barely made it. No drinks or food, and no flash cameras. I'd bought that city bag because I heard you couldn't take backpacks into museums, but I had issues with it at several sites. They wouldn't allow it in the Romano-Germanic museum in Cologne at all. I had to check it.

This was the wall alongside the entrance. I have no idea what it was all about, but it was interesting, so I took a photo!

Those 2 people with the cameras wouldn't get out of my way. I stayed out of the way while they took their photos, you would think they'd return the favor. Didn't happen - they never even noticed me!

After that I thought we could go to the Begijnhof, which one of Amsterdam's best known hofjes (almshouses). It consists of a group of houses built around a secluded courtyard and garden which provided modest homes for the Beguines - a group of unmarried religious women who lived together in a close community under vows of chastity. I'd heard it was very tranquil and beautiful, but we also wanted to see Dam Square & the Singel Flower Market. We should have planned the route better, but my husband didn't like my map reading skills and kept insisting that we go different ways! I'd mapped walks along the canals and he wanted to stick to major streets - that's no fun!

Iconic Dam Square and the Royal Palace - which is mostly museum now

This is the Nieuwe Kerk next to the Royal Palace. It's not a church anymore. They do art exhibitions, and film retrospectives, now.

And the National Monument of the Netherlands

So we went to Dam Square after the Amsterdam Museum, then we headed for the Singel Flower Market. I wanted to see the market, and get a pair of klompen - wooden shoes to put out for Christmas. My husband is of Dutch descent and Dutch children put their wooden shoes out at Christmas for Sinter Klaus to fill like we put out stockings.

We found the market and we also found a Delft shop. I had bought some Delft pieces the last time we were in Holland from De Porceleyne Fles in Delft. I'd hoped to get another small piece, but oh wow - the prices had gone way up. I think we paid like $25 dollars each the last time, now pieces of the same size were $100-$200 dollars. We bought a magnet and a little Dutch house!

Next was the flower market. We browsed around a bit and found a pair of the klompen that I liked. We did not get a do-it-yourself cannabis starter kit. But there were plenty available. I also didn't take photos there. I think I was too busy shopping, and my camera batteries always needed to be changed at the wrong time!

After that we stopped a liquor store, so my husband could get a bottle of brandy for the ship. You can bring on beer, wine, any kind of liquor - Viking doesn't care. Now the Dutch are very environmentally conscious. Many places we needed to pay extra for a bag. The liquor store clerk did not want to even sell us a bag because we already had one. I explained that it had heavy wooden shoes and several other things in it. The bag was flimsy and wouldn't have held the wooden shoes and a bottle of brandy. He didn't care and so we got a lecture before he grudgingly gave us a bag.

We dropped everything off at the hotel, then headed over to the place where they were selling the tickets for the canal boat ride. There was one leaving shortly, so we had timed it right. While I was waiting for my husband to purchase the tickets, I browsed around the souvenirs they had in the little place. One if the items were klompen slippers. We thought they were really funny, and we ended up going back for a pair later.

They were so silly and I'm a big fan of silly!

And moving right along ....

Great review. I'm so glad you're including photos. It helps me relive my time in Amsterdam in August. I enjoyed reading about your first class flight. I'm afraid that will never be me, but I can dream.

Never thought we'd ever get to do it either, but this was something we'd really saved for - and for a long time. We wanted to do it right. We originally booked coach hoping to switch to the premium coach. But the more we thought about it, the more we decided that was such a long flight and we needed it. By the time I switched the flights with Viking and we went from United (our first choice) to Delta, it didn't seem so bad. We were paying more for United because Viking doesn't have a great deal with them. The Delta flight was cheaper so it kind of made up for the extra cost.

We were so glad we did. It was wonderful!

Continuing on with the Canal boat cruise - still Thursday, August 26th We would leave on the Mani on Friday, August 26th.

The ride was relaxing and interesting. I don't know if we hit the highlights, but we enjoyed it. There really is so much to see and do in Amsterdam that you need more time. I'd love to go back and stay for a bit longer. We had audio phones for the tour. I would have preferred a real person, but we didn't shop around. I was too busy taking pics to remember anything of the narration, anyway.

I loved the different styles of the houses. I'm a bit of an architecture bug, so I went for details.

Loved the shutters

And these ...

FYI - people live on all these barges. They don't sell anymore spaces, so you have to wait for someone to move or die. It's like rent controlled apartments in NYC.

We head out into the Ij - part of an inland lake formed, I think when they began to fill in the Zuiderzee.

A newer part of the city and a swan ...

The EYE Film Institute. The lake is called the Ij, and is pronounced EYE

We passed the Passenger Ship terminal. That's a Costa Ship - the Romantica, I think. We didn't know it at the time, but we passed right by where the Mani would be docked on Friday.

And that's 6 (this counting pics gets old fast!)

 

We were so glad we did. It was wonderful!

The problem with flying business class is that it's like eating potato chips...it's really difficult to do it just once!

Enjoying your review.

The picture of Goliath looks very familiar, as does the wall with the camera wielders. Will have to review my pictures and see if I noted anything about it. I am pretty sure that I took photos of those spots too.

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Sailing through more of the modern areas

Past the NEMO Science Museum

And back into the canals ...

This is the Munt Tower (taken through the open top of the boat)

The Muntplein, where the tower lies, is a square in the centre of Amsterdam. The square is actually a bridge - the widest bridge in Amsterdam. It crosses the Singel canal at the point where it flows into the Amstel river. The Singel Flower Market (where I got my klompen, but no cannibis starter kit!) and the Delft store are right behind this tower. This tower was once part of one of the three main medieval city gates.

Most of these barges can be moved and some are actual boats. This type, could be taken into coastal waters, and those big paddles serve as stabilizers in the rougher waters.

This looks like the "Skinny Bridge" but I don't think it is. I think perhaps we missed that one

And once again we are at 6

And finishing up our canal boat tour

IIRC you can see 7 bridges here in a row. I didn't have time to take the photo and count the bridges!

And then we are back again at the start near the Anne Frank house. This particular barge is a canal house boat museum. We didn't indulge!

After the boat ride, we stopped at one of the sidewalk café's for a beer. It wasn't Heineken, but it was one of the local brews and very refreshing in the heat - which was still with us. After that, we returned to the hotel to shower and change for our Amsterdam Jewel Dinner cruise.

I'd booked this before we left home to make sure that we could get on the night we wanted. It came very highly recommended and gets great reviews on TripAdvisor.

We walked over since it was not far from our hotel, and we passed this along the way

The people of Amsterdam were really enjoying the heat wave. This is a portable bar that is powered by pedal power. They are all pedaling as they drink!

The Amsterdam Jewel Cruise is a 2-3 hour cruise on a lovely old boat - very romantic. They greet you with a glass of sparkling wine and hand you a menu. You chose from several options, and they place the dinner orders with a local restaurant. There is no kitchen on the boat. The food was delicious - once again, I forgot to take photos - and the cruise was just wonderful. Because of the heat, everyone in Amsterdam was out on the canals, so it was a party atmosphere all the way and we were a part of it. This is highly recommended if you have time. Amsterdam is beautiful in the daytime, but with the lights at night, it's magical!

I'm going to stop here, and post Friday in it's own. This was our day to board the Viking Mani for the next leg of our marvelous journey.

Thanks so much for taking the time to post this so soon after your return home! As you know from the roll call, I've been anxiously awaiting your review, and you do not disappoint! :) Just a little over two weeks for us now before we leave...can't wait!

Thanks to all who are following along. Glad you are enjoying it. Once again - if you want to jump ahead to the photos here is the link - Zenfolio Cyber Kat Kreations

Do keep in mind you will have to look sideways at some. I'm still uploading and editing.

Friday, August 26

The next day was the beginning of our river cruise. We packed up everything and were ready to go, but we wanted those klompen slippers, so we went around to get them. When we checked out of the hotel, and mentioned that one of the bedside lamps wouldn't turn off. It wasn't really an issue for us because we kind of used it as a nightlight, but we thought they might want to get it fixed for the next guests. They offered a free drink at the bar, and we took them up on that! Everyone was so lovely at this hotel - it was a wonderful experience. Also highly recommend The Toren.

They called us a cab, and we were off on the next leg of our journey. I had checked the Port of Amsterdam app (available from the Apple App store and for Android) on my phone and saw that the Mani was docked at De Ruijterkade oost, steiger C. Now I'd practiced how to say this with Google translate, but I failed miserably when we got in the cab. Luckly the driver knew what I was talking about.

That's a Viking bus BTW not a ship. It was dropping people off from the airport.

We got to the docking area quickly and this was one of the prime spots, so we didn't have to go looking for it. I know sometimes, they don't get the best spots. We saw a red Viking tent, and so he dropped us there. Viking people came to get the luggage, but at that point we determined that this was not our ship. The tent for the Mani was a short walk away, and I think one of the people from the other ship waved them over. Somewhere in between the 2 ships, the Mani people and the people from the other ship (might have been the Eir but it could also have been the Lif. It was 3 letter name.) met and our luggage headed for the Mani with us trailing behind.

We were met by one of the reps from the Mani - could have been Tatty, the Concierge - at this point I don't remember. I was in sensory overload taking everything in! Check in was easy, but the cabins weren't ready.

And here we are in the lobby. One of the staff offered to take our picture. (and they didn't expect us to pick it out and pay for it latter like on an Ocean cruise!)

That's reception off to the left of this photo

We were finally HERE! Sometimes it felt like it would NEVER get here, but I was really excited that it finally was!

We knew the rooms wouldn't be ready until 3:00, but we hoped to have lunch - or I should say I hoped to have lunch. My husband wanted a beer. We went to the Aquavit Terrace and got a table outside. I grabbed a sandwich, some Dutch cheese soup (yummy) and some salad. The wine was Sauvignon Blanc - my favorite. so I had a glass with my meal.

We really loved it out here, and since the weather was so great we spent quite a bit of time there.

Ugh I'm looking at typos in the last post - I hate typos

In this photo Reception is on the right - it was to the left as we came aboard

And this "And here we are in the lobby. One of the staff offered to take our picture. (and they didn't expect us to pick it out and pay for it latter like on an Ocean cruise!)" Should have said "pay for it later!"

So many things were nicer than an ocean cruise. There weren't any long lines or waits in a terminal. You come on board, you show your passport and you're checked in. Then it's off to have some lunch and a FREE drink at the buffet. So very civilized.

Since I'm writing this mostly to correct myself, here are a few more pics

This is the little shop. We bought a map. There's no prices on anything and nothing there we were really excited about. I would have gotten a shirt but they weren't cotton - some kind of synthetic. And I certainly didn't need a jacket!

This was the ship docked next to us. It was APT - I'd never heard of them. Apparently it's a company out of Melbourne, Australia that has a partnership with AMA. I liked their giant chess board, and they had a pool. We really wouldn't have had much time to enjoy a pool.

This is the Central Train Station in Amsterdam - we were quite close

This is looking out from the top deck of the Mani toward the entrance to D Ruijterkade Oost. Steiger C meant we were at the 3rd berth from the main pier area

Note the Red Viking Tent - that's what you need to look for. This is the bow of the APT/AMA ship.

Several things in this photo. You can see the Movenpick Hotel - if you are staying there. It's the tall greyish building in the back. There were some guys fishing at the end of the pier. They caught some sizeable fish too. The other boats are various lines - river cruise I assumed. The only one I recognized was an Avalon ship just out of the picture.

This was from the Aquavit Terrace of the Mani.

Next we were off to the Maritime Museum ... stay tuned!

I loved the pictures of Amsterdam. We were there in early August. It was hot then, also.

I look forward to reading about more of your trip.

Loving your post and enjoying your photos so much. I'm looking forward to more. We leave a month from today - Amsterdam to Budapest. We've done it the other direction and enjoyed it so much that we're doing it again to have more time. We've been to Amsterdam a few times now and loved it every time. You are still giving us new ideas for this next stay - we always go a few days early to get rid of some of the jetlag. I have your thread marked so I don't miss a thing. Thank you.

Friday, August 26 (continued)

We knew that we had the rest of the day and that the rooms wouldn't be ready until 3pm, so we hit up another museum on our list - The Maritime Museum - which was a doable walk from the pier. It was a great way to spend that time. The exhibits were interesting, and they had a model of a Dutch East Indiaman you could board and visit. We had an enjoyable visit, and then headed back to the ship around 4pm.

This is the museum - it's on a little island

And you can see the Dutch East Indiaman from here

And as always, you can find a windmill in Holland

This is a closer shot of the Dutch East Indiaman - The Amsterdam

They had silly little things like this painted on the crates, bales and boxes in the hold

They also have the Royal Barge (I forget if it was a copy) used for some occasions.

We could have also done a walking tour of the city with Viking, but we choose the museum. We thought it was a good choice - especially with all the walking we'd already done.

Since I have 6 pics, I will do the room in my next post

Friday, August 26 (continued)

Our room was ready - 231, a veranda cabin on deck 2 - when we returned, so we went to check it out. They had brought our luggage, so we were good to go. We unpacked and settled in and still had some time to explore before the cocktail hour, daily briefing and dinner.

The cabin seemed smaller than an average Carnival cruise line balcony cabin (we often sail on Carnival so that's the source of the comparison). There was no couch only a chair between the bed and the balcony door, but Viking lists these rooms as 205 sq ft, while Carnival lists theirs at 185. Neither say whether that includes the balcony. In a Viking Longship room, the desk and drawers go the whole length opposite the bed, so the rooms are wider. The closet was large - hanging on one side, shelves on the other. And the bathroom felt larger. The shower was one full side of the room - with glass doors so nice.

This is opposite the bed. 2 sets of drawers, & fridge under the TV

Anyway - it was a great room. The suites are lovely, but I would book the Veranda again. There were 2 sets of 3 drawers - the bottom one in each was a deep drawer. There is a very nice fridge, with a cut out in the shelf so you could put a bottle of wine or the water bottle (they replace this daily). You can bring soda, liquor, food on board, so if there is something special you want, there are no issues and room in the fridge.

This is from the balcony doors toward the entrance. Closet on the right and the bathroom opposite

And from the closet

The French Balcony rooms are similar, but have less space between the bed and doors (windows in the FB rooms) and no chair.

There are amenities in the bathroom - Viking's own brand, Freya. You get, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand & body lotion, also q-tips, make up remover pads and a shower cap.

Shower was roomy

I have to put the balcony pics in another post. They keep coming up sideways, even though I turned them in the photo page - grrr

There is a shoehorn and shoe shiner cloths in the closet, and a hair dryer in one of the drawers. There were plenty of plugs - you didn't need adapters, but we found that the European plugs WITH an adapter charged faster than the American plug. You also have the Quiet Vox sets for the excursions. They have their own charger and plug.

Moving on