The day started in chaos
Mileage
The mileage for today will not change due to this being a walking day.
| Date | – | 7/19/2019 |
| Travel From | – | Amsterdam, the Netherlands |
| Intermediate Location | – | Sightseeing |
| Ending Location | – | Amsterdam, the Netherlands |
| Starting Odometer | – | 25,700 |
| Ending Odometer | – | 25,700 |
| Miles Driven Today | – | 0 Miles |
| Total Trip Mileage | – | 1157 Miles |
| New Countries visited Today | – | |
| Countries visited on trip | US, Canada, UK, The Netherlands |
Searching for a power cord
With my laptop almost entirely inoperative, I started looking for options that would power the laptop, and get me back into operation. After searching the local stores, I decided that I’d tolerate being without a laptop for one more day, and I’d secure a power supply once I arrived in Dusseldorf.
Purchase tickets for two tours
With about 1 week to go before my departure from Indian Land, Kathy, Ralph’s neighbor let me know that the museum/house of Ann Frank books up quite a bit in advance, and when she checked for me, it became obvious that I would not be able to get tickets,. So, I opted for a few other tours.
For today’s activities, I figured I’d enjoy the walking tour of the city center, followed by a boat tour of the canals. I visited one of the many shops called “Tours and Tickets” and purchased both tickets.
Thinking back, thinking about Amsterdam
Here I am, walking around Amsterdam, as the clock approaches lunch time. I wanted to find a good lunch, but instead, I came upon a mcDonalds, and I thought back to the scene in Pulp Fiction, where the Big Mac, and the Quarter Pounder were discussed.
You’ll recall that, in the movie, they conclude that you could not purchase a quarter pounder, because the Dutch use the metric system. If you wanted a quarter pounder, you’d need to order the Grand Royal. Well, as it turns out, they don’t sell the Grand Royal any more, but since a Big Mac in the Netherlands, is the same as a Big Mac in America (Verified by John Travolta), I’d give it a try.
The walking tour
Our guide Juan is a very knowledgeable and very enthusiastic guide. He took good care of us, and shared a great deal about the city. I’ve included a couple of videos of some of the stops along the way.
The Canal Tour
After finishing the walking tour, I had only about 3 minutes to make it to the starting point for the Canal tour. Canal tours are done using open boats, semi-enclosed boats, or enclosed boats. I’d chosen a exposed boat, hoping for good weather, and I was rewarded with a tour in the sunlight, without rain or any inclement weather.
The tour takes about 1 hour, and over the course of the tour, you hear how each canal represents a different level of affluence and influence, and while the wealthy inhabitants were not separated from the lower income inhabitants, the cost of owning one of the most prominent buildings would be a strong enough deterrent to keep the roles separated.
The video below is a compilation of many of the interesting homes along the canals in Amsterdam.
What will tomorrow bring
Well, since I’m writing this post after everything has already happened, it’s a bit anticlimactic, but let’s play along.
Tomorrow, I’ll get up early, get a healthy breakfast, and then jump on the bike, and head for the Bridge Too Far, located in Arnhem, Netherlands. I’ll continue to head to Germany, and arrive in Dusseldorf by about noon or so.
