Amsterdam Day 2

August 12, 2015 Amsterdam Day 2

I had to get up early today so I had room service breakfast. It was right on time (6:30am) and everything was perfect.

I met our group at 7:45 am and we headed out. First stop was Zaanse Schans, a working village and Museum that represents many of the things Holland is known for. First we learned about making wooden shoes and how to wear them. Next we learned about making cheese and had many samples. We learned what dykes do and walked along a dyke to a working windmill that makes paint pigment. Finally, we went to a bakery and saw traditional cookies and candies.

Our second stop was Volendam. This is a lovely town on a lake that was created in 1953 after they put up a permanent dam to stop flooding. Almost all of the Netherlands is below sea level and prone to flooding. The houses are really small but really cute.

We all had to attend the lifeboat drill. We had done it in Boston but because this cruise is over 30 days long we had to attend again.

We sailed out of Amsterdam at 5pm and had to go through a lock before getting to open sea. The Sailaway was really nice.