Amsterdam

Amsterdam




We got off the ship early and schlepped our luggage to the train station and then to the hotel. It is cold and rainy and I am not happy with the weather. Everyone keeps telling us that this is the worst spring ever. I don' t doubt it. We grabbed a hop onhop-off bus and rode it around the city twice. It was raining too hard and we didnt want to walk. Our dinner was quite good (friends recommended it. It was very hard to find and we had to go through the marijuana smoking area to find it. I got high on the smell. We have been dragging around Amsterdam in the worst weather for us....colc, raining, windy and generally miserable. The city is big and noisy and bustling. People are running every which way and there are thousands of tourists. We spent some time in the Red Light District where the prostitutes were advertising in the windows and the pimps kept asking Jerry and Steve if they wanted a woman. The prositutes were old, fat and ugly. They told us the nicer looking ones came out to their windows later in the evening. It was too early. What a way to make a living. I really felt quite sorry for them and it made me very sad.



Yesterday we took an all-day tour to Brugges, Belgium. It is a UNESCO world heritage city and strikingly beautiful. Most of the buildings date from the 13-16th century and are very well preserved. The shopping is quite nice too although I just window shopped. The dollar is worth nothing so it is really crazy to buy anything anywhere in Europe. I haven't had time to transfer any photos but will try later. We are on our way to Athens right now. I broke a tooth and have to find a dentist the minute I get there. I have some names from my travel insurance policy. I will hope for the best.



Right now I am sitting in the Lufthansa first class lounge at the airport in Amsterdam. I am totally spoiled now. Jerry is in big trouble. We will be in Athens two nights and then on to the Azamara Journey for our trip into the Black Sea.