Tuesday, July 14th ~ Amsterdam and Volendam
Canal boat ride
We have officially started our Gate 1 tour. The Ramada Apollo Hotel offered up a decent buffet breakfast which is included in our stay. It is always nice to start the day with a warm, full belly. Our tour leader is Derek Payne, a British fellow who has been in the travel business for many years. Already he is setting a nice pace, keeping this relatively large group of 39 travelers in check, and cheerfully imparting both stories and pertinent information to us as we get in a short bus tour of Amsterdam en route to our canal boat excursion.
War memorial in Dam Square
The one hour canal ride was nice as it gave us a slightly different perspective of the city from water level.
Tim and Joanne on the canal boat
Central Station
Gus went with us today to see the canals for himself
Beautiful homes with a wonderful variety of gabled tops
Back on the bus we made a stop at a cheese factory where we received a brief explanation as to how cheese is made, followed up with a chance to taste about a dozen different varieties of Gouda accompanied by a small glass of a fruity wine.
Cheese rolls
Another demonstration was how traditional wooden shoes, or clogs, are made, followed by an opportunity to purchase clogs and/or cheese. We chose to get a small wheel of a herb cheese which Tim and I both thought was delicious.
Clog or wooden shoes in various stages, being made by hand (actually by axe and other hand tools)
They had clogs in many sizes available to purchase, either to wear or for a souvenir.
Riding a bike with a pushcart to deliver tulips to market.
Just one more setting to take a picture together…
Volendam is a charming fishing village on the old Zuiderzee, at least that is how our tour literature described it. I can’t say that I disagree with the definition – it does have its charm, however I also found it to be way to “touristy” for my taste. It did allow us a lunch stop though and a chance to stretch our legs.
Volendam marina
Rose hips?
Colorful flowers lined the water’s edge
One final photo stop before we returned to Amsterdam was to view one of the few remaining authentic working wind mills.
Windmill (backside)
Windmill from the front
Back at the hotel by mid afternoon, I decided to get my post done and then have a short nap before deciding rather or not to head back into city center for the evening. We have been tossing over whether or not we wanted to check out the red light district. It is famous the world over, so I am slightly curious to go. That old-fashioned, prudish girl inside of me, however is at war, as I have such a hard time with anything that degrades, humiliates, harms, or disrespects us as women. Fun Fact: There are over 1200 bridges in Amsterdam
Amsterdam bridges
Gratitude Moment: Today I am grateful to once again be on a guided tour. I know this style of traveling is not for everyone, but for me, it is a nice break from having to “plan” things. Once the tour starts, I can sit back, relax and know that someone else is in charge of getting us from point A to point B. We get to see the highlights of an area, although sometimes not as in-depth as I would like to. Still, in my opinion, it is great value for the money spent, and a wonderful way to make good use of the time we have in any particular part of the world. I want to extend a warm welcome to anyone who is newly following along with us. We are grateful that you are here! Please feel free to share, comment, and/or subscribe. We love having the company!
A Note From Abroad 
Really makes want to go visit Amsterdam.
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Great! Then my job is done here!
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I don’t recall ever seeing green or blue tulips? Or is just me? Also, with windmills being such a major symbol of Hollsnd, why are so few of the the working ones like you pictured left?
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Mike, I think perhaps they took a little creative license with the tulip colors, lol. Here is a link to a Wikipedia article. Scroll down to the part about the spread and decline of the windmills for a better explanation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windmill
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It looks like you had a wonderful time in beautiful Amsterdam 😀
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Yes, our time here has been wonderful. Tim is already talking about wanting to return.
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Looks extremly enjoyable. I hope you have a great time in Amsterdam. If you are looking for some impressions on what else do, here’s what we experienced when visiting the city: http://traveluxblog.com/amsterdam/
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Thank you for your recommendations.
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You are very welcome 🙂
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Beautiful images and what a beautiful couple you two make.
Happy Trails
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Thank you J R
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I see you two are decked out in new threads. Nice. In a green phase now, are we? Lol
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Lovely images of Amsterdam. It is a different perspective when viewed from the canals, isn’t it. The tall wonky unique houses seem even bigger from the water.
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I did enjoy seeing the view from water level, and yes a different perspective.
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You two continue to be an inspiration! I visited Amsterdam many years ago on my first (and – so far – only trip to Europe). Your photos make me anxious to go back!
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Thank you so much. One of our goals has been to encourage others to travel. If our photos inspire you to return to Europe, that would certainly please us!
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LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!
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How fun! I love all of the bright pictures of the flowers! And that cheese sure is tempting!
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Meagan, the cheese was so tempting we bought some.
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Yes! We’re taking my mom to France, and she decided the most important phrase she could learn for the trip was “more cheese, please!”
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Love that!
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Heading for Amsterdam on the 20th. Gate 1 sounds a little rushed but I am looking forward to the break. Your pictures are great and helped me make my must see list. Happy travels. Theresa
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Have a fabulous time!
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Hi Joanne and Tim,
I’m new to your posts and looking at several tour companies, Rick Steves, Monogram, etc.Have you tried others and which did you prefer? Some travels I do on my own but new first time areas I feel a tour might be better.
Thank you!
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Hi Carla and welcome. The tour company that we have used the most is Gate 1 Travel. They are a good middle of the road in quality, excellent guides, very fair prices that offer good value for the money. We have also used Intrepid a couple of times. Also good pricing, but hotels are often poor quality but usually well located.
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