We woke in the city of charming canals, gabled houses, world class museums, more bicycles than people, and 1,500 bridges: Amsterdam. And of all things, the sun was out and the sky was clear! A luxury that had evaded us all week. No time for Dutch pancakes or stroopwafels for us though, since we transferred directly from the ship to the airport. There was no shortage of Christmas travelers, but we were early so not pushed for time. In fact all said and done we had a full three hour wait.

Our eight-hour nonstop flight on United passed quickly with two movies, two meals, and a nap. We left Europe at noon and arrived in Virginia at 3:00 o’clock to clear skies, unseasonably warm weather, and easy traffic home. Walter and Cleone, on the other hand, left Amsterdam two hours ahead of us, made two connections, and arrived home well after we were fast asleep.

Dan and I agreed that river cruising is a wonderful way to travel and it’s something we’d like to do again.

… Two Final Fun Stories …

Cargo ships ply the waters of the Rhine in huge numbers.
They have homes, decks, and parking places for cars and bikes at one end
and cargo holds at the other.
Our captain and his brother called one of these cargo ships home. The boys went to boarding school but were home for holidays and all summer.

Wifi in our room onboard the ship was inconsistent and unreliable
at times with the best signal often in the bathroom.
Sometimes I blogged sitting on the toilet lid using the vanity as a desktop.