"Blue River" — Amsterdam, Netherlands

  Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Thursday, May 30, 2013

Today is committed to the last must-dos before departure... Dam Square and the red light district. Hilary, Gayle and I walk through our neighbourhood to the city's main square which houses both the Royal Palace (no longer an official residence) the war memorial and the church.

The ladies in their windows jiggle and dance - even for us! The vista continuously confronts us. Despite their industry being as regulated and taxed as any other, the sight of one man walking away from a €35 'quote' leaves me feeling that their position is still a demoralising one.

Collected by the others in a maxicab for the short trip to the dock, we excitedly board the Amadeus Princess at 4pm. Hilary joins us onboard for a look-see before a semi-teary farewell and a return to the station and London

. It has been a good mini-holiday together for both of us.

The remaining six of us loiter in the Panorama Lounge for the welcome and safety talk before glamming up for the Captain's Welcome Drinks and Gala Dinner.

We are somewhat saddened to learn that this trip has been filled with two tour groups of Americans and some Canadians. The remainder are New Zealanders and about ten Aussies.

Not one European guest!

Consequently, the dress standard drops immediately, especially since the average age is somewhere around 70. It is not quite as we had hoped on an Austrian boat...

The staff, on the other hand, seem to be predominantly Romanian. Bogdan, our food waiter, has been doing this job for three years. He works 14 hours a day, seven days a week - and not necessarily finishing for some time off at Budapest if he's needed elsewhere. Most of the staff are on an eight month contract before four months off.

The first dinner gives us an idea of what is to come... five courses plus tea or coffee. Other dinners, we are told will only have one entree! They may well need that gangplank to ROLL us off the boat at the end of this.

Our first night sees us remaining docked in Amsterdam and sound asleep well before midnight.

"Blue River" by Elvis Presley