Rhine Cruise - Day 8
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| We actually embarked our river cruise boat "Ama Prima" the afternoon before. This morning we were going on our first excursion -- an Amsterdam canal cruise! |
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Cruising down a canal in a cruise boat especially designed for them. Long, low and plenty of windows.
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| Passing by the Anne Frank House. |
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Looking up at the crown-topped spire of the Westerkirk, a Renaissance-era Protestant church, close by the Anne Frank House. The famous painter Rembrandt is buried here.
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| Looking back at the hotel we stayed at (on the left). You can see our room on the third floor. |
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| Fancy houses. |
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Our river cruise boat did sort of a big southern loop around town center and then emerged into Oosterdok Bay. Here we are passing by the NEMO Science Museum that looks like a big ship.
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| Amsterdam is a happening place. Lots of construction. |
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| Passing a big cruise boat terminal and the Movenpick Hotel. |
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| Approaching Amsterdam Central Station on the left. The waterway we are now on runs east-west and connects the inner lake (we crossed yesterday) to the east to the North Sea to the west. |
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Notice the swings at the top of that building/tower!
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| Departing our river cruise boat. Amsterdam Central Station is to the right. |
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Now we are back on the AMA Prima and underway!
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| There is that Cruise Boat and the Movenpick Hotel again. |
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| The AMA Prima is long, narrow and low. I'm looking back at the Bridge. Amsterdam Central Station is on the left. We're heading east. |
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| I was fascinated by all the different types of vessels on the water. This one is literally is carrying metal scrap. |
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A plane!
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| Vessels of all shapes and sizes at Amsterdam. |
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At some point, we made a right turn south on to the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal ( Amsterdam-Rhine) Canal. It connect the port and capital city of Amsterdam to the main shipping artery of the Rhine. It was completed in 1952.
We were traveling with our friends David and Beth. For Beth and Lynnette, the party has started.
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| Heading south through Holland. |
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Gliding through farm country.
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| Passing another canal ship. |
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| It's actually a long barge being pushed by this tug. Check out that funky bridge. |
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| Being overtaken by a train. |
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We're overhauling a ship on the right and passing another head to head on the left.
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| A better look at a train. |
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The canal was busy.
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| Rounding the bend. |
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Now we see why the boats are built so low. Everything on the boat -- the radar, therailings, even the bridge -- can be lowered.
Lynnette isn't too impressed with going under the bridge.
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| Just cruising down the canal. |
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Approaching our first Lock!
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| That Lock looks pretty narrow. Are we really going to fit in that thing? |
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We did. The left side was amazingly close to the cement wall.
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| See what I mean? |
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| That guy on the right is actually driving the boat from a control station there. |
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| Driving the boat from here. |
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That's really close!
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| Once we were in, they lowered a door behind us, and started pumping water in to our area. |
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The boat rises with the water. Then they raise the door ahead of us and out we go!
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| Underway, looking back at the Lock we just emerged from. |
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| The Dutch countryside. |
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Windmill sighting!
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| We left the canal and turned east onto the Waal River at some point. This shot is taken from our stateroom. |
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Sandy beaches on the river banks.
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At some point we must have passed through Nijmegen. I had wanted to see it because it was a key city in Operation Market Garden of World War II.
Market Garden was an allied offensive fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 25 September 1944. The objective was to create a 64 mile salient into German held territory with a bridgehead over the Rhine River, creating an Allied invasion route into northern Germany. This was to be achieved by seizing a series of nine bridges by Airborne forces with land forces swiftly following over the bridges. The operation succeeded in liberating the Dutch cities of Eindhoven and Nijmegen along with their bridges. It failed, however, to secure a bridgehead over the Rhine at Arnhem, and the operation was a failure. In fact, the Netherlands were not liberated until the spring of 1945, and they suffered badly until then.
The city of Arnhem was not liberated until 14 April 1945. A tragic consequence of the operation's failure was the Dutch famine of 1944–45.
Arnhem is only 13 miles due north from Nijmegen and is on another river, the Nederrijn. Both the Nederrign and the Maas simultaneously merge into the Rhine about 10 miles ahead.
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Passing some kind of fort.
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Passing a car-carrier barge.
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| Just before sunset all these hot-air balloons showed up. |
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