Sunday August 7, A Guest Blog from Marjorie.

Free ferry to the City

Sunday August 7; A Guest Blog-spot from Marjorie of The Travelling Thompsons”. (As dictated to your editor over a canal-side refreshment).   They were on the final leg of their epic campervan trip from N.Ireland to Greece and back, and some of their adventures make our cruise seem like a Sunday school picnic outing.

"It was great to see Gill & Tom again after such a long time, and  to spend some time on their boat, bringing  back lovely memories of a few Summers ago on the Isle of Wight. 

Friendly tourist advice

 Although Colin and I have been to Holland a few times in the past, this was our first visit to Amsterdam—and what an eye-opening experience it was. We were totally gob-smacked  when Tom took us on a tour of the “Red Light District”.  It’s one thing to see this sort of thing  on films, etc, but it’s a bit of a shock to see it in the flesh.

Clogging up the street

In Dam Square

  So many contradictions! The girls were young and lovely, everything was spotlessly clean, it was all totally above-board and out in the open, and all the tourists passing by treated it as if it was a normal everyday thing, which, of course, in Amsterdam, it is.

Amsterdam at night

The “Coffee-shops” were amazing, too, with all sorts of customers inside (and out) puffing away and surveying their world through glassy eyes. We had to look twice at some of the “toys” in some other shop windows, and we found most of them hard to even imagine.

On top of all that, it was “Gay Pride” weekend, and quite an experience to see that a “kissing couple” were both middle-aged men.

And the canals...

But apart from the notorious side, we really enjoyed the conventional side of the city.

  We loved the buzz about the squares, and the throngs of bicycles. The café culture is something we’d like to see at home, and the canal-side cafes are just amazing places to sit and watch the world go by on their boats. Later in the evening we popped into a perfect little corner pub, where we had a hilarious conversation with two tipsy Dutchmen looking for somewhere to sleep.

And, as well, another “first” was camping “wild”, in a side street beside the yacht haven.

Yes, the visit to Tom & Gill and “Middle Watch” is certainly one we’ll remember for quite a while..."

Thanks, Marjorie & Colin - we had a great day out.