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Before we start the
cruise on 8/12, we stayed additional 2 days in Amsterdam, Netherland. I have
been to Amsterdam about 20 years ago while I was working for Samsung
Semiconductors and there were 3 places I wanted to show to Jane.
The first was the
Tulip Field. Netherland is very famous as the tulip exporting country and
they have huge tulip field which is very beautiful. However, we found it is
off-season and closed now.
The 2nd. place was
the bank, Dutch people created more than 100 years ago to protect them from
sea water, as the Neatherland is lower than sea level. As Neatherland does
not have rocks and soils to build the bank, they carried so many rocks and
soils from Mediterranean countries by hundreds or thousands of sailing
boats. It is an amazing work they have done hundreds years ago. However, I
have found it is too far taking more than 10 hours of driving from Amsterdam
downtown. The
last place was "de Wallen" as shown on the next map. This is
official prostitutional street and whole blocks have windows with pink
lightings and bikini girls in the show windows. It is very famous place
worldwide and many tourists are visiting there in dark evening just to see
the scenery. However, Jane didn't want to go and we gave up. As the result,
I coudn't take Jane to any of 3 places I wanted to take her.
 The
most impressive scene in Amsterdam was so many bikes parked in the street.
We were told by tour guide that most people in Netherland have two bikes,
one old one which they use to go to downtown and another new bike. Bike
could be stolen and they use old bike to go to downtown while they use new
bike to go to friends, relatives or picnic. It seems the living standard is
low in Netherland compared to other European countries. The tour guide
warned to be careful for pick pockets and bikers passing by very close as
they might pick up your handbag or any others carrying, though I did not see
anyone in our group had that kind of incident. Maybe, not too many.
This
is another crime prevention method which I have never seen at any other
place. The elevator will not work unless hotel guest insert their room keys
for guest rooms at 3rd. floor or higher.
At Starbucks Coffee in Amsterdam.
Because of exchange ratio (1 Euro = $1.40 - $1.50), everything is very
expansive for Americans in Europe. A cop of coffee is 2.50 Euro = about
$4.00.
 Netherland
is lower than sea level and has many canals where people live in a boat.
Listening to tour
guide at walking downtown tour.
As Europe has
more cloudy, rainy or foggy days, they love sun and every restaurant or cafe
has outside tables.
 Jane
had an accident on the 2nd. day in Amsterdam (8/11) which started in this
house. After about 1.5 hours of walking tour of downtown, I was tired. When
tour guide took people to this house, I stayed in a bench at the street and
asked Jane to follow the group, expecting they would not take too much time
in this small house, whatever it would be. However, I have waited, waited
and waited for 20 min. 30 min. and one hour, the group did not come out.
Finally, I went into the house and found it is a huge courtyard with a
church and many statues, with many exits on the other side. There were 100s
of visitors but I could not find our group. I returned to the hotel by taxi
and found Jane in our room with ice pad on her right wrist. According
to her side of story, she followed the group and got out of Begijnhof
returning to the hotel. At some point right before the bridge, she fell and
broke wrist. Viking called an emergency doctor who asked her to have ice pad
at the broken wrist. Since we were going to start cruise very next day,
Viking said they will arrange a hospital visit in advance at next city. As
we will visit Kinderdijk where there is no doctor nearby, they arranged a hospital visit at
Cologne, a quite a big city in Germany 2 days later.
 This
is the floor plan of the courtyard with many apartment rooms surrounding
church and other installations.
It has a few exits at the other sides of the property. 
More
pictures and video can be viewed clicking the following picture. (19.5 min.)
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