The morning arrived. We packed our PJ's and set our bags outside the door. Then we headed upstairs for breakfast. Exiting the dining room we stopped at the cruise desk to check on any last minute bills. All clear.
The Movenpick Hotel, where we were booked for the next two nights. was perfectly visible from our ship. Promptly at 9:30 AM we boarded a coach for the three minute ride to the hotel.
At the check-in desk, of course, we were politely informed that no rooms were ready at that hour. Luckily we knew the drill. No sense to kill the day sitting in the lobby waiting for a room to clear, so you check your bags and get on with planning some more sightseeing. The hotel concierge desk came through immediately. In about thirty minutes we had our bags checked, a public transport ticket, directions to the
Rijksmuseum, and reservations for the next day to visit the Van Gogh Museum. The No. 2 tram at the railway station would deposit us almost right to the door of the Riksmuseum.and off we went.
It had been some years since we had been there and we spent a delightful morning, culminating with a tasty lunch in the museum cafe. Refreshed we then did some more gallery meandering. Old masters abound here in one of the finest galleries in all of Europe.
Some familiar from countless reproductions like Vermeer's Milkmaid
and some just plain delightful to look at.
While we were perusing this fine period pair, I looked over my shoulder and
there was a modern photoshoot going on near Rembrandt's famous Night Watch.
It was late afternoon by the time we got back to the hotel. Our room was waiting and our bags set just inside the door. For an extra surprise we had not been there five minutes when the door opened and a couple waltzed in with their luggage. It seems they had just been assigned the same room. Lukily we were not in a state of dishabille and an emergency call sent the encroaching couple back down to the front desk to straighten things out. A few minutes later I decided I'd better go down personally and see that all was well. I stepped out of the room and for some reason thought I'd better try the door from the outside. Yup, our original key card had stopped working. Leaving the wife on guard I headed for the elevator and quickly was able to get two new cards and a nice apology. With that I returned to the room. It was on the fifteenth floor and had a gorgeous view of the whole harbor and several parts of the city
including our cruise ship that was still parked in its slip not far away and now loading up for a new trip upstream this time. .
River cruisers were not the only vessels in our view. These buggers are really big
Even bigger when you see them from the water level.
Total relaxation at last. We settled for a nice dinner in the hotel dining room rather than trekking back downtown.
More Amsterdam tomorrow.
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