Amsterdam

Last evening we had a final farewell dinner with the Captain and all of the passengers.  This was the usual a la carte meal, with the addition of lobster.  After dinner the crew provided us with a performance in the lounge - most of the acts were hilarious and great fun was had by all.  There were even some "blue" Australian/English jokes which will need person to person telling!

Early start this morning for a choice of activities in and around Amsterdam.  We chose a mix of three visits - a sheep/goat farm with a cheese-making facility, an inspection of a still-active windmill which is grinding limestone and various natural pigments for dyes, paints, etc, and an artisan who still actively makes clogs (which are worn by most of the people who work in the fields or near the dykes).  Rather than carving by hand, now a machine is used to replicate an existing clog which is clamped to the machine and used as the mould.  All were fascinating experiences.

An interesting statistic - there are two cycles for every three people in Amsterdam!