Hourn (whore in) as in Tyson Jay Van Horn

We were supposed to sail early this mouning to Hourn, the key word being were. I mentioned the Power outage the other day that impacted Amsterdam. Well it seems it impacted all of Northern Holland including the major airport Schiphol. It also disabled the locks between Amsterdam and Hourn. Thus we couldn't get there. So todays cruise will be dockside with buses arranged to take us to our Hourn excursions. Fortunately it isn't a far trip and it was rainy and grey anyway and once there we would have been on a bus anyway.

Our first tour of the day was to walk through Hourn and have a coffee with a local. The city of Hourn is very quaint and our group was led by the now retired City Manager, Jos. 

He talks about how he was born here and spent the last several decades managing the city which is very proud of its heritage. They should be proud as it is the heritage of my friend Tyson Jay Van Horn who is an absolutely gem of an individual and one helluva blues harp player. Check out his band Four Square on facebook. Anyway, Jos took us to the town square and delighted in pointing out the flying dutchman.

I took this shot for Jay of Shooters a blues club in Hourn.

Chocolate is a favorite throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. We strole through the streets untill we break into smaller groups if eight to visit a home and have coffee or tea with the host family.

This is the home we stoped at owned by an artists and his wife. Together they bought these two run down holmes on a small water way and renovated them over the last several decades. She was a delightful hostess and offered both coffee and an assortment of Dutch cookies. She appologized for not having the apple pie she intended but the power outage had put a severe dent in her preparation. She shared photos of the demotion and reconstruction. Her home was lovely as was she and her husband. Our hour passed quickly and we were back on the bus headed to Amsterdam for lunch.

The entry door bell you ring to gain entrance.

Back for lunch and only slightly wet but enriched by our experience in Hourn.

Amsterdam Jewel Dinner Cruise: A Diamond level experience

I had read on TripAdvisor about Jewel Dinner Canal Cruise while I was exploring things to do in Amsterdam. So I booked it in advance because there are limited availability. In order to make it we would have to skip the ship welcoming dinner and Crew introductions with Captain social. So glad we did.

So we took the Dam tram to the Dam square to catch our Dam boat. Well.... There really is a Dam Square which is where the Palace is and was the closest stop to where we need to get to the Singel Canal. The canal ship is a beautiful wooden boat built in 1916 and restored. We were early and first to board so we had a nice private window table up with the Captain. We were welcomed with a nice glass of champagne and a plate of nuts and olives. The boat only holds a maximum of 20 diners. 

Once boarded we cruised the canals of the old city and had drinks while they took our dinner orders. It is a three course dinner and there was a meat, fish, and veg choice both for dinner and appetizer.  They call the order in to a restaurant that they are teamed with and soon we dock to pick up the appetizers. We cruise for a short time and return to the restaurant and the main course and dessert is picked up and served. 

The process is while we are docked the Captain (Theo) would leave the ship taking the used plates across the street to the resaurant and returning with a stack of about seven plates on a unique carrying  frame. Back and forth he would go while the hostess would serve and clear. Mind you the ship is very tight and it has a verry narrow beam. The back half of the ship is served and we are enjoying our wine when all of a sudden we hear this horrindous restaurant sound crash. We look outside and the Captain  has slipped at the curb and dropped the next set of dinner plates which includes ours. Fortunately the Captain is not injured but severely embarressed. This delays our departure but it is amazing what a great job the restaurant does in replacing quickly our remaining dinners. 

Dinners were delicious. i had fillet which was done perfectly and Joan had Salmon which said was excellent. We continue to cruise the canals and now some of the more modern parts of the city. The Dutch leave their drapes open so as we cruise through the canals it is like getting a glimpse into the life of the locals. 

This canal cruise was outstanding and it has made our Friday a terrific joy with the early cruise, the visit to the Van Gogh Museum and the capper this canal night time dinner cruise. Tomorrow early morning we leave for Hourn and our first cruise on the river.

Lack of a Bow Thruster has us dockside

It is windy here as well as grey and sometimes rainy. The culprit keeping us at the dock is that the bow thruster has broken while we were trying to leave. Due to the wind and current as well as the LOA of the ship, it relies on bow and aft thrusters for navigation. Thus no bow thruster, no cruising. So our tours have been arranged by bus with a 90 minute trip each way to see the Kinderdijk where the windmills are. 

The good news is that the sun has made a showing, though brief.

So Joan reads and I will try to catch up on the blog.