A taste of Holland and disappointment.

Tonight is a crew specialty dinner with a taste of Holland. All served in the dining room buffet style. On a scale of 1 to 10, ten being best, I would put Dutch food at a solid 3. As we discovered on our own while in Amsterdam, the best Dutch food is Indonesian or Italian. I have developed a solid cough that just won't stop. About 15% of the other passengers share this sniffling, whezy, coughing I need a Niquil symptom.

Then the Hotel Manager and Cruise Director take the microphone and announce that due to Netherland water traffic control, all Cruise Ships are grounded until sometime tomorrow morning due to excessive winds. That those that wish to see the famous Sea Dijks, a bus will be leaving at 9am. If you chose not to go on the standard itenarary, you can stay on the ship and cruise to somewhere outside of Rotterdam where we will (hopefully) find and pick up the bus tour folks. I really wanted to go visit the sea dijks but that was originally a half day excursion from where we were supposed to be docked. Not an all day 9-5 bus trip with a meal stopover in some town. Grumpy? Yea...... I tell joan I am not up for an all day bus ride and as much as I would like to see the Dijks, I would rather enjoy a relaxing cruise on the canals for the day.

And so as the mornining broke on the horizon, we wave fairwell to about half the passengers as they set off on their bus journey. Shortly thereafter, we set sail.

The trip down the canals is smooth and relaxing. From the stateroom looking out the large sliding doors or sitting on the small balcony, you can hear the water pass. Up on the bow in the glassed in cafe is the best as you are surrounded by light and views but protected from the cold and wind.

Unfortunately I now have a raging cold/flu complete with fevor. I feel better, go find Joan, take some pictures, feel bad, get shivers, go back to bed and sleep.....repeat...every 2 hours.

I loved that I was awake to experience going through one of the two locks we transversed today.they fit 6 huge canal barges in at once and raise/lower them about 6 feet.