Rhine River Cruise Part 2

 The cruise concluded in Amsterdam. We had been there several times before so we just wanted to catch up and see some new places. We stayed at the Sir Albert Hotel https://www.sirhotels.com/en/albert/ 2-6 Albert Cuypstraat

The hotel was an old building redone inside. It is affiliated with Marriott. We picked this hotel because it was in a new to us area in Amsterdam. We really lucked out. The room was too modern for us but OK. However the street the hotel is on -Albert Cuypstraat- is an amazing open air food market that stretches for blocks. Every type of food in the world is seemingly represented on the street. Check out the pictures to follow.

There were also some very good restaurants on the street. We ate at Auberge, a French bistro that is affiliated with several other Amstgerdam restaurants.https://www.aubergeamsterdam.nl/auberge The food was great.

Auberge.

This was a lively restaurant near the hotel where we stopped for a beer before dinner. The bartenders were great entertainment.

Food at Auberge.

Shops on the street.

More food on the street of the hotel.

We ate at another restaurant affiliated with Auberge - Bistro de la Mer.https://www.bistr odelamer.com/bistrodelam. This is a one star Michelin restaurant specializing in seafood that was not great. We have been having poor experiences in Michelin one star restaurants. Lyon, Paris and and Amsterdam. I did have some good oysters but the other dishes were in foam which did nothing for the food.

Foam!

We took a boat tour arounds the city. A good way to relax and see the city. It was inexpensive and fun. We had been to Amsterdam a number of times but seeing the city from a boat is always fun.

We were in the city at the time of the big tulip festival in Keukenhof.https://keukenhof.nl/en/?_gl=1*vnc7pg*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTU2NDA5NjA2My4xNzcxMjcyNDI1*_ga_38224Y45Z9*czE3NzEyNzI0MjMkbzEkZzAkdDE3NzEyNzI0NTAkajMzJGwwJGg4OTc3OTEzMg.. We made reservations. The festival is outside of Amsterdam. It is open around 2 months a year in the.spring when the tulips bloom.To get there you go to the airport and take a bus. It is well organized but it is  a long walk to the bus and about a 45 minute ride to festival grounds. There is a huge parking lot for buses. The festival is a big event.

The festival was an awful rip-off. It went on for too many days so when we got there the flowers were mostly dead! It was still very crowded. The grounds have flower beds all over and a pavilion with flower exhibits. You can also take a boat on lagoons through the flowers. The festival should not have been open by the date we arrived. 

We have been to t\other gardens around the world and this was an expensive wasted day. If you are ever near Victoria Britsh Columbia check out Butchart  Gardens.https://butchartgardens.com/ Iit is truly spectacular.

I guess it can be spectacular earlier in the season.

We went to the Rijksmuseum. It has been redone since our last visit.  Thgere is a special room for Rembrandt's The Night Watch.

We stayed our last night in a Sheraton hotel that is actually in Schiphol Airport as we had an early morning flight home. The hotel was great. Modern, nice room and good facilites. The price was reasonable as well. A good place to remember if you have early flights. The airport is easily accessible to the central station in Amsterdam. 

We had a good time on this trip.This cruise is one of Vikings top river cruises and it runs quite often in both directions. Viking runs specials all the time. Look for free airfare and reduced rates.

I have gotten behind in my trip reports. In the coming months reports on Japan, Maui, Elbe river cruise and a Rhone river cruise will be coming. Keep travelling.

Wine Note.

Costco has been producing Kirkland wines from some top wine regions. They have produced Barolos, 

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione

s, Bordeaux wines from St Julien, Margaux and Pauillac and a Premier Cru Chablis. The wines are in the $20 range and can be very good values.

Enjoy.