Next Stop: Amsterdam

After departing London, it was time to depart for the city of drugs, sex and rock 'n roll. To quote our tour guide, there's not a whole lot of rock 'n roll going on in this town...you get my drift. To expedite the blogging process, I'll just cover the main points of the day.

• Up bright and early to get to the Royal National Hotel by 6:45 AM for the weighing of bags (we were allowed 20 kg worth of luggage for 11 days of traveling, but after lugging around 20 kg seems like a pile of bricks..).
• Two hour drive from London to the White Cliffs of Dover.
• Took a ferry ride from Dover to Calais, France. It was awful! It was super cold, super choppy, and everyone was super green the entire trip. Nothing says "Welcome to Europe" like a ferry heaving in the waves of the English Channel and many people heaving over the side of the ferry. :-/
• An additional 5 hour drive from Calais to Amsterdam abroad our trusty coach (much better than the ferry).
• Arrived at the Hotel Ibis outside of Amsterdam for a quick dinner and then went out to Amsterdam for some evening fun.
• Went on an evening canal cruise through Amsterdam which included little snacks at plenty of beverages to enjoy. Note to self: when using the toilet on a canal boat, avoid using it while the captain is revving up the engines. You end up with a refreshing canal washer bottom facial (well...asscial). -- TMI!
• Went on the optional excursion they don't advertise in the Contiki tour books -- a walking tour of the Red Light District along with a live show. What was going on at the show I cannot talk about, but let's just say there was audience involvement and enough beverages included with the tickets to make for a good laugh.
• After a good sleep at the hotel, we continued our tour of Amsterdam with the Anne Frank Museum. The museum was excellent and very moving. It was well worth seeing.
• Our last stop for the day before getting back onto the bus was a tour of the Rijmuseum that includes lots of Dutch art.

Overall, Amsterdam was an interesting town, but not necessarily somewhere I'd go back to. Seeing the canals and gable houses in winter was great and very picturesque. Some of the main activities in the town just aren't really up my alley..