Part 4 – the River Cruise

Monday, 7 August, 2017 – weather: grey, again

We are to move to the last major part of our journey, to the Riverboat for a two week cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. But we have been told not to go to the boat too soon, although there are conflicting messages. We had thought that we would go on our other river cruise but had already made the decision that that was too boring.

We have breakfast upstairs in the buffet again. Then Julie decides to go out prancing until around Noon when we should checkout. Some of her photos.

Julie returns at 11:59:58. We finish packing and go downstairs to checkout, which we successfully do. My plan is to stay in the lounge until about 1:30 and work on the Blog because the lightning speeds on the Internet are stunning. Julie has more prancing to do.

Julie returns and we pack up ask and ask for a cab. It takes a while. The driver drives us to the docks, it seemed like a very roundabout way but I guess it was OK and it was expensive but we got there. When we arrive the room is not ready so we settle in the large lounge.

There is a small buffet where we can have some lunch before we check in as well as drinks. We meet a nice USA couple, Ruth and Larry and have a long chat. Eventually I manage to check-in and we are escorted to our rooms.

Well, I am disappointed. I thought we had booked upmarket rooms with lots of space. No. We are in perhaps the second bottom level with a room that is quite small but modern and well done. My illusions were shattered. Never mind, we unload our suitcases into the cupboards and slide the suitcases under the bed, never to be seen again until we leave. Hooray!

We have a small balcony and Julie mixes up a gin and tonic from the mini bar. There is a bit of sunshine which helps. After that we go to dinner and meet another nice couple. Well, it too is a buffet and it would seem that most of the meals will be buffets, which are not our favourites. I pick up a dish from just inside the room where the cook is preparing prawns.

I grabbed a range of stuff with the “special” course being roast beef which is OK. I ask for horse radish sauce which they bring from the kitchen, again quite OK. When finished, we go back up to the bar.

We have a chat for a while with some fellow Melbournites. Then to bed. I sleep OK for a while until some one starts doing activities. A lot more sleep would have been welcome.