When we awoke yesterday morning we were back in Amsterdam where we had started our cruise on 25 August. Time flies! Of course for us is was just part of an ongoing journey but for most of our fellow passengers it was time to leave the ship and make room for the next lot of passengers cruising to Istanbul. After breakfast we decided to walk into town to see the sights. Although the sky was overcast it was actually very mild and certainly pleasant to be out and about in old Amsterdam.
By mid afternoon we were back on board. It was interesting to watch the new arrivals all excited about their holiday and confused about where everything was, where to eat and so on. Late in the afternoon the four of us found comfortable chairs in the Reflections Lounge which is at the front of the ship and two levels above the bridge. From here we had the perfect view of the ship traveling through the Noord Zee Canal for the short trip to the Ijmuiden Locks where the ship is lifted up to the level of the North Sea. Our ship, the Celebrity Constellation made its last departure from Amsterdam after many seasons as it is being relocated to a different route in the Mediterranean. Consequently the Port of Amsterdam put on a bit of a show. We had a band playing as we departed and ahead of us was a tug boat shooting huge jets of water into the air. The Constellation was continually sounding its huge horn - it was all very spectacular.
This morning we were docked in Zeebrugge which is a port town near the city of Brugge (Bruges) in Belgium. Brugge is a beautiful old city and we were keen to see it so that involved catching a bus to the railway station and then a short train ride to Brugge. Fortunately everyone was very helpful and all went smoothly. Nearly everyone speaks English and in this part of Belgium they speak Flemish which is nearly the same a Dutch and so it was all fairly easy. We really loved Brugge - it’s a beautiful old city (many of the houses seemed to date to around the 1600’s - with beautiful streets, squares and parks. Because it was Sunday there were interesting activities everywhere. We visited a cheese market and came across numerous places where live music was playing. Today the clouds cleared and the sun came out and it was all very pleasant.
By 1:30 it was time to catch the train and bus back to the ship and we made it with plenty of time to spare. Next stop, Cherbourg in France.
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