This day didn't start out too well for old Todd and I. Hungover in the worst possible way, stiff back from passing out on the floor the night before. But we had to get our stuff packed and head down to the docks where our barge was parked. We do our best to meet Europeans on time. After spending time with Germans, it's something we have come to understand well. There is no 5 minutes late. You are on time or you are rude! We got there with time to spare.
Saying barge sounds like it wasn't a nice boat. This wasn't the case. It was a very nice boat with more than accommodating cabins for us travelers. Had our own rooms, bathrooms and showers. The crew was awesome. They stocked the fridges with the kinds of beers they thought we would like and they prepared home cooked meals for us every day. Breakfast was a typical European spread of meats, yogurts, breads, cereals, juice, coffee, and tea. We were rarely on the boat for lunch, but dinners on the boat were awesome! They even prepared a few of their own special beer dinners for us with the food being specially paired to the beers. We couldn't have asked for a better crew. Our only complaint on the tour was that we actually didn't spend more time on the boat. I would have liked to have hung out with the crew late at night too and talked to them for a while during our down time.
So, we dropped our things off got settled in, and then headed off to Langendijk eetcafe. The gang went on a brewery tour and many many beer samples were had. Along the walls inside, is a massive collection of bottles. This one that looked like an Aunt Jemima Syrup bottle caught my eye.
We met up with Ron Pattinson and had a few drinks with him where he bestowed upon us a very rare beer. After that we walked back to the boat for our first dinner.
Dinner: Salad with boiled egg, oven potatoes with mixed veg and curried pineapple chicken.
Dessert: Strawberry fool.
Very easy day, a few others walked around the city some more. We took it easy and had a night cap in our cabin. Night cap provided by the pervious hotel we stayed at. They told us to do it too. Strangest thing, they thought we waited to long to check in. And because some loser was hassling the front desk trying to wiggle out of half of his hotel bills in front of us, the hotel decided to upgrade us to a huge suite. And naturally I spent the night on the floor! They told us everything was complimentary and to please feel free to take the minibar contents. I have never had that happen before, but I did it anyway. Proved useful at night on the boat.
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