It was a very cold Saturday morning and we felt sorry for the thousands of Dutch people who had flocked to Amsterdam for Kings Day. They probably still had fun but not while basking in warm sunshine.

We had a continental breakfast (trying to pace ourselves a bit) and then headed out for our guided canal tour. We walked a couple of hundred metres along the quay to where one of the larger glass-topped boats was waiting. We were all split into 3 groups and had 3 boats so it was very comfortable with loads of room to spread out.

Many of the canals were blocked off with large barges moored across the entrances, clearly in anticipation of the partying crowds later in the day. All of the house boats had buoys against them to prevent damage from other boats and there were portaloos along all the streets and beside the bridges.

People were already setting up stalls outside houses where they sell stuff they’ve baked or ‘treasures’ that they want to get rid of (as our guide put it).

aEvidently there’s also loads of busking with little kids singing and dancing.

It was actually quite sunny while we were in the boat and the tour was interesting. Each guide tells you slightly different stuff so you get a different angle on things.

It was a bit of a challenge for the driver as he had to find alternative routes to places along the larger canals and rivers.

When we got back we chilled out in the lounge watching the rain and the many young people getting ready for a day of hard drinking. We saw people getting into the boats with dozens of cans of beer each. Everyone also had their orange hats or ties or jackets and on a warmer day it would have been fun to go down town and watch it all.

We had a light lunch of soup and salad (there is evidently a 3 course lunch served in the dining room also). Then spent a relaxing afternoon on the boat, which set off at 2.15 pm. When they say to be back at the boat by 2.15, they mean it. Quite a few people opted to stay in town and catch the bus to meet the ship in Utrecht and others went on a castle visit. We were happy just enjoying the view.

We went through one of the 68 locks of our journey, which was interesting.

The lock structure was enormous and it would be quite scary going through in a small boat.

We had a pre-dinner happy hour and then a talk from our guide about the next day’s activities. We travel nearly 24 hours to Cologne in Germany where we have a walking tour around the central city and then free time.

Dinner was delicious. We sat beside 2 women from the US and they were loads of fun. We also indulged in people watching. Some people probably should have stopped drinking with happy hour! Perhaps they are beginning the way they intend to carry on, in which case things could get messy. ?