Amsterdam: Waterways & Bicycles

Amsterdam waterways

When on the Avalon Waterways cruise on the Rhine, the trip included a canal cruise in Amsterdam. This will be a photo post of what we saw.

Notice all the bicycles in the bike parking garage

Amsterdam probably has more bicycles per capita than any other city. They are everywhere!

Rhine River Cruise in October

me (on the left) and my niece Sarah

The one thing you can be sure of when traveling the Rhine River by river cruise boat is that you will be cold. We stomped our way through Heidelberg, went inside as we passed the Lorelei due to the severe wind, and tightened our coats in Amsterdam as we walked from the Van Gogh Museum to a restaurant around the corner . Don't get me wrong. We had a great time, but the first thing that comes to mind when I think about going on the river cruise is how cold we were. Now my niece may not have noticed as much as she lives in England. I live in Cozumel, Mexico - where cold weather is 60 degrees Fahrenheit. 


It was an amazing trip, booked almost at the last minute which is my favorite way to travel whenever possible. Decide to go somewhere, figure out how to get there and GO! 

Sarah and Macarena Man

My niece Sarah is super friendly and she made a whole slew of new friends on this river cruise. From Macarena Man who "did the Macarena," almost every night to a group of men with canes that taught her to play cards. We called them "1 stick, 2 sticks" as some had 1 cane to get around and one guy had 2. The wives were all without canes. (Gotta believe women age better than men while on this type of cruise.)

Macarena man "doing" the macarena

The crowd was older, but oh so friendly. We went with Avalon Waterways on the Tapestry. The boat was great, the crew so helpful and the captain was a delight. I will never forget him jumping around in wooden shoes the first night.

me and Sarah with the Captain in the middle leaving the river boat in Amsterdam

We even got to sit at the Captain's table for the Captain's dinner. I think that was more because of my young niece than myself!

Our tour director with her hands on my shoulders

Avalon Waterways and their river boats is definitely the way to go if you want to do the Danube or the Rhine, or any other river that they traverse. (People say the Danube is even prettier than the Rhine.) The difference in river cruising is it is more relaxed with around 100 people so you get to know everyone. There are no plastic cards to get on and off the boat, just a number so they know if people are still ashore. I highly recommend it.


Information on Avalon Waterways, just click here.