The cruise in photos

Our boat, the MS Allegro, at the dock in Zaandam



Passing through one of the locks that regulates the water level
in a river that branches off the Amsterdam harbor

A view of houses along the river just outside of Amsterdam

Docked in the harbor at Haarlem

The old windmill at the edge of downtown Haarlem

The cruise director, Wim Smits, hard at work -- at breakfast

The barrel organ at the front of Keukenhof Gardens
(three photos)

Two happy visitors at the Gardens

The flower displays at the Gardens ...

 

 

 

 

 

We loved this grove of trees

The Dutch orange was everywhere

The swans were a special treat ...

... and you could go out and visit with them

Shot this sign because the nearby display was sponsored
by a company from ... Meridian, Mississippi

The water fountain near the front entrance was spectacular 

Nighttime cruise on the canals in Amsterdam ... this is
an attempt to show the front of the Anne Frank House

A church in Volendam ...

... another look through an alleyway

The harbor in Volendam ...

We took turns visiting with this old guy ...

Sometimes the tour boats were three aside at the harbor ...
ours is the middle boat as we docked at Hoorn

The old church right near the harbor in Hoorn

Another old building in Hoorn

In the distance, one of the many new windmills

The harbor/marine in Medemblik ... some expensive yachts
and tall sailboats were anchored here

In Medemblik, a typical Dutch scene

Two views of a church in Medemblik, with a neat clock tower

Outside Radboud Castle in Medemblik ... built in the late 1290s

The pigeons ruled this roost ...

Wonder what was kept in this chest?

This was one of the living areas in the castle ...

Scale model of what the castle looked like in its glory days

I always love Knights' armor ... and here's
one in the castle at Medemblik

On a tough weather day, the sailboats were out on the water
as we went from Medemblik to Enkhuizen

Another spectacular church tower ...
this one in Enkhuizen

In the boat's lounge, Beatrice kept busy with her
 Bejeweled Blitz game on her I-Pad.

Unless she was reading, and then asked to pose for a photo
(isn't this a great shot of her?)

Saying goodbye to Wim Smits, the cruise director ...
thank goodness for his interpretations from Dutch to English