Farewell Hervor, Hello Amsterdam!

3 April, 2025

Farewell, Viking

Another amazing feature of a Viking river cruise is the disembarkation process. The prior evening a list is distributed with cabin numbers and their planned/scheduled time to depart. The poor souls in one cabin were scheduled to leave at 4:30 in the morning to catch their flight. Since we were going to an Amsterdam hotel we  had the luxury of leaving the boat at 9:30, after enjoying a final breakfast with Sylva. We vacated our cabin in a timely fashion in order to give our steward as much time as possible to prepare for the next round of cruisers. The ability to actually enjoy breakfast and disembark in a leisurely manner is much less abrupt than being herded down the gangway and searching for your luggage before queuing to go through customs.

Sir Albert Hotel

The air was cool, the wind was brisk, and our driver was tardy. Other drivers indicated that traffic was exceptionally congested and everyone was having issues. Our driver arrived about 20 minutes later than expected, which didn't create any problems since we didn't have plans until 14:00. With the luggage loaded up we made our way to our hotel in the Oude Pijp neighborhood. The Sir Albert is a quirky property with a friendly and efficient staff. Both of our rooms had water closets and shower closets with lighting tied to the vanity area, which made it difficult to shower without disturbing someone who was still sleeping. Given my habit of rising early and going on walkabout in search of coffee and noshes this little glitch was a bit of an annoyance.

Heavenly Cappuccino

After depositing our luggage at the hotel we were in need of snacks. The Google informed us that there was a shop a couple of blocks away by the name of "Bagels & Beans" and we went in search of coffee. We were warmly greeted by a waiter when we entered and invited to select a table. We ordered our coffees and some pastries while we investigated the GVB app and figured out the optimal choice for getting around the city over the next several days. (The app is pretty straightforward, but we all experienced periodic glitches when the readers would put our phones in ApplePay mode when trying to "tap" in or out and lock everything up, forcing an app restart. Just keep an eye on things - we had no trouble scanning our screens.) Our waiter delivered MASSIVE cups of coffee, and I must say it was the absolute best cappuccino I have ever had. I returned a few more times during our visit to confirm it wasn't a fluke.

Canal Tour

We walked from Bagels & Beans to the tram stop in plenty of time to make our scheduled canal tour at 14:00. When the tram arrived we followed other passengers on, through the wrong door. Of all the public transit systems I've ridden in a dozen cities on three continents this is the first time I've ever encountered one that had entry and exit doors. I suggest looking for signage in order to avoid the wrath of the tram conductor!

We arrived at the appointed location ahead of schedule and waited, wondering if it was actually the right spot - all the markers matched our instructions, but one never knows. Just before 14:00 a young man wearing a shirt emblazoned with the tour company logo approached us from the sidewalk and confirmed we were in the correct spot, and said the boat should be along shortly. Great relief!

Two more couples joined us just before our Flagship Amsterdam boat arrived. We boarded and enjoyed a two hour-ish trip around the canal system. During the cruise we enjoyed a conversational overview of the history and traditions of the canals (and saw dozens and dozens of recreational boaters enjoying the spectacular weather) all without getting bogged down. Our captain (who was Dutch) and our host (who was American) kept us entertained and informed while answering nearly all of the questions any of us could ask. Shamefully I did not take good notes and failed to record their names, which is a fault that I need to focus on in the future.

After our cruise we set off to walk several blocks to Zeppos Cafe, where we had a dinner reservation at 17:00. A couple of shops caught our attention along the way, but we still managed to arrive a few minutes early and the hostess seated us immediately. The atmosphere is a bit eclectic, and the menu is a mix of reliable choices such as salads and burgers, sprinkled among more interesting selections including guinea fowl and limberg-style asparagus with ham. Everyone gave their meals high praise, the service was of the highest caliber, and the value was quite good. Kapatein Zeppos easily earned a spot on my list of Amsterdam restaurants for future consideration. Another solid TripAdvisor discovery.