Dutch Music Box and Clockworks Tour Part 5 — WatchProSite Forum Digest

cazalea · 2018-04-16T16:42:36Z

Join cazalea's Dutch tour, exploring Amsterdam's markets, local food, and a Viking River Cruise experience up the Rhine to Basel. Travel insights.

cazalea

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

6 replies1006 views40 photos

cazalea continues his captivating travelogue, offering the fifth installment of his Dutch Music Box and Clockworks Tour. This segment shifts focus from horological sites to the broader cultural and travel experiences of Amsterdam and a Viking River Cruise, providing a rich, personal account of his journey.

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Thanks for reading along on about our Dutch horological vacation tour and cruise. Sunday and Monday we were free to do things of our own choosing, so we went to church,

walked through the flower market (bulbs, anyone?)

(seeds, anyone?)

(cheese, anyone?)

looked at artwork along the way,

and checked out their best fish and chips shop.

VERY GOOD is the rating (sorry, focused on the fish not the Wittnauer)

Traffic is quite tight in Amsterdam.

although not everyone rides a bicycle as is commonly thought

There were lots of electric cars - we saw mostly Teslas and Volts.

I stopped into a Brompton shop to get warm and enjoyed a long talk with a cute, energetic cyclist lady who knew all about her products.

We went back on the street and off to catch our bus to the boat.

We were thrilled to finally unpack in our room - here for a whole week.

We unpacked everything, and set out to explore the Viking Herja.

We got about 100 feet and stopped to enjoy cocktail hour.

At 4 am I awoke and grabbed this out the stateroom window.

On our way, up the Rhine to Basel. If you haven't been on a Viking cruise, I recommend you check it out. And no, I don't get any perks for saying that. I'll just provide a little teaser about the ship.

Locks on this river are about 12m wide and 150m long. Our boat was 11.45m wide and 135m long. No casinos, no kids, no art auctions, no exercise room. Just food, wine, luxury and daily excursions.

Main lobby / entrance hall for the 3 decks.

Library with lots of nice books. Honest, I took 5 to my room (my wife eventually returned them, don't worry)

Elegant furnishings but still comfortable. If you don't know, Viking is privately held and the Norwegian owner and his family run it their way. At the moment they have about 70 river boats; soon to be 100.

This is the bar and lounge. No stage, no schlocky shows.

Interesting but easy-going artwork

On/Off the ship and 30 seconds, every time. Try that on an ocean cruise!!

Next stop, Kinderdijk, the community with 19 windmills built in 1738 and 1740. STILL WORKING!

Then back on board to get warmed up.

While we are on the subject of food and drink,

I love getting up early (say 6 am) but I am not accustomed to this buffet, and Marjorie greeting me with tea and a pastry.

I could get spoiled very easily.

I usually had the place all to myself.

After going back to get my wife an hour or two later, we came up for "second breakfast"

I think I'd better stop. In the next installment we will have some shore excursions. And clocks.

Cazalea

Key Points from the Discussion

Viking River Cruises enforce an 18+ age policy, with no special facilities for children or accommodations for mobility aids, ensuring a specific adult-oriented travel experience.
The Viking Herja, despite being a river 'boat,' is technically a ship due to its size (over 8 tons with two continuous decks) and offers all cabins with views and balconies.
The narrow dimensions of the Viking Herja necessitate specific maneuvering at docking spots for supplies and waste, as dedicated docking facilities are rare on the river.
A question arose regarding Viking's general policy on children on river cruises, specifically whether the 'no kids' observation was a general rule or specific to this tour.
The WiFi on Viking cruises is generally free but only adequate for emails, not for streaming or gaming, and the ship's amenities include a library but lacked functional shuffleboard equipment on this maiden voyage.

The Discussion

KMII

Apr 16, 2018

This is quite fascinating...

One question of understanding, though. You mentioned no kids on the river cruise. Is that their general setup (i.e. none allowed), or was it just your particular tour that was without? Great pictures!

cazalea

Apr 17, 2018

General Policy: No kids & no wheelchairs

Viking says: Viking does not have special facilities or programs for children (changing rooms, strollers, etc), and the minimum age to sail is 18. Anyone under 21 must be accompanied by an adult and stay in an adult’s cabin. Viking reserves the right to limit the number of passengers under 21 on any one cruise. Likewise, there are no special accommodations for walkers (Zimmer frames) and/or wheelchairs on the boat, buses or tours. So you must be able to get about on your own two feet or bring a

KMII

Apr 17, 2018

Thanks Mike :)

Still a bit young for grandparents (one is still breastfeeding) but definitely an idea for later on. Thanks for all the details!

john c

Apr 17, 2018

I've really enjoyed your tour so far.

Thanks for posting. Best, John.

MTF

Apr 17, 2018

Two or more continuous decks above waterline

Mke, Indeed that is one long ship for a river "boat". By definition, a water borne vessel more than 8 tons with two or more continuous decks above the waterline is a ship. Every cabin has a view and balcony. I see the TV adverts everyday but didn't know what to expect. Thanks for the insight. You left out the shops that also sell magic seed stock from a different plant to tourists......exotic stuff with names like Moroccan Blue and Jamaican Jerk Regards, MTF

cazalea

Apr 17, 2018

It was looong

No matter what you call it, this boat was like a needle. Due to limited corridors, it must be moved fore/aft on the docking spots to unload rubbish or take on aren't docking facilities per se on the river, just small platforms for the ramp.

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