The Netherlands Part IX - Amsterdam via Boat!

Amsterdam via Boat!

Fort Pampus

Another full day is near an end. Lines were slipped at 0930 and we were underway to Fort Pampus. The fort sits on an island in the IJselmeer and is midway between Muiderzand Jachthaven and the locks leading to the channel to Amsterdam.. 

The "Talking Head"

Registered on the world list of historic places, the fort was one link in the circle of forts that were built to defend Amsterdam. The displays were incredibly well done and some very hi tech, but all the presentations were in Dutch, leaving much to our imaginations. We were very impressed with the "talking head," a sculpture of a head with the face of the daughter of the fort commander projected onto it. She talked about her life on the island. 

Joep picked a picturesque village for lunch. We tied up to a wall on the restaurant premises and disembarked. It was pretty clear that we were blocking the doors of a lock of a small canal. I guessed that the lock was no longer in use. If it was, only very small boats (think row boats) could use it.

Narrow Street

Narrow Street

The village was delightful. We dined adjacent to a very narrow street that accomodated walkers, bicyclists and motor cars. It was unbelievable that cars could travel in either direction. There was clearly no place to pull over let alone pass an oncoming vehicle.

Joep's Mother

Joep and Mom

Joep’s Mother lives in a nearby village and wasable to join us for lunch. What a delight! She brought each of the female crew members a ceramic plate that she crafted herself. What a delightful and thoughtful gift. Anna Marie will treasure her plate as a symbol of our trip to the Netherlands and as a remembrance of Mom and our new friends, Joep and Jolanda. 

Ossenwurst

This is where we had the Ossenwurst on the recommendation of Joep. It turned out to be  lightly smoked, mostly raw sausage, tasty, but not very appealing.

Gift from Joep's Mother

Mom had time to go for a little cruise into the harbor with us. Sue and Bill stayed on land to walk the village while Mom was aboard. As we returned to drop off Mom and pick up Bill and Sue, a boat was ready to exit the small lock mentioned earlier.

VOC – Far East Company sailing ship replica

Het Scheepvaartmuseum (Maritime Museum)

 Once in Amsterdam, we toured the harbor passing under one low bridge that required us to remove the dodger/bimini so we could clear the low hanging structure.   

We eventually made our way to Six Haven, the marina where we tied the "Ice Bird" up for the night. we were just across the main shipping channel from Amsterdam. Dinner was at “De Pont,” the Dutch equivalent of a Tapas restaurant. It was a great experience with great food adjacent to the ferry terminal that took commuters to and from Amsterdam. 

Nemo