We arrived in Amsterdam yesterday - overnight on the boat from Newcastle to IJmuiden and then on a coach for boat passengers into the centre of Amsterdam. 27 hours from Melksham, 2 trains, 2 buses and 1 ship. Extra costs for the crossing on top of the pass and by the time you pay for a cabin and meals, saving an overnight hotel, it made sense for us. And it avoided the need to transit London as Eurostar, or Harwich, would have required. Our passes are first class, and past experience of Cross Country trains to Newcastle suggests that it's a LONG journey in standard class.
The transfer bus from Newcastle Central to Royal Quay was a standard bus designed for regular passengers, without extra allowance for all the stuff (cases, big backpacks, carpets!) people had with them and the travellers were excited to get on the bus, leaving little space for Lisa's mobility aid "Henry" and we struggled to get even seated - the last two seats grudignly given to us, with the comment from the woman opposite (we had back facing seats) that her pack was big - so didn't allow me to even get me feet in properly.
That bus aside, all AOK and we found our hotel in Amsterdam close to Central Station. Like the
UK▸ , streets are numbered odd on one side and even on the other. Which is fine until you go down the wrong side and can't cross because it's a canal and not a road between the sides.
I'm on a continuous pass ... Lisa on limited day ... and in the afternoon I took a trip out to Enkhuizen - about an hour by train. The station there is waterside, the service to Amsterdam electric and every 30 minutes, and it was a pleasant town and quayside to walk around. The online promotion site for the town tells me ""Within the old ramparts you will find no fewer than 361 national monuments and the most unusual street names. Also discover the Zuiderzee Museum and Sprookjeswonderland, be surprised by the special stores and enjoy the cozy restaurants."" I suspect I saw, but did not have time to comprehend, a handful of the monuments and have 350 more for next time.
This is a dual purpose trip - for us to relax and have a good trip now that I have retired from my local Town Council, and also to look and learn more about travel and transport and how they fit in with city planning; I have been working / campaigning / informing / partnering for 2 decades now for changes for the better in my home area and there's nothing like seeing other practise and its effects first hand elsewhere. More about than elsewhere and in separate posts elsewhere; my trip out to Enkhuizen was educational to say the least. It helps inform my technical strength as I talk and persuade/inform/suggest transport professionals.
Edit - adding pictures
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