Amsterdam Round trip We are still weighing the success of our first river boat cruise. We saw some great places, learned a lot, and didn't have to drive or navigate or find hotels or even pack and unpack. Those were all plusses. On the minus side, we go every where at a slow pace, with lots of other people, and the schedule doesn't usually allow as much time in one place as we'd like. We have enjoyed the trip so far, but would have made a few changes if it were under our control. We do look forward to having a week on our own. By then we'll probably be ready to be taken care of again.The name of our cruise is Windmills and tulips. We have seen both. The windmills are wonderful, old and a preserved part of the constant struggle to keep the water off of the land. Yesterday we saw the modern attempt, the Delta Project, with it's amazing technology. It is a system of gates that will close when a storm surge threatenes to inundate the land. So much of the Netherlands is land reclaimed from the sea, below sea level and sinking. Disasterous floods in the past have led to some amazing solutions.The tulips were beautiful, displayed in an 80 acre garden along with daffodils and hyacynths. Our visit was well timed for a good display, even though they are having a cold spring here too. We have been very lucky to not have rain. the weather here is much like Seattle's, which means 9 dry days in a row is phenominal.tonight we have our farewell dinner in the ship. We'll dress up a bit for dinner. Most days our denims had sufficed. Now that we have located this cafe, we'll be in contact before heading to France.Bye.Linda