Sea Day and Amsterdam

Thursday was a sea day and we definitely needed a day of rest!! Unfortunately everyone that is disembarking in Southampton needed to check in with UK immigration. We got up at 7:15 and headed up to the area where the customs officials were and took care of that process. Then immediately headed back to the cabin for four more hours of sleep!! Lunch was at The Local which is an included "pub style" restaurant. Had some delicious Thai chili chicken wings and fabulous Rueben. Both very tasty and just the comfort food that was needed. 

After lunch we headed back to the cabin. Angie had some work to finish up. I watched a couple of movies. Cocaine Bear was very entertaining. Knock At The Cabin is the latest M Night Shyamalan film. It was okay but he never seems to be able to recapture the magic he had with The Sixth Sense.  

Dinner was at Onda By Scarpetta. 

 Scarpetta is a famed Italian restaurant in NYC. I ate there several years ago and left very disappointed. The version on the NCL ships has been excellent the two other times I tried it and it was also good this time. I had a delicious shirt rib risotto as a starter and Pappardelle Bolognese for my main. The Bolognese was a bit better the last time I had it on the NCL Encore.  

Today we are in Amsterdam. When we were here last year, we hired a private guide and went to the Van Gogh museum. This trip we hired a guide to take us to the Rijksmuseum. 

This one is more of a national museum, focusing on all the influential Dutch painters. Some amazing pieces including several from a somewhat "unknown" artist Johannes Vermeer. His paintings are so realistic - almost photographic in style. And of course many by this artist called Rembrandt can Rijn. Maybe you've heard of him? The museum recently bought Rembrandt's "The Standard Bearer" for 175 million  Euros!!

 And they also have perhaps Rembrandt's most famous work, "The Night Watch". It's currently undergoing a public restoration so you aren't able to see the whole painting. 

Tonight's dinner will be in Le Bistro which is the French restaurant on board. Possibly escargot and Dover sole for dinner. 

After dinner, it was perfect timing to watcour ship transit a lock.

Tomorrow we'll be in Bruges Belgium and have an early ship excursion which includes a canal cruise. Another country to check off the list!! Then Sunday we'll disembark in Southampton.