Cruising around Holland and Belgium

We set sail from the "beautiful port of Harwich" on a Friday afternoon on our Weekend Affair cruise, and quickly settled into the cocktails and endless supply of food! It was our first cruise and we were easily impressed by all the entertainment, food and drink on board. Oh and did I mention the food? It's probably a good thing that we were only on a short cruise, because I would seriously put on so much weight if I had buffet breakfasts, lunches, and dinners every day for more than a few days!

First stop Amsterdam, and what an interesting place it was. People tell you about the sex and drugs, but I didn't expect it to be quite so public! Just one turn off the main street and you are walking through a maze of sex shops and women in windows. As you walk through the streets you can't help but notice the clouds of "smoke" wafting out of the cafes. Bizarre stuff. On the other hand we did see a more cultural side of Amsterdam at the Anne Frank museum. The museum is quite small and has been built into the house where Anne Frank and her family once lived and hid.




Brugge was our second and final stop, and it was a fantastic way to finish off the weekend. The city has a real charm about it, with all its colourful flowers, narrow streets, canals, and beautiful old buildings. We spent the day following a self-guided tour through the streets and canals, stopping only for lunch and then at the end of the day for some Belgian beer and chocolate. Hmm.. chocolate...




What was meant to be our last night on the ship ended up being our second last! Whilst having dinner an announcement came over the loudspeakers saying that there was some problem with the engines and that we wouldn't be sailing back to the UK that night. Later on whilst we were in the nightclub, another announcement was made saying that we wouldn't be setting sail until the following evening! A huge cheer erupted on the dancefloor for those wanting to party on just a little longer, but others looked quite distraught. Ah well, the next day was a public holiday anyway so who cares? We danced the night away and spent the next day just chilling out on the boat.