We're off on another adventure, centered on an 11-day cruise on the Rhine River with AMA Waterways. We arrived in Amsterdam at 8 am to spend a few days before boarding.
We dropped off our luggage at our hotel The DoubleTree Hilton Centraal Station and took a walk around town. Unfortunately, the weather was extremely cloudy with a little drizzle, but it was nice to get our bearings.
One thing that struck me was the number of really old buildings that are still standing -- many of them leaning into each other.
We also walked along some canals and saw the numerous houseboats that people call home.
And everywhere there were people riding bicycles -- which required a place to park them. Here is a parking garage just for bicycles. They also swamp the street in front of our hotel (in the background).
This afternoon we went to a cheese tasting at Reypenaer Cheese shop. They paired 6 different cheeses with wines and provided an interesting overview of cheese. Some things we learned:
Cheese is aged in a building with pine shelves which add flavor -- much like bourbon is aged in oak barrels for the same reason.
Cheese may be aged between several months to 3 years. After 3 years, does not add flavor.
Cheese turns darker as it ages due to the sugars.
Cheese loses an "Angel's Share," like bourbon. However, cheese loses up to 20% of its original weight while bourbon only loses 2-8%.
Cheese should be eaten first, and followed by the wine.
We checked into our hotel afterwards and were treated to a great view of one of the 100 canals.
We stayed in this evening to rest up for the next day.
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