Tall ships. I hadn't seen a collection of tall ships since 1976, when the tall ships cruised into the Baltimore Harbor in Maryland for the bicentennial celebration. Over the past four days on Facebook, I kept seeing photos posted by my Dutch friends of Sail Amsterdam 2015. Last night, I told my husband we had to head to Amsterdam for the final day of the event, weather permitting!
So today, we rode our bikes to Utrecht Centraal train station, caught a crowded train to Amsterdam Centraal, and followed signs in the station to SAIL. We had never been to this side of the train station before, but once we reached Het Ij (river or bay--depends who you ask) we knew we were in the right place.
There were boats and people everywhere. It was a beautiful sunny day, with no rain clouds in sight! We all wondered if De Pannenkoekenboot (Pancake Boat) served pancakes, so that was one of the first things I Googled when we got back and was labeling photos! It does indeed serve pancakes--all you can eat in 75 minutes! Maybe another day!
Instead, we picked up fries and churros, and snacked before continuing our walk.
The happiness highlight for my husband was the Dutch Frigate De Ruyter (above). We watched it pass and then continued on our quest to see the tall ships!
We went to Sail Amsterdam with two other American friends, one of whom just arrived from the U.S. yesterday for a visit. All four of us agreed that Sail Amsterdam was definitely a happiness grand slam! On the train ride back home I reflected on our wonderful day, and how thankful I was to spend it with family and friends. Remember to take at least 10 minutes today to think about all the people and things that you are grateful for, and give thanks!
Sail Amsterdam will return again in 2020, and if you have a chance, I highly recommend you make plans to visit!
Have you ever seen a collection of tall ships?
Let me know in a comment below!
Sail Amsterdam will return again in 2020, and if you have a chance, I highly recommend you make plans to visit!
Have you ever seen a collection of tall ships?
Let me know in a comment below!