Antwerp and Amsterdam on the Marco Polo

The Marco Polo was a very different cruise ship to the Serenade of the Seas I went on in May – it was much older, smaller, noisier and it rocked much more. Cruising to Antwerp and Amsterdam on the Marco Polo in Autumn was also very different in terms of leisure facilities required on the ship than the Mediterranean in late Spring and I missed being able to swim and laze in the sun during our time on the ship.

We left the London Tilbury cruise terminal on a dreary Thursday evening arriving in Antwerp bright and early on a Friday morning. The ships speaker was turned up loud in all cabins (The Serenade broadcast announcements in public areas and only in state rooms in the event of a drill or I imagine in an emergency) so anyone not awake at 7.55am soon found they were.

So I found myself off the ship by 9am with nothing open in Antwerp before 10am. I hung out in the squares taking photos and using the free wifi to touch base with the world while the small market set up.

The Cathedral of Our Lady was beautiful (and too tall to fit in my photo!) but I didn’t want to pay the €5.50 entry fee to go inside so simply enjoyed it from the outside.

Then nearby Church of Carolus Borromeus was free to enter however. I lit candles in memory of both my paternal grandparents who have now had candles lit for them all over the world in many a place they were unable to travel to during their lifetimes.

After a night back on the cruise ship which included a formal evening and a 5 course meal (!) I again woke up to my friend on the loud speaker announcing to the world we’d arrived in Amsterdam.I spent hours walking the canals, avoiding cyclists and seeing the famed floating flower markets, I AMSTERDAM sign, museums, iconic buildings and monuments and fresh produce markets.

I did walk through the Red Light District go into a Coffee Shop in Amsterdam just to see what these famed attractions were about. I felt much more comfortable in a Starbucks later in the day!