It's Tuesday and we're on our way to Bremerhaven, Germany. But let's leave that for the next log and talk about my whirlwind experience in Amsterdam, Holland!

I left Baltimore, Wednesday, August 23, at 2045 hrs (8:45 PM), flying to Iceland and then on to Holland where I arrived outside Amsterdam at 1300 hrs (1 PM) Thursday. Known for its canals, diamonds, museums, clogs, windmills, cheeses, and flowers, Amsterdam is about 80 square miles in size and is home to roughly 750,000 people. If I didn't know better, I'd say they all took vacation the entire week to see the tall ships! I've never seen so many people in one place!

Ken Ciccone of Piet Meinen, a wholesale florist and exporter, met me at the airport. Ken and his partner, Perry, were kind enough to drive me around and help me get settled during my first day. Ken is a former teacher in Baltimore City and wanted me to convey his greetings to all the students in Maryland. Although I stayed in town the first night, we managed to stow my bags aboard Pride II and began some early sightseeing. Our first view of the river was incredible! Tall ships from all over the world had gathered for the occasion and were sailing up the river surrounded by thousands of local vessels. It was absolutely breathtaking! The past was meeting the present for all to see.

After miles of walking, Ken had to leave so we parted with plans to meet early the next morning. I took photos of some of the tall ships that were gathered in the Ij River (pronounced ‘eye'), wandered through town, and made my way to my hotel for the night. I was exhausted but thrilled to be in such an exciting city. So sleep did not come for some time.

Day 2: Flower Market

Six AM and I was out the door and drinking my first two cups of local hot chocolate. Delicious! Amsterdam has great public transportation and crew members had free access, so I hopped on the nearest streetcar and made my way to the Central Station where I called Ken and boarded a train back to the airport where we had first met.

Ken had offered to let me see the inner workings of the flower industry and told me I'd be impressed. He didn't let me down. I was amazed at how large the facility was and how much on the cutting edge of technology the floral business could be! Warehouses are filled with every kind of imaginable flower or plant. They're stored on tall carts that are towed or electronically tracked through the building as they're bid on, purchased, loaded up, and trucked to other cities, neighboring countries, or to the airport where they're put on planes and sent overseas.

The bidding takes place at the "blumenclock," or flower clock, which is a giant room where all the carts of floral products are paraded in front of the bidders who sit like an audience in the theater but at a very steep angle so they can all see. Each bidder sits at his own desk and has a microphone and headset to contact the mediator in charge of the bidding. A huge clock (or set of two or three clocks) is on the wall and it registers the price as bids are made. Everything is furiously paced and so I nicknamed it the "Wall Street of Flowers!"

Ken asked me to take a few pictures for their advertising brochure, which I did. It was little in exchange for everything he did for me and I was glad to do so; let's hope they turn out! He dropped me at the airport and I returned to Amsterdam watching greenhouse after greenhouse fly by the windows of the train as I thought about my new appreciation of the floral industry. The next time I buy flowers, I'll be sure to check the container for a label and wonder what sort of bid was made to buy the lot! Thanks, Ken!

Upon my return to Central Station in Amsterdam, I took a ferry across the Ij river to the peninsula where Pride II was docked. Unfortunately for the crew, she was tied up near the end of the point with no viable means of transport back and forth across the busiest river I've ever seen. This became a problem for the crew returning from the city in the evenings as they often had to walk the entire distance from Central Station.

As I approached the ship, I was reminded of why she's such a great ambassador & not just for Maryland, but for all of the U.S. She's incredibly beautiful and draws attention wherever she goes. On board, I found my bags stowed in what is to become my home for the next three months. Yikes! There just isn't enough room for everything, but I'll have to make it work for me. I met some of the crew members and cadets as well as the ship's captain, Jan Miles. Lunch was served and I had my first taste of the excellent fare served by Andy the Cook. No wonder he's popular!

Captain Miles invited me to join him and deckhand, Brad Fleury, at the Sail Amsterdam 2000 awards ceremony where the prizes would be handed out for the winners of the transatlantic race that Pride II had just completed. (You can read the exiciting Captain's Logs that tell all about the race - from storm to calm to everything in between.)

Awards were presented in the various classes of ships that participated in the race. It was exciting to see all the Captains, Mates, and various crew members in anticipation of the awards. But it was made even more grand by the entrance of the guest of honor, His Royal Highness, Prince of Orange. When his mother, Queen Beatrix, steps down from office, he will become the new king.

As the awards began, I watched the Captains and crew members in their reserved section. Even with all the fierce competition, it was great to see the support within the realm of tall ship crews. During the race itself, at least one ship diverted to assist a competing ship that was experiencing difficulties. That sense of camaraderie was plain to see at the ceremony.

Pride II placed 1^st in her class in the race from Halifax to Amsterdam and I was proud to be watching and taking pictures as Captain Miles and Brad Fleury accepted the awards. The Master of Ceremonies mentioned that there was an estimated 10,000 private boats in the harbor to see the Tall Ships. Incredible!!

It had been very exciting up to that point, but our day was to get even better when, out on the terrace where the reception was taking place, we were introduced to the Prince of Orange. He was a very likeable and approachable person who shook all our hands and congratulated the Captain on the award. I had been in Amsterdam for one day and already met the Prince!! He and Captain Miles discussed the mission of Pride II while I looked across the river at the celebration and the tourists boarding the ships. Even from that distance I could see all the congestion in the area of Pride II .

We returned to the ship to find the crew answering questions and preparing for the catered party that would be on board that evening. I'm continually amazed at how hard the crew works and how much stuff they have to work around. They are the most efficient group of people working toward one goal I've ever seen. I'm discovering that I know very little about this kind of sailing and I'm a bit intimidated and concerned about learning everything and "pulling my weight" while on board. I spent the rest of the evening trying to sort out my things and plan for the next day of visiting the city.

Day 3: Museum Hopping in Amsterdam

Morning came early again as I struggled with jet lag and lack of sleep, but the adrenaline kicked in as I thought of what the day might hold for me. I jumped on streetcar #20 and got off in the museum district where I first visited Coster Diamonds. The diamond industry in Amsterdam dates back to 1586 and it can claim that it processed the world's largest diamond, The Star of Africa, as well as the smallest. It was an interesting exhibit of stones and how the cutters develop exquisite showpieces from the rough material. As in the museums, photography was not allowed, but it was interesting to see.

Night Watch courtesy of the Rijksmuseum

Holland's largest museum is the Rijksmuseum which has an incredible seven million items in its inventory, although they are not all on display. The best collection of the Dutch Masters' works resides here with special honors going to Rembrandt's The Night Watch. After three hours, I was overwhelmed and had barely scratched the surface of what was inside!

The next stop on my list was the Van Gogh museum. Here resides the largest collection of Van Gogh art ranging from his early learning years through the rest of his life. My personal favorite is Courting Couples which reflects an impressionistic style. The Potato Eaters is one of his most famous paintings where he depicts life in the rural working class. His later tormented years were reflected in paintings with gnarled trees and menacing skies. As I left the museum, I felt that the works had taught me more about the artist than about art itself.

Next on the agenda was my most anticipated stop - a visit to the Anne Frank House. Although very somber and by far the most moving of any exhibit I've ever seen, I found myself drawn in by the story of this young German-born Jewish girl whose greatest desire was to be a journalist. She and her family hid for twenty-five months in the attic of this house before they were betrayed and captured by the Nazis and then put in a concentration camp. Anne, her sister, and her mother died of typhus and deprivation leaving only her father to live on and see her diary published. Even after her death, she continues to fight against Nationalism through her writings, which have become inspirations to people around the world. I left Anne Frank's house reminded that we must never forget her struggle, her story, and her desire to live her life & not as a Jew, but as a person, someone for whom every door, bus, and job is accessible.

By now, it was early evening and I was on overload from all the information I was trying to absorp; I need another week here! It took some time to get back to Central Station but I made it just in time to see the fireworks over the river. What a great way to celebrate the tall ships and the beauty and culture of this magnificent city.

I decided to take it easy on myself and slept in till 0800 hours! After some good Dutch coffee, I made my way back to the center of town (this process took about an hour!) and took a canal boat tour of the entire city. The canals make up roughly ten percent of the city and are dotted with houseboats, pleasure boats, and tour boats. Some of the most interesting boats are found on the canals. After motoring around the city for two hours, the canal boat dropped me off at the station where I made my way back to Pride II to ready myself and my cabin for the departure the next morning.

There was another reception on board with all sorts of goodies being served. The on-duty watch was responsible for answering questions and assisting the guests.

After the fireworks, more goodies came out in the form of appetizers. Fish is found in great abundance here and in many forms! After the reception, the deck was cleared and washed as the crew readied the boat for Monday's departure.

Day 5: Parade of Sail Leaving Amsterdam, Ij Muiden Locks

We departed Amsterdam under cloudy skies with a Parade of Sail down the river to drop off a few Dutch guests along the way. We waved goodbye to our Dutch hosts and headed for the Ij Muiden lock.

It was my first time in a lock and I was amazed at the engineering. A lock allows vessels to move from an area of water at one level to a different area with a different water level. Seeing the process of moving vessels in and tying them up was interesting.

This was my first watch! I work on the "B" watch, from 2000 hrs (8 PM) until midnight at which time we're relieved by the "C" watch. Then we go to bed. I'll talk about the watch shifts in a future log. We are responsible for steering the boat (which I did for a short while), keeping a lookout for ships or anything else that we might contact, and taking care of the vessel. The boat speed averaged 8.5 knots and picked up to 9.5 during the night. It was a nice calm night but the importance of navigation skills becomes obvious when it gets dark! I watched several other tall ships sail off on their respective courses as we made our way toward the German coast. I thought back to the past few days and wondered if the rest of my journey would be as exciting!

For now, I'll sign off and leave you with a few thoughts about our journey together!

Your Teacher Aboard

Lee Vogtman

YOUR THOUGHTS:

1. Do you know what city in the USA is referred to as "New Amsterdam?" Why?
2. If Holland is so small, how can it compete in the floral industry on the world market? What do you think of when somebody mentions Holland?
3. Pride II placed first in her class for the race from Halifax to Amsterdam. Where is Halifax and what is it known for?
4. Ann Frank died in the Holocaust. What was the "Holocaust?" How did it begin and end? What is genocide?
5. Can you locate Amsterdam on the map of Europe? Now look for Bremerhaven, Germany, and you'll find our next port of call!

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