May 28 - Brugge - Dover - Torbay

 May 28 - Brugges

Brugges is a tourist friendy medieval town that we've visited before. It's got canals, cathedrals and lots of bricks.  Definitely worth the trip.

Church of Our Lady

Rose Hat Quay

Shopping street

Belfry Tower

Saint Salvator's Cathedral

Kasteel de la Faille

Minnewater, Lover's Lake

Barge Bridge

May 29 - Dover

The famous cliffs of Dover 

  We walked about town after a short shuttle ride into town.

 

Dover Castle

Street art featuring three locals. Ian Fleming, James Bond author, is on the right

White Horse Inn and the remains of St. James Church

St. Mary's Church

 May 30 - Torbay

A visit to the "English Riviera" is on tap for today. But it looked to me like the town has seen better days. The marina was filled with yachts and Saint John the Apostle looked fine.

Likewise local resident Agatha Christie and her terrier Peter.

Mallock Clock Tower

The shopping street is where the decline shows. Empty store fronts with the remaining stores generally selling discount or closeout specials. There were a number of restaurants, but we didn't find cottage pie.

After we returned to the ship the Red Arrows -- the British aerial demonstration team -- performed over the harbor. Not as good as the Blue Angels, but exciting, and noisy, nonetheless.

 

May 27 Amsterdam

We were docked in IJmuiden, on the coast about 20 miles from Amsterdam. (The little R-class ships can go up the river and dock right next to the train station.) We chose a canal boat excursion to see parts of Amsterdam. We first did this tour in 1994. And this is the first time we've been in Amsterdam and it hasn't been raining.

OK, everybody know where we're going? 

Street art on the drive into town

Hotel Pontsteigergebou, on of several architectural highlights of Amsterdam

Besides being a city of canals, it's a city of bikes

Apartment buildings

Restaurant along Oosterdock

EYE Film Museum

More architecture

Many people live in houseboats along the canals in Amsterdam

A reflection of our boat ("BLUE BOAT") captured in the window of a canal boat. The white haired guy with his head outside the boat is our tour guide.

A great parking spot comes with some unwanted visitors.

Pretty apartments

No guardrails, just a dropoff into the canal. Can you imagine doing that on a dark night? And who needs strict alcohol limits when driving when you have parking like this? Offenders go swimming.

Obligatory picture of the skinny bridge

Doelen Hotel

Oude Kerk

NEMO Science Museum

Leaving the port in the evening

Passing a regatta

 

May 26 Dunkirk

Another new port with a distinct WW2 heritage. Here Britain successfully evacuated 350,000 troops surrounded by Germans. We entered the harbor through a lock which keeps the harbor water level constant.

First stop was a coastal defense fort, Fort des Dunes.

When later fortified by the Germans this bunker immortalized the love of Robert for his girl friend Maria.

The fort was not modern and couldn't withstand WW2 artillery. But it did house big guns and fought dthe advancing Germans.

Internal galleries that overlook the moat protecting the fort.

The beach at Dunkirk. Many men escaped over these beaches using small, civilian operated boats that ferried them to larger Navy ships offshore. 

Memorial

Dunkirk Town Hall

Church of Saint-Eloi

Town hall seen edge on

Bell tower of the church

Dunkirk Museum 1949 Dynamo Operation

Diorama showing men queuing up for extracting from the beah

In the parking lot a Bugatti type 35 racing car.

To the right the actual mole used to evacuate most of the men onto Navy ships.

Entrance to the Dunkirk harbor, recently named the "Most Beautiful Lighthouse"

Cemetery for those who didn't get evacuated.