12/9 - Dover - Amsterdam

All the way to the Europe, firstly we need to pass through the Dover Enroute, passing through the country of Kent. It took about seven hours time. Can’t imagine this two weeks we need to pass our life in the bus, because from one place to another (in Europe) always take a very long time, long distance (usually up to 250km), bear in mind, from Lucerne Switzerland to Paris takes 670km!!! This is just the starting point, the very first day, and my angel’s heart is shouting o-h-m-y-g-o-d now!!! We reached Dover at 4.30am and need get prepare with the passport lest immigration checking and interview. Cross over the channel by ferry, we get our seat freely, and most of them start feeling unwell and dizzy. One thing need to be highlighted here, few of us went up to the deck and enjoy the view of White Cliff of Dover, and of course sunrise as well. It is super nice, yet the strong winds make me act like siao-char-bo!! Ok, just took about ninety minutes, finally docking at Calais. It is 8.50am right now, err, the time zone at Europe different with United Kingdom. It will be one hour earlier, our ‘HOME’ waiting for us down there! After the entire luggage collected and put into the coach, we are off towards Netherland, it is 380km, another o-h-m-y-g-o-d!! Yet, stop by at AC Restaurant on the half way for our brunch, it really cost everyone a boom!! BOOM!!!! A piece of small cake cost us €3~4, fish and chips cost €9~10pounds!!!

Get back to our coach and continue our journey, our tourist guide – David, really another o-h-m-y-g-o-d!! He is so talkative, doesn’t matter, yet, he is unfriendly sometimes and quite aggressive! I guess most of us (maybe whole bus) also unsatisfied with his attitude and the way he talk maybe. But, we cannot assume and judge him so early, maybe we will feel sad on the last day when we are going to say goodbye to him, isn’t it?! David keep on telling us the dangerous in Europe, pick-pocket, theft, how bad the LV services, how worst the hotel service (don’t have kettle, air-cond, this and that, and everything might be charged), so-called developed countries’ good images almost ruined by him. Ha-ha. Anyhow, the case really happened last week on one of the Liverpool student, just the second day of the tour, somebody nudge on her shoulder, she look at the stranger and she lost her purse, passport and everything on the other hand. Anyway, really need to have hundred and thousand awareness toward everything surrounding you.

Finally, we reach Amsterdam!! It’s a peace and nice country whereby you can find out the bicycle here more than human! Need to beware of the cyclist, bicycle instead of car! Firstly, visited to the Gassan Diamond Factory whereby we can see the production and operation of diamond, lecture of a diamond transformation from a raw mining until the high-end & valuable diamond. Just a simple diamond with less than 0.5carat cost €400! The staff also shows us another 5carat diamond, it’s huge, grand, marvelous, yet it’s bloody expensive, it’s €192,000!!!! Diamond always is our girl’s best friend, but man’s tears! Ha-ha.

The next destination, visited to the traditional wooden clog and the cheese farm. Wooden clog, one of the local trademarks whereby there are only five factories in Amsterdam. The staff so funny and lecture us about the process of making a wooden clog, the painted clog very creative and nice. Normally the yellow clog is for those farmers and red clog for those marriages. And we also tried the local produce cheese, taste nice and very strong smell. Further down to the cruise on the glass domed canal cruise seeing Amsterdam, an 80minutes ride, enjoy the beautiful scenery of Amsterdam. After we had our dinner in a Chinese restaurant, the tourist guide leads us to walk around at the city center. Dam Square, the heart of the capital. We saw the Royal Palace, Hero Monument, and the famous tourist spot – RED LIGHT DISTRICT! We saw lots of sex trade, drug stores, adult stores here, but it’s no photography allowed!!! After all, heading to our hotel – Tulip Inns Hotel, charge our battery for tomorrow busy schedule! Good Night, people.