During the night we docked at the now familiar Amsterdam dock across from the Centrale station. After our second last breakfast where I made short work of an awful lot of smoked salmon with my perfectly cooked scrambled eggs.
The morning was filled with tour to a canal cruise which is the best way to view the historical centre The Canal Cruise ended at the Gassan diamonds centre where we attended a complimentary presentation.
We decided against walking the attractive route back to the ship and opted use the free transfer on the bus to sit down for our final buffet lunch. The food on this cruise has been absolutely outstanding and such wide variety in keeping with particular region in which we were travelling at the time.
 |
| Don’t go to coffee shop and expect coffee Coffee will be found in a Cafe (Marijuana sold here) |
After lunch were set off on our final tour to Edam (cheese cheese cheese) and Volendam.
The most obvious association with the name ‘Edam’ is its cheese. For centuries the well-known round Edam cheeses have been sent from this town to all corners of the world. The cheese market, once again restored to its place of honour, is enacted weekly during the summer months. And nearby cheese warehouses keep alive the memory of a colourful past. We spent a pleasant hour wandering around Edam and taking the most beautiful houses and scenery of this magical place. For a small place it had such a big church which could be seen from all parts of town.
This was probably the most picturesque place I have ever visited. I really look forward to being able to come back and explore further next time I am in Amsterdam
 |
| Our Dear Lady has been standing on this hallowed ground since the 14th century |
After a short bus ride we were in Voledam for a glimpse into the past, and a drive along the low-lying fields and windmills of North Holland, It is too pretty to be true, the quaint fishing village surrounds a picture-postcard harbour lined with wooden houses, where locals still wear traditional Dutch clogs, aprons and bonnets.
Historically, Volendam’s claim to fame was as the harbour for the neighbouring town of Edam. More recently, it’s easy to see why artists like Picasso and Renoir were drawn here to paint scenes of the harbour lined with steep-roofed fishermen’s houses, canals and drawbridges. Mum and I found a good place for a coffee and a loo. before wandering along the foreshore. 
Mum purchased one more cuckoo clock and I was able to get all the girls their clogs. After another short walk we were back on the bus for the ride back to ship and our farewell dinner. Dinner was equal to anything we had had in the past seven days and we thoroughly enjoyed every morsel.
After getting our instructions for disembarkation tomorrow we headed to the cabin to pack up and turn in for the final night on board. We had a leisurely breakfast before leaving the MS Impression for the final time and head to our hotel near the main square in Amsterdam.
Our Adventures - Near and Far 