Day three "A" 4-17-17 (Mondag) at Arnhem..."A Bridge Too Far".

Ruth has gone on her own this morning to the "House of Orange" in Arnhem, while I will go this afternoon to the Arnhem Airborne Museum and Cemetery. It will be the only time we will go separately, but with the walking we find that not doing every walk helps with the energy reserve.

The ship has docked just outside Arnhem, and the Frost Bridge (A bridge Too Far), is only 500 feet from where we are. Across the river, (Nederrijn, but essentially the Rhine ) are some sandy spots along the shore and long "dikes " leading from the roadway. I can picture the troops waking their way in the battle leading up to the bridge while the book of the same name  gives detailed accounts  of the progress or lack of , of the British/Canadian and Polish troops as they approached the bridge. The pillars and post of the original bridge are still intact and used in the modern steel bridge that was built later on the same site.  This view out my stateroom window (a sliding glass door) is looking south across from Arnhem, where now apartment buildings are built. In 1943-44 the troops moved through this area which was then all farmland and vacant property. So I look forward to this afternoon to review the attempt to free the people of Arnhem (Netherlands) from the Nazi rule.

Backing up a bit to yesterday and Friday,  we certainly saw the effects of good stewardship but found out that the Netherlands still has only about 5%  renewable energy sources, and has a goal of 20% by 2020 which they will not reach.  They are lagging behind most of Europe in this effort. There are many wind generators around and the thermal is limited in practice. There is some solar  but it is not as viable as the USA in those sunny areas of the country , as Netherlands has many more cloudy days off the North Sea. Projects are "in the works" but politics slows down the actual completion of them.
There actually of .03% of heat recovery from "milked milk" that produces renewable energy. (Bet you didn't know that! Neither did I.

Today the sun has come out early in the day and although we have not had much rain, and only a few sprinkles, the next few days is predicted to be sunny. That would be a bonus as we expected rain each day.

The meals are terrific. So many choices of main dish, (entree) and desserts, as well as choices of side plates (cheeses and salads). I'll put is a sample menu as we go along for a visual. The wait crew is excellent and each room is cleaned each day by the stewards. Ours is  'Tomas'  a young 20 year old., from Hungary.  Very friendly and comfortable to be around.

The Heritage Railway from Hoorn-Medemblik... Today, the railway is operated as a tourist attraction. The centrepiece of its collection is the former Nederlandse Spoorwegen locomotive 7742 Bello, the only preserved light steam engine in the Netherlands. Other steam locomotives in running order include three tramway engines, two of which are enclosed tram engines (steam dummies). The remaining ones are: three industrial engines; a German engine which is now being rebuilt as a replica of a Dutch railway shunting engine (of a series of which several also served on steam tramways); and a locomotive of industrial type which served at a steam tram company in Zuid-Holland, still awaiting restoration.

This is the 7742 Bello which pulls the trams, circa 1876. We rode about 6 miles through three stations, stopping traffic on all roads at least temporarily. At non guarded crossings the men had to get out and stop the traffic. 

Inside the trams , note overhead transoms for ventilation, and can you smell the coal smoke?

Today was also resupply day. So when the truck came to bring the supplies it was "All hands on deck" in order to unload the supplies and get them into storage and the places they belonged. The crew is good natured and we heard many laughs and joshing. One of the storage places was across from our stateroom.

The truck arrived just as many passengers left for the morning tours.

The staff begin to unwrap and load the supplies onto the ship

Each one has a part to play in the chain that moves the materials into the ship and storage.

All sorts of "necessary " supplies of course.

And, recycling the bottles is part of it and the truck takes those back out.

Ruth will add some thoughts after her trip to the House of Orange. Did you know that William III married Mary , his cousin, the niece of Charles II. Hence the school named "William and Mary".

See you later .