Holland America’s “Eurodam”
Flynn Marr 16 December 2025
When I travel I collect things like post cards, receipts, maps, newletters, newspaper pages. You never know when you will find them handy. Thirteen years ago when I took this trip I had no idea that I would be creating this web post. But because I have this material I have this picture of the Eurodam to use here.
We have come to Amsterdam not only because we love the city but because we are boarding the Holland America ship “Eurodam” for a twelve day cruise in the Baltic as our first adventure on this magical tour. Day three, today, is ship day when we go down to the Cruise Ship Terminal and board our boat.
If you have done any cruising you know that generally rooms are not ready on-board until early to mid afternoon. However, hotel check out times are in the morning. So we had a gap to fill.
We got up early and went through the checkout at the Zandbergen as we had done a few times before. We then left our suitcases in the lobby and went off for a last walk in the city.
We walked up the street the hotel is on, Willemsparkweg, and then over to De Lairessestraat, up past the famous Concertgebouw Concert Hall on out onto the Museumplein, a large field and park behind the Rijksmuseum. On the left edge of the field is the Van Gogh Museum amongst others. Standing there you are within sight of a weeks worth of things one should really see. Just amazing. This is the most interesting city!
Susan is standing in the middle of the Museumplein and that is the Rijksmuseum in the background. This is a fantastic place and not to be missed. To the left out of the picture is the Van Gogh museum with a wonderful collection of paintings and behind me at the other end of the field is the Concertbebouw concert hall.
Old Amsterdam houses along a canal but seen in the surface of the water.
We walked to the front of the Rijksmuseum to the canal across the street and then turned left and walked along the water for a couple of blocks.
Lets stop for a quick thought about canals. Water creates reflections and this can give us great opportunities for some abstract images. Wherever you find reflective surfaces, water, polished metal, mirrors, watch for images these surfaces create. Thay can be abstract, sureal, and very interesting. And never miss an opportunity for a selfie. Over the years I have taken many and I promise as the years pass they will become important to you. I have selfies in the polished metal of a B-29, in a store mirror, in water, in distorted glass surfaces. Keep your eyes open for opportunities like this to come home with some really interesting images. And the joy of digital cameras is that there is no film. You can afford to experiment.
About two blocks west of the Rijksmuseum is the entrance to the Vondelpark which is an extensive park right in the middle of the city. It is a beautiful place of trees, ponds, footpaths and lawns that extends for about a kilometer and a half. Because the city is below sea level the water table is very close to the surface and there is a network of ponds from one end of the park to the other. It is always full of cyclists, joggers and amblers like us. We entered the park and wandered our way towards the far end where our hotel was.
Susan is standing by the gate where we entered the Vondelpark. The gate and nearby fencing is decorated with the most incredible ironwork.
Vondelpark is a delightful place to stroll on a summer day. It is amazing to have such a large beautiful park surounded by the city on every side.
The iron work on the gates and fencing of the park where we entered is fascinating. You don’t see such attention to detail in modern construction.
The footpaths in the park cross the ponds at various points giving excellent settings for photographs.
In the background the Vondelpark looks like a golf course but in reality is is for walking, picnicing and enjoying the sun.
We came upon this swing on a tree that someone had put up and again it was an opportunity for a photograph. You can see there is water in every picture.
By the time we had reached the far end of the Vondelpark it was about noon and time to catch out boat. The Hotel Zandbergen was just outside the park so we retreived our bags and said our good byes. The nice thing about staying in small local hotels is that it is very easy to get to know everyone on a personal basis so good byes are important.
We caught the No. 2 tram just outside the hotel which took us to Amsterdam Centraal. We could walk to the cruise ship terminal from there but we opted for the No. 26 tram that dropped us off right at the terminal. Our bags were not a problem as we were carrying only one bag each, with wheels an them, and Susan had a carry-on bag and I had my camera gear in a backpack. Handling that lot was not difficult but maybe a little awkward at times.
The boarding process was stress free. There was a little waiting as everyone received their identy cards and had their picture taken but it was well organized. In all it took about an hour and a half from the time we arrived till be were on the ship. Considering the roughly 2400 passengers that had to be checked in that is pretty good.
The Eurodam is the ship on the left and there is another cruise ship further along the dock that can be seen on the right.
From inside the terminal, which was a very large facility, the Eurodam loomed large just outside the windows.
Once on board we found that our room was ready so we immediately stowed our gear and relaxed a little. Then up we went to the outside decks but we were caught up almost immediately with the lifeboat drill which is mandatory on every cruise we have been on. We forgot that and had to go back down to our room for our life preservers and then report to our assigned drill stations. Once that was done we went back on deck to watch our departure.
Susan is in the lower left corner in the white pants and striped top. This is the cruise terminal waiting room where we sat waiting for our turn to check in. When taking pictures, look for interesting angles like this. Even though it is a bit abstract as a picture its does convey a wealth of detail about the waiting area and how modern the facility is.
Back on deck we found that around the Lido Deck swimming pool the ships crew had light snacks ready for us and of course the wine was flowing. There was fruit, bread, cheese, some sliced meats and a great salad. One crewman was BBQing fish while in another corner a singer was holding fourth with popular tunes. When we arrived there were very few people but it quickly filled up. We then went out to the back of the ship where we could watch our departure from Amsterdam.
Slices of fish on the BBQ. It was a bit smokey but it smelled wonderful.
Fruit, salad, cold cuts, cheese and fresh rolls welcomed us!
An entetainer was serenading the crowd beside the pool as we snacked.
The departure from Amsterdam was not as I expected. I had forgotten that Amsterdam’s average elevation is 6 feet below the level of the North Sea. And yet this is a major harbour and it is busy; amazingly so. The city is inland and about 25 kilometers from the ocean so once the ship works its way out through the traffic in the harbour it has to travel a narrow canal over twenty kilometers long before reaching open water. Once arriving at the end of this canal there is a single lock to raise the ship six feet so that it can sail out onto the North Sea.
So even before we started on our cruise we traveled through the Dutch country side to the open ocean and there had an excellent view of the famous Dutch dikes that preserve much of the dry land of Holland. I had never thought about this and it was all a surprise. And it was very enjoyable to be passing through beautiful farmland that streched flat and low out to the horizon. Standing there with drink in hand leaning on the rail one had to be impressed with Holland. It seemed almost impossible that a lush green country could exist below sea level. Yet here it was.
This is a busy harbour. The tall building just to the left of center is the cruise ship terminal. On the extreme right is the Amsterdam Centraal train station. Betweem them next to the shore are low long river cruise ships for cruises on the Rhine River as far south as Switzerland. In the foreground is a harbour ferry taking people across the harbour.
On the back of the Lido Deck we gathered to watch as the ship moved slowly out of the harbour and entered the canal to the sea.
Once we cleared the city the country we passed through was incredibly flat and green. All farms and little cottages it looked as if it should have been on a calendar or Valentine’s card. The canal itself was narrow, like a river and we passed by close enough to see the local inhabitants going about their beautiful August afternoon.
At the end of the canal the ship pulled into a single lock which was to raise it six feet up to the level of the ocean outside this agricultural tableau. How all of this could be six feet below seal level was hard to believe. All these homes, green fields, roads, all on what used to be the bottom of the sea.
Pulling out into the North Sea we were able to see the famous Dutch dykes and here and there windmills taking advantage of the powerful winds off the open ocean, the ocean taking us to our adventure in the Baltic Sea.
With Amsterdam in the distance we entered into the canal that led to the ocean and outside world. Here and there were modern power generating windmills which we learned were being built to reduce Hollands reliance on fossil fuels.
Moving down the canal to the open ocean we passed through lush green farm land as flat as a Dutch pancake.
Here and there were homes and farms set amidst this incredible fertile landscape. What a wonderfully rich contry Holland is!
So where exactly are we going? Well, I’ll let the travel brochure describing the cruise tell you. The itinerary and the map are from the promotional material for the next 12 days that I found on line. The Baltic is an area of the world that I knew little about and approached with some trepidation but the voyage turned out to be one of discovery and charm, as you will discover.
Tomorrow, day four, is to be spent at sea. So what do we do on a day at sea? We explore the Eurodam. But that is for our next installment.
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