< ![CDATA[  The first things that greeted us as we crossed the river by high speed ferry from where our ferry from Newcastle docked were the huge industrial windmills. They stand like tall, three armed sentries guarding the port. The children were enthralled with the huge car ferry that transported us safely over a calm North Sea last night. Everything from the hotel like interior to their tiny bunks in our closet like rooms in the bottom of the ship were novel. I've written more about that and will post it in a day or so. Right now we're in the VVV Tourist Office across from Central Station in Amsterdam trying to sort out where our campground is and figure out where to go and check for packages. cheers from NL.]]>