After a long, refreshing sleep, we were ready to move our feet and explore. Breakfast at XO Blue Square Hotel (included in the price) was impressive: bacon, real eggs, sausages, various fruits and vegetables, yogurt, cereals with milk or soy, breads, cheeses and meats, and lots of specialty coffees. Phil, who likes his coffee in big mugs, was having to adjust to high doses of caffeine in small espresso cups.
Then, after a brief planning session, we started out. (I was too concerned with deadlines before we left to do any trip planning, so our time here is quite ad hoc. And when I ask Phil what he wants to do, he just says, “Whatever you want to do.” Which is kind, but lacks direction.) One great thing about Amsterdam is that public transportation is very easy to figure out—with the help of my maps app.
My faithful GPS app tells me how to walk everywhere, take the
bus/train/tram anywhere, how to connect, and when the next bus is coming.
It has made getting around the city a breeze.
So we started out, fresh and full of breakfast.
(It took five minutes and a heated discussion on photo technique to get this selfie,
so it’s a miracle we’re still smiling.)
We took the Tram 7 to the Rijksmuseum but didn’t want to start our first day with an overwhelming amount of art, so took a canal cruise instead. Some scenes from the cruise:
Houseboats lined most of the canals.
Most of the people on the cruise were American.
One of the wealthy residences along the canals.
The famous house with six heads.
Bicycles parked everywhere—even on the bridges.
And bikes, bikes, bikes everywhere. The sidewalks are jammed with bikes of all shapes and sizes—all locked. This is the most bike-friendly city in the world.
All major roads have bike “roads” on both sides of the road, on which bikes and motorcycles can ride (fast!). Pedestrians who stray onto these paths are an endangered species. People from all walks of life whiz by on wheels: in suits, dresses, long coats, shorts, carrying briefcases. One kind of bike is elongated with a huge “basket” in front that can hold 3 children!
Here’s another popular form of transportation in Amsterdam. You’ve heard of tiny houses—well, this is the tiny car to go with the tiny house:
From the boat tour, we walked a couple of miles to the Versetz Resistance Museum, which chronicles the heroic work of the Dutch Resistance during WWII. I was particularly keen to see this because several of Mom’s friends remember their parents’ work in the Resistance during the war. However, it was closed for refurbishment until sometime in December. I was sorely disappointed.
So instead we walked to the Rembrandt House. Fortunately we decided to have a beer first—very fortifying!
Rembrandt’s house (where he lived for about 20 years—until he went bankrupt and couldn’t pay the mortgage) was a delight, built in 1606 and refurbished to look much as it did when he lived there. Some photos:
Rembrandt’s home is in the center. Well preserved.
The Rembrandts’ cupboard bed. People slept sitting up in those days,
fearing they would die if blood rushed to their heads lying down.
He pioneered etching as an art form in its own right.
Here is a self-portrait with an expression of surprise.
I would have loved to page through those old books!
What was perhaps most moving about the experience was knowing that we were standing in the same rooms as the great artist, and could sense some of his presence still lingering. It made him seem more real somehow.
Walking and standing, walking and standing, walking…. That can get tiring. So we headed back via train and tram to the hotel, lay down for half an hour, then went for dinner to a Turkish restaurant down the street. Great hamburger (Phil) and shawarma (Edi). After all those calories, we took a long walk, then headed home.
But tomorrow we will have to try some of this:
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