Amsterdam

We took an overnight ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam.  We didn't know quite what to expect, thinking it might be like the Badger (the Ludington to Cheboygan ferry).  It was a huge cruise ship, with all kinds of restaurants, theaters, and shops.  We had a little cabin with bunk beds, and it was pretty nice getting rocked to sleep by the motion of the boat.

Sunset on the North Sea.

Once we docked, we took a bus into the heart of Amsterdam.  Our first task was to find Bob and Janice, as they were expected to arrive around the same time.  We connected with them, then went in search of our hotel.  Our place, the Truelove Antique and Guest House, was operated out of a yogurt store!  They have a variety of rooms, not all in the same building.  Our place is nice, in a funky kind of way, and we are right on a canal.

We were amazed at the incredible number of bicycles in Amsterdam.  They are everywhere, and moving fast, so you have to pay attention at all times.

We had a good time walking and exploring on the first day.  We went to the Van Gogh museum.  He was an amazing, influential painter, and we really enjoyed our time there.  We finished off the day at an outstanding Italian restaurant which Bob recommended.  All of the waiters sang, and at various times throughout the evening, they just stopped and sang, everything from opera to pop to country --- and the food was fantastic as well!

Our talented waitress, Simone.

On Saturday we wandered around a huge farmer's market.  In addition of all of the usual fruits and vegetables, there were strange things we didn't recognize, beautiful baked goods, cheese, jewelry, crafts and all of the usual flea market type goodies and souvenirs.  The flowers, especially all of the tulips, were really beautiful.

  
We went on a canal boat tour of the city. It's a wonderful way to see a city up close from a different perspective, plus you get a lot of information and history at the same time.

The houseboats on the canals are interesting. Some of them look luxurious, and lots of them seem to be a work in progress or a fixer-upper.  It looked like kind of a cool way to live.

We had dinner at an Indonesian place. We had what they called a rice table, with many kinds of meats and vegetables with rice. It was fun to try all the different ones.  On the way back we walked through the infamous "red light district."  It was enlightening, to say the least!  It gives the concept of window shopping a whole different definition.

We saw so many different, picturesque streets around Amsterdam. Everywhere you look it's a postcard.  I kept a camera handy in my pocket, ready for whatever was around the corner.

    
Today we met Bob & Janice at the Rijksmuseum.  They had a special display of Rembrandts's later works.  It is a wonderful collection of his amazing work.  When you look at the complexity and sophistication of his work, it's hard to understand how he could die essentially penniless.  they have a wonderful collection of all the Dutch masters there, but Rembrandt is king.  It's wonderful that so many people are interested in fine art, but I wish they hadn't all decided to come today.  It was really, really crowded.

Sometimes you just have to take a break

Amsterdam is an exciting, alive city. We've had a great time exploring and figuring it out.  Just when you start to get comfortable and have mastered the bus/tram schedule, it's time to move on.  We have part of the day tomorrow, so we'll try to hit a couple of the sites we haven't visited yet, then we'll head for the train station to get ready to move to the next phase of our trip - Prague.