FRIDAY till TUESDAY

WE arrived in Amsterdam with an easy train ride,found our way to the hotel,checked in,settled in and went for a walk to assess our location.We were close to the Old Town and Dam Square.The square was filled with buskers,music and crowds.The square had a bit of tragedy at the end of WW2.As the people of Amsterdam celebrated,there were some residual Germans who. began firing on the crowd.There is a monument currently under repair ,but the walls surounding it told the story

BUT we had arrived to the city of canals and I will have more info on that later.Everywhere one walked was yet another canal lined with cafes,bicycles and people.It is a city of bicycles and bike lanes.The population love to bike and walk.We also were on the edge of the Red Light District.

WE found some food and beer and needed to plan for our next few days.We did not realize it was the end of summer holidays and booking for our desired sights was not always possible.

Saturday we were able to get tickets to the RikMuseum,which housed many of the world’s master pieces.We went to the Hall of Honour and our guided audio tour to Rembrandt’s paintings.We stayed for a couple of hours and were overwhelmed.

Sadly I was not able to get tickets for Ann Franks Museum.Apparently it is small and books up weeks ahead.But we did go sess it out near the canal.

We had a great lunch along one of the canals and french fries with mayonnaise…..and beer.The canals were filled with boats large and small.And a thousand tour boats of all sizes.It was amazing to watch these boats navigate the corners.

Sunday was a train trip to the Hague to see the International Court building and visit the museum.Here we were at the core of justice and the audio for the museum told the story well of the beginning,the limits of the courts power.The court does not initiate a case,but is involved with cases when a international issue is challenged by one side.

And yet we broke the law x 3 as we could not get the tram money machine to allow us to purchase tickets…neither money,credit card or change.The irony…..but we made it back to Amsterdam without incident.It was one more city we managed to get turned around…map vs GPS…as it said go north,go west etc.Michael and I have a 50/50 rule about how often we get it right.Communication being an art form!

Sunday evening was a wine and cheese boat tour.It was a wealth of information about the canals.The canals were man dug and only 3 meters deep.During the year there are a large number of bikes and cars that end up in the canal and have to be removed as they interfere with boat traffic.

The canals were built to facilitate movement of goods through the city.The wealth of the city came from spices from around the world.The spices were so valuable,that they were kept in the top floor of the houses ,to prevent any water damage they might get if kept on the lower floors.Each house had a pulley system to deliver the spices to the attics…BUT they did not want the containers to hit the side of the house and risk loss of their product.So,these houses were built tilted forward.`

We were told that in the past taxes were based on the width of your house….therefore many tall narrow houses…as well as the number of windows you had.Those who had large windows consisting of multiple panes were at a disadvantage!

This was a tour with unlimited wine and cheeses…so we did get our money’s worth.We were on the boat with a lot of young tourists and our 2 hostesses that kept the glasses full,almost like a wedding I remember.

Monday we were lucky enough to get tickets for the Vincent Van Gogh Museum.After lunch at theHardRock Cafe Amsterdam,we found our way to the museum.It is a spectacular building with a 3 level climb to the exhibit.There were many of his original sketches and letters to his brother Theo…and the letter alway had drawings.It is hard to describe the rush that you get from seeing these masterpieces close up while listening to the audio interpretation.My favorite,The Irises was the last one on the tour.A great ending to the show.

Home to pack for Geneva,get a bite and then we headed off so that I could experience the Red Light District.We wandered through more streets and canals,visualized as expected…

But there was an interesting bronzed statute of one of the female heros of the Red Light District.She was a Salvation Army Captain that ran a mission for the women of the district.

Off to Switzerland and Alpine views.Did I mention that I have eaten a lot of pastries and chocolate….but I have yet to find a lemon dessert.

See you soon