We went to Amsterdam for President's Day weekend. A very nice city and
everyone, I mean everyone, speaks English. Stay in a hotel away from the Red
Light / Tourist district. Ours was great.
Click to enlarge.
Het Canal House. (The Canal House Hotel)
Our room at Het Canal House.
Ditto.
Breakfast room at the Canal House.
Lobby of The Canal House. Amsterdammers like their narrow hallways.
The "Huis Mit Der Hoofden", or "House with the Heads,"
across the street.
One of the Hofjes (courtyards) scattered throughout the city.
The Anne Frank House, about 2 blocks from the hotel. We went in at 9 am the day
we arrived and were the first visitors of the day to this moving museum.
Canal View.
Jill with statue of Anne Frank. Some of our pictures are in focus.
Street scene outside Westerkerk, lovely weather.
Jill in the 19th century Van Puffelin cafe.
Canal View.
The Canal Boat.
The Rijksmuseum. Lots of cool Dutch Masters.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Vondelpark with the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, and Concertgebow.
Captain's eye view from the Canal Boat on the Amstel river. A fun way to get
around.
Central Station right before I saved a fellow tourist from certain death. He
would have by stepped in front of a moving tram.
Red Light district. Makes Times Square in 1980 look tame. Also about 10 times
the size.
Organ of the Oude Kerk, Old Church. Hookers in glass booths overlook the church,
lending a lovely ambiance.
Some guy's grave from the 1600's in the church.
Preaching to the converted at Oude Kerk.
My favorite saying from the 1600's. "Marry in haste, repent at
leisure".
Inside the Museum Amstelkring.
Ditto. After the Catholics were outlawed in the late 1500's they had to worship
in secret. They converted this townhouse into an illicit, tiny church. I got
yelled at for taking this picture.
New Market with Den Waag on the extreme left.
Drinking those $1.40 Heinekens is a national pastime.
Townhouses.
Ditto.
Heineken Brewery. Unfortunately closed on weekends.
Kitchen of the Willet-Holthuysen Museum.
Gardens at same. A fully furnished townhouse from the 1685.
Hallway at same.
Amstel River with one of Amsterdam's unique bridges.
Rembrandt's statue in Rembrandtplein. This was his hometown and he's buried at
Oude Kerk. They know where his wife's grave is, but not his.
Jill at the De Kroon (Crown) cafe.
Rembrandtplein.
Crooked old house in the Seven Bridges area.
Cool old children's sleigh in the Van Loon Museum. I got yelled at for taking
this one too! The Van Loon is another house from the 1600's.
Canal scene.
Ditto. Guess you can tell by now that the weather finally got better!
Street scene. Seven Bridges area with same crooked house.
Canal scene.
On a tram. This is the only graffiti we saw on the trip.
Westerkerk tower, 2 blocks from the hotel.
All in all it was a great trip. We like taking trips to European cities for
Presidents' day weekend. The airfare is cheap, nothing is crowded, and you get
to see the place without so many tourists. Try it sometime!
The Rijksmuseum. Lots of cool Dutch Masters.
Gardens at same. A fully furnished townhouse from the 1685.
