Amsterdam, Day 3

Before I give you the summary of today's travel, here are some shots of our boat.

Scott in the "salon"

the boat from stem to stern

There are something like 2,200 permitted houseboats on Amsterdam canals.  The owner lives next door on the boat with the thatched cabanas.  We are directly in front of the Copenhagen office of Le Cordon Bleu.

owner's boat on right, ours in center

our jungle

Getting to the boat, you step into a bit of a jungle off the street.  It does provide some privacy from the street, at least for the dining room (which doubles as the wheelhouse).

B28 - the boat parked right in front of the Cordon Bleu office

There are two schools within 30 feet of the boat, so it is chaos first thing in the morning and at 3 in the afternoon.  Scott noticed an interesting ritual -- the headmaster stands at the top step and shakes hands with all the students as they enter.

Today was clearer than yesterday, but still some overcast.  We hopped back on the bus and completed all three routes with 30 minutes to spare.  I won't repeat the basic shots from the sites visited yesterday, but there are a few places where it was easier to see today.

As we walked over, we encountered this electric car on the sidewalk... like the bicycles, they don't seem to have any rules.









The bus route started in front of the Victoria Hotel and the Central Station.

Central Station

We went near the Maritime Museum, where we could see a replica of the sailing ship, Amsterdam.

This replica was built by homeless youth as part of a project where they could learn real life skills.





We finally got to see a real windmill.  (At least the old fashioned kind.)

From the top deck of the bus, we could see into the Heineken Experience.  Huge copper vats were once used to brew the beer.

The Rijksmuseum was changing something in the front garden.

This was the spire from the Westerkerk, near the Anne Frank house.  What I learned from the narration today was that the top of the spire is the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor.  That crown became one of the symbols of the city.  Rembrandt is buried in this church.











We hopped off and transferred to the blue line boats.  We saw the statue to Anne Frank on the south side of the church, and a small plaque marking the house.

Anne Frank

Most of the tours are pre-recorded.  The captain broke in at one point to point out the most beautiful house in Amsterdam.

This row of houses was built to house former servants.  Each one would get two rooms, a small stipend, and some food.  The rooms are now available for ladies over 55 - but now they have to pay rent and buy their own groceries.






Scott has remarked quite often that people don't take care of their boats.  Here's one example.

There are four main canals that form a ring around the center of Amsterdam.  Singel, Herengraft (the one we are on), Keizersgraft, and Prinsengraft.  The whole system has been dedicated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  as you cross one of these canals you sometimes get a look down a series of bridges.

We left the canal system and came out in the Oosterdok (west docks) area near the Maritime Museum.  Behind one vessel, Scott spotted a mini submarine.







We circled around NEMO.  You can see lots of people up on the roof enjoying the interactive displays.

After passing by Central Station we entered the hetij (the main body of water) right next to one of the docks for the river cruises who go up the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland.

Hetzij is pronounced EYE in Dutch.  Across the water is a large white building called the Eye Film Museum.

EYE Film Museum

As we turned to enter the canals again, we could see the cruise ship terminal to the east of downtown, and could get a look at the north portion of the Central Station built out over the waterfront.

The area to the west of Prinsengraft Canal has had lots of development.  Behind this bridge you can see the Palace of Justice (on the left) and the tower of the port.

Our Hop-on/Hop-off tour was done.  As we walked back to the boat, we saw a sign on a fish stand - The Stubbe Haring.  Translated roughly it means "eat snook and bass as much as you want; eat eel without fail; but listen to your doctors and eat herring to keep you well."

Ever think what it takes to repair a road in Amsterdam?  Both the sidewalks and roadway are pavers, so you block off all traffic for a block, take out all the pavers and put new ones in.










While Scott took a nap, I went back out to take a few more pictures.  I went over to Dam Square, the heart of old Amsterdam.  Here you have the Royal Palace, the Niewekerk, Madam Tussaud's Wax Works, the National Monument, and lots of shopping.

all the roads in Nieuw Market lead to Dam Square

Royal Palace

Madam Tussaud's Wax Musum

The National Monument
(dba as a pigeon farm)

looking north to Central Station

looking south past Madam Tussaud's
the building over the red backpack is Hudson's Bay Co.

Magna Plaza - shopping Center

As I was walking back,
I spotted a house with a tree on its roof.















Then I nearly got run over by a school bus.  (It's kind of like a Segway with seats up front.)

All day long we had seen guys in yellow and blue jerseys around town.  It turns out Sweden was playing Netherlands in the World Cup Qualifying round.  As we were sitting on the boat about 3 p.m., we heard singing.  A Grey Lines tour boat passed full of Swedish fans, partying.  Then another, then another... at least 6 boats came down our canal.  We thought they were celebrating.  I got online and saw that the game wasn't being played until tonight.   They celebrated a bit to early -- as I write this, Netherlands won 2-0!