Today we chose a self guided walking tour. The brochure and map that we were to follow said 3 ½ hours. Don’t know where we went wrong but we spent 5 ½ hours, didn’t see it all but enjoyed what we did see. we were continually in awe of the history and were fascinated by some of the tidbits of info that we were reading along the way. For instance the reason that so many of the buildings are narrow and tall is that back in the 16th and 17th centuries there was a tax on the width of the building. Also, during that period there was no numbering system for the homes or businesses so many had placques placed near the front door which identified one from the other. We came upon a small side street with an inset courtyard where they have preserved many of these plaques by setting them into the wall for all to see. Notice the age of some of these . . .
Among the many historical sites we saw were Ann Frank’s house, Rembrandt’s house, and the church where he is buried in a pauper’s grave never knowing how revered his paintings have become, the Rijks Museum, the De Bijenkorf which is Amsterdam’s version of something similar to Harrod’s in London.
We passed by a flower market where each and every stall was actually floating on the canal although we didn’t realize that until we rounded the corner and saw them from the back. We crossed over many bridges, looked up and down many canals, saw lots of not so straight buildings and enjoyed a few coffees along the way. Of course that leads to a few trips to the toilet . . . not so easy. Not all coffee shops and eateries have public facilities, if you can believe it. Almost all public toilets are user pay. Most of those have an attendant collecting at least €.50 or as much as €1. How would you like that job?
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There is a soccer game tonight between Ajax and Italy . . . very important game for Ajax as a win will mean a move up to the champion’s league. In one particular square there was a large digital screen, where you can be sure the game would be shown, he fans were gathering and singing and the bars are alive and well into party hour before 4pm. Police everywhere . . . on foot, on bicycle, on horseback, waiting for the expected problems later in the evening.
We finished the evening with a little dinner and a stroll up one of the many side streets coming out of Dam Square and enjoyed the atmosphere on this walking/biking only street with it's festive Christmas light displays overhead.
Among the many historical sites we saw were Ann Frank’s house, Rembrandt’s house, and the church where he is buried in a pauper’s grave never knowing how revered his paintings have become, the Rijks Museum, the De Bijenkorf which is Amsterdam’s version of something similar to Harrod’s in London.
We passed by a flower market where each and every stall was actually floating on the canal although we didn’t realize that until we rounded the corner and saw them from the back. We crossed over many bridges, looked up and down many canals, saw lots of not so straight buildings and enjoyed a few coffees along the way. Of course that leads to a few trips to the toilet . . . not so easy. Not all coffee shops and eateries have public facilities, if you can believe it. Almost all public toilets are user pay. Most of those have an attendant collecting at least €.50 or as much as €1. How would you like that job?
]There is a soccer game tonight between Ajax and Italy . . . very important game for Ajax as a win will mean a move up to the champion’s league. In one particular square there was a large digital screen, where you can be sure the game would be shown, he fans were gathering and singing and the bars are alive and well into party hour before 4pm. Police everywhere . . . on foot, on bicycle, on horseback, waiting for the expected problems later in the evening.
We finished the evening with a little dinner and a stroll up one of the many side streets coming out of Dam Square and enjoyed the atmosphere on this walking/biking only street with it's festive Christmas light displays overhead.
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