Amsterdam Day 7 - Busses, Boats, Windmills & Clogs

Today we hopped on a bus, to go and see some of the countryside. First stop was at a historical village to see some windmills.

After learning how windmills make flour, back on the bus to the small village of Volendam where we had lunch,went for a walk and caught a boat to Marken island.

Marken island has traditional houses painted black and green, and built on stilts. After they built a dam to control the yearly flooding, they bricked up the bottom of their homes.

We went to a clog manufacturing place and David watched how they are formed. I smoked and took pictures. My brain was full.

We went out after getting back to Amsterdam, and went to a few places we had been before... cafes and bars, to have a few beers and food fom our favorite places. Now its early to bed. The flight home tomorrow is going to be a long one.

I hope you have enjoyed my travel blog. I have enjoyed writing it. Stay tuned for more....Paris, Italy, Fort McMurray?????? who knows............

Amsterdam Day 6 - Cheese, Gin and Monuments

Today David and i decided we were going to do something.... but we had no idea what. After some scratching of our heads, David suggested I look to the trust guide book and find a walking tour.  We started at a cheese shop that reeked to the high heavens. Looked good, though.

As we walked down the busy shopping streets I told David to open a very simple wood door that the book said to enter. It looked like a door to a house but it entered into a hidden courtyard, a couple of square blocks big. It was the Begijnhof a hidden community, that used to be a convent in the early 1300's. A English Reformed church stands in the center of the community. We looked around and were just about to exit when i read the guidebook and it mentioned a hidden Catholic church. Catholicism  was outlawed in 1578 and not permitted openly until the 19th century. We found another simple door and entered into a massive marble church complete with stained glass and statues. Stunning.

We continued on our way. David found another hidden Catholic church on a major shopping street. We got to the Dam, the square where Amsterdam was founded. The Royal Palace, NieuweKerk (New church) and the War memorial all are here. We took a tour of the palace..... WOW!!!! Marble Marble Marble and Paintings Paintings Paintings. Just amazing.

Ended our walk at a Jenever distiller tasting room. The English apparently tried to copy Jenever but couldn't quite master it so they had to settle for gin. 

Ended our day at a Japanese luxury hotel at their 23rd floor bar. Hey we can't see history all the time.

Amsterdam Day 5 - Museums, Canals and Beer

While on my walk yesterday, I realized that my trip was half over and hadn't seen very much on my list of stuff to do. So today David, Jason and I decided to squeeze as much in as possible; Jason has to leave tomorrow and hasn't been anywhere.

We started off at the Rijksmuseum (National Museum), which is undergoing major renovations. They are not do to be completed until 2013. They have left a small 200 piece collection on display. Pottery, statues and really great paintings, quite a few by Rembrandt. This trip has made me realize I like architecture, history and now Fine Art. The paintings were mind blowing not only in size and quality but with the tiniest details and techniques. No photos allowed though.... boo.

  After lunch, (I vetoed the Hard Rock Cafe.... Christ, where to begin with what's wrong with that???) we went on a canal boat tour. Different perspective but it was neat to see exactly how much of the city center I had already seen on my different walks.  A lot!!!

We wound up our tour day with a trip to the old Heineken Brewery to learn how they make their fine beer.  MMMM beer tastings, my favorite.

Amsterdam Day 4 - Lost in The Jordaan

I had the day to myself again, so I thought I would take a walking tour from my guidebook. It was called Lost in the Jordaan. The Jordaan was a working class district in the1700's and has always been home to the outspoken and its people notoriously hard to govern. These  days its a mix of yuppies, families, the elderly and shops and gallerys. Apparently even with such a diverse group it is still close kit and you are expected to be part of the community.

I started the tour at the Noorderkerk (northern church) and had a most awesome walk. Everything here is both old and very cool. This was a warehouse at one point and still has the same famous red shutters.

Wandering around this neighborhood was a bit challenging. all the roads were at diagonals to each other and were not all that clearly marked. But at least they had street numbers. In the old days before they adopted the French custom of numbering houses, they used tile placards to show you what the store did... ie tailor, baker etc. Check out the butchers sign

I got quite hungry on  my walk and stopped at a cafe. Ordered a cheese panini. It came with ham, pesto asparagus and about seven pounds of mozzarella. OMG i may never leave this city.

Had dinner with David and Jason at a small Greek place, quite yummy. David and I decided about 11:00 to go for a beer tour. MMM Heineken Extra Cold. stored at 0 degrees.   New favourite.

Amsterdam Day 3 - Restin' and Chillin'

Today was a slack day with a whole lot less walking. Yay for me. David is off at his conference, so he was not calling my room, waking my lazy ass up early today. I caught up on some zzzz's until the concierge called at 11:00 to tell me he was outside my door with my suitcase. Double yay for me.Things are looking up.

I went for a little stroll and had breakfast at a shop I had noticed a few times Bagels and Beans.I was disappointed when I found out that the beans were of the coffee persuasion. Hung out there for a while with my new best friend Mr.Pigeon.

I hopped a tram and went to the central station looking for info on going to the Keukenhof flower garden outside of Amsterdam. Was given all the info I required to get there and as I was walking away the info lady had a bout of guilty conscience and called me back over. Told me it was not very good right now as it just opened and would be a waste of my time and money. So that sucks... I instead took pictures of the trains and the station.

After I headed over to the Red Light district in the daylight. No not to be pervy. In the middle of the bars and marijuana cafes and prostitutes stands the oldest structure in Amsterdam : The Oude Kirk. It is a huge church that was built in 1306. Took some shots and headed back to the hotel to rest up.

Wound up right back at the Central station for supper. The best Chinese food I have ever had at The Sea Palace. Its built right over the water. Pretty cool.

Amsterdam Day 2 - Touring and oogling

Today was lots of fun. Got up and called to see where my bag was. Was assured that it had arrived and would be delivered to my hotel in the next couple of hours. Decided to take off with David and see the town now that my wobbly legs had some rest. We checked out the RAI convention center, the Hilton hotel where John and Yoko had their bed-in, and spent an hour or so looking at antiques at Christies auction house.

We pulled out my trusty guidebook, which has not led me astray yet, and took a tour of "The Golden Age Grandeur".  We went through a art and antique district, the swankiest part of town The Golden Bend, the flower market and down by the Amstel river.

We were feeling Peckish so we stopped at Cafe d' Jaren where I had a good Grolsch beer and an awesome mint tea. Then it was back to touring time.

We went into Rembrandt park and then over some canals and bridges that deserved to be on postcards. At the end of our walk, the book suggested we go into Pata Negra a Spanish tapas restaurant. We ordered a couple beer and being as we couldn't read the menu, David told the fellow that we had already ate but maybe bring us a couple of things that go good with beer..... Six plates later he stopped coming back. After tasting the food I noticed that this little grungy hole-in-the-wall had been star rated by the Michelin restaurant Guide. Very Very Good.

After a couple hour rest back at the hotel to ease our full stomachs, we decided to hit the red light district. We jumped on a tram and depended on advice from strangers as we made our way. I didn't take any photos of the ladies as that is a good way to get thrown in the canal.  I don't know what to think of the prostitute in the window scene, it was very surreal with groups and families wandering around.

We rounded out the night at the Excalibur bar which had very tasty Heinekens and good music on the sound system.

P.S. I forgot to say when I wrote this earlier.... No Frigging Suitcase !!!!! Looked online and got discouraged, it said they still hadn't found the bag. maybe I will have luck tomorrow.

Amsterdam Day 1.5

So today I landed at the Amsterdam airport. But my suitcase.... not so much. The good man from baggage services assures me that for I will have it in exactly 24 hours even though for some reason they sent it from Chicago to Denver....

Anyway after a nice drive from the airport, I decided that since my body thought it was 3 in the morning, I should go for a walk and get some clothes. I grabbed my trusty map and away I go towards downtown.

Amsterdam is a beautiful city, which my words won't do much for. I will have to settle for adding pics. if you click on the pictures they do get bigger BTW. The hotel I am staying at, The Whyndam Appolo Amsterdam is a business hotel near the RAI convention centre.Located right at the confluence of 5 different canals. Look there's my room, with the open curtains.

I walked in a fairly direct manner towards the Central Train Station with stops for pictures and at a Department store to pick up a few things. I decided that I would go over one street to look for a jacket in an area that an Englishmen mentioned to me. This is about the time I realized I had lost my map. Oh well just one street over and i wont get lost. HAHAHAHAHA.The streets here are not parralel but rather the spokes of an increasingly misshapen wheel. I was lost within seconds.

I wandered around for a bit going in more or less the right direction until I found a bar "Hoppe" that I had read about in my guidebook. after that i was on my way back to the hotel. As soon as I got back it was a quick change and right out again with David.

 We ate at the finest burger place in Amsterdam BurgerMeester. mmm Royale with cheese.








After that it was wandering up and down streets stopping at cafes on canals for Fresh Heineken drafts. As the night wore on we went back to Hoppe for a few pints. They have been serving drinks in this location since 1670. Quite a cool place.

The it was dinner at The Grande Cafe at the hotel Americane : Awesome building. Sucky supper.
And thus ends day 1. Bedtime for Jimmy.