Sunday in Amsterdam

After sleeping in until late we were out and about to explore a little more of Central Amsterdam. Our apartment is well located to walk everywhere so that is what we decided to do today.

Following one of the walks outlined by Rick Steeves we walked first down Kalverstraat to Dam Square which is the centre of Amsterdam. Kalverstraat is one of the many shopping streets we walked today. There were crowds everywhere and many types of shops that were brand names we knew. I was looking for a new pair boots before we left home but decided to see if I could find some here. Of course I saw and bought a nice pair for a reasonable price. Now to break them in without killing my feet!

                                           All of the streets were this crowded with locals and tourists

Dam Square is where the city got its' start in 1250 when fisherman built up the banks of a marshy delta along the Amsel River. They blocked it with a damme and created a small village called
" Amstel-damme". With access to the sea they began trading with other countries and the village eventually became Amsterdam. The square is surrounded by buildings such as the Royal Palace and in the center is the National Monument built as a WWII Memorial.

                                             The Square is a popular place for people watching
   

Amsterdam being also a city with lots of cafes provide us with our first stop of the day.

                                                      A pint and a hot chocolate

We saw a few strange sights as we walked including this one...

Don thought it was an unusual looking phone booth until he walked in to discover it was a public urinal!

Of course what would Holland be without these iconic symbols...

    Amsterdam is full of public squares or spleins. There is usually lots happening there as we saw in this one that had a modern art fair showing today.

We also happened on Rembrandtsplein with a statue of the famous Dutch artist...

The Netherlands is also known for its cheese which can be seen and sampled in the many cheese shops around the city.

And of course we had to finish our day with a good meal at a place called The Pantry which serves a typical Dutch Cuisine. I found it on Trip Advisor and it didn"t disappoint.

                                                Pea Soup with Rye Bread and Bacon

Hutspots  with Sausage. I had mine with a Meatball.One was sauerkraut, one was kale and the other mashed carrots and turnips served with gravy. A very satisfying meal.



We have arrived in Amsterdam!

After a overnight flight into London we landed at Heathrow which was crazy. Didn't have much time to make the connection to Amsterdam so as we hurried through the airport took a wrong turn and ended up in Immigration. Obviously not supposed to be there so backtracked, found the bus to Terminal 5 and what a crowd! Now the loud speakers are announcing a high state of security so that there will be long lines at security before entering the gates. So guess who gets stopped? Don. He has to take off clothes almost to his underwear and they are were very suspicious of his 3 in 1 gel. Needless to say this morning he used Dove!

Short flight to Amsterdam and we arrived at Schiphol Airport. Like many European cities it is well connected by train into the city so in a few minutes we were at Central Station, on a tram and quickly found our home for the next week. The owner met us with his two little boys, gave us instructions and we were good to go.

                                           Don is happy to be on the train into the city

That is if we had any energy left. We could have slept then but decided on a little stroll around the neighbourhood for some air and some supplies. Went to a nearby supermarket and were surprised at the prices which were very reasonable as we were expecting very expensive! One item that is a lot cheaper is wine, almost half the price we pay at home for the same bottles. 

A great little apartment with a full kitchen

We knew that Amsterdam was filled with bikes but had no idea how many. Not hundreds but thousands of all descriptions. Bike lanes everywhere and one observation is that the people overall are very slim compared to North Americans. Maybe we should all be on bikes. The city is also very pedestrian friendly with few cars to be seen anywhere. Our first impressions are very positive.

                                                         Bikes are chained up at every bridge

                                                         We need to look out for the bikes.

Our apartment is located in Centrum and located over the Bloemenmarkt. This is the Flower Market which is the last floating market in Amsterdam. It is pretty now but must be a wonderful sight in the spring when the tulips are in bloom. 

                                            The Flower Market by our apartment

                                                Some fall flowers

The shop next door is interesting as well as you can see by the pictures. Since many drugs are legal here there are many such shops around Amsterdam.

                                                  A Magic Mushroom Shop

     .                                              Pipes of every description

Before we went back to go to bed early we stopped by an Italian restaurant for a drink and a snack so of course I had to post our first food photo.I hope there are many good ones to come through out the trip.

                                                  Nice dry white and appetizer plate for two.

Then we turned in for the night and slept for 16 hours!!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

We are in St John's today to catch an evening flight to London then on to Amsterdam. We plan on staying there a week, then on to Belgium for 9 days and into Paris for the last week.
Getting excited now, checking the weather and have our carry on packed.
Will post again from Amsterdam.


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Location:St John's