Ámsterdam - City of Canals

It has been a struggle finding time to post as our group has been very busy.

No question that the highlight of Amsterdam is the maze of canals.  The series of canals that ring the historic centre make the area a UNESCO site.  They are charming and a photographer's dream even with a grey sky!  The houseboats lining many canals add to the charm especially when you learn they might sell for 1.6 million Euro!  And then there are the bikes everywhere. You quickly learn that when crossing roads they have the right of way - so look first and cross carefully!

The houses lining the canals are all so interesting.  Unlike the beautiful colorful picture on the plane, the houses tend to be painted black, dark grey or stone.  On the plane they show a beautiful picture of colourful houses and call them the dancing houses.  Well it turns out those colourful homes really don't exist and the reference to dancing houses is the fact that they are sinking.  The sinking is very noticeable on many - it must be a challenge to live in them and repair them inside - the houses can't be changed on the outside as they are protected.

Chocolate and cheese shops line the streets.

With limited time it is necessary to make decisions on which museums to see.  The Anne Franks House was our first stop.  No pictures inside to share.  The museum has a wonderful audio system telling her story and the story of the Dutch Jews.  Needless to say it is not a nice story.  The saddest for them - they were on the last train out before the allied forces arrived.

The Riksmuseum is simply overwhelming.  It is a beautiful building on the outside and inside is an amazing collection of famous art.  The most famous, The Night Watchman is being restored.  They have been working on it for 2 years and will continue for another  5 to 7 years.  The restoration involves stripping off layers of varnish.

You can see the light part on the left - that is where the varnish has been removed.  There’s a lot of painting left to be redone

The Jolly Drinker and The Happy Drinker were a light touch after some very dark and sober paintings.

What would a trip to Amsterdam be without a visit to Heineken.  The tour concluded with a glass of this very famous beer.  A canal cruise then followed the beer tour.