It was a short walk from the bike shop to the dock where our canal cruise would begin. Our cruise was called the 100 Highlights cruise. Supposedly this one is a very popular excursion. The boat was nearly full when we cast off.
As we headed out into the harbor, we passed a large triple-decked structure that resembled a parking lot. In fact, it was a parking lot…for bicycles. We would see a couple of similar bicycle parking structures in very short order. This was an unmistakable confirmation of what I had heard about the ubiquity of bicycles here.
When you look at a map of the area, there does not look like there are all that many canals. That is until you get out on them. We cruised among what seemed to be an endless number of them. It was maze-like. I wonder how long it takes to learn to navigate around these canals.
Don’t get me wrong, this was a very pleasurable experience. Quite relaxing being out here on the water. The clouds had rolled back in, lending an almost intimate air to our cruise.
Our captain/guide directed our attention to various points of interest we passed along the way. Maybe it was just me, but this particular cruise seemed like the perfect mix between information being given and allowing us to drink in the scenery without interruption.
Boat traffic today was moderate. I wonder if they ever have traffic jams here. Sometimes we had plenty of company on the water. But then we’d turn onto another canal and it seemed like we had the whole waterway to ourselves.
One of the bridges we passed under has two pairs of rostral columns. The upper rostra support street lamps. We learned about rostral columns a few days ago in Russia. If our guide explained the significance of the columns on this bridge, I missed it.
Turing down another canal, I noticed the houses here looked like storybook houses. In some ways they resemble books on a bookshelf, thin and three to four stories in height. Most were constructed of brick. A group of these houses would be tightly wedged in between more modern buildings. A few meters down, the scene would repeat.
I think I was in elementary (primary) school when I read The Diary of Anne Frank. Years later, I learned that Anne lived here in Amsterdam. But I had no idea we’d be seeing it today. When our guide pointed out the building where she and her family hid out from the Nazis for two years, I was jolted into action. I started photographing all the buildings around the immediate area to ensure I captured the right one. (It’s the one with the blacked-out windows, left of center, to the right of the red awning.)
Nearly 80 years later, the story of Anne Frank still resonates throughout the world. Even from our position on the canal you could see the long line of people waiting to get into the Anne Frank House. It is now a museum. I feel fortune that we were able to see it, even if it was just from the outside.
Not long after we passed Anne Frank House, we arrived back at the dock. This left us some time to explore the city on foot on the way back to the terminal.
One of the first things I wanted to do when we ‘landed’ after the canal cruise was to go see Amsterdam Centraal Station from the front. The station is a very busy place. In front there are buses and trams coming and going, serving several different routes. Inside you’ll find over a dozen platforms (I heard there are 15 of them) for international, national, and local rail service. Underground is the Metro system. We’re not done yet. On the harborside waterfront there are the docks for ferry service. Amid all of these transit options, hundreds of people swarm the station. I found it interesting that here, even though all of the transit vehicles run on a schedule, no one seemed to be in a hurry.
Next on my agenda was beer. I wanted to try an Amstel. Even though the brand is widely available in the US, I wanted to have one here in Amsterdam, the city of its birth. I saw a bar with an Amstel sign out front when we started out on the bicycle jaunt and planned to stop by on the way back to the terminal.
From the main street we angled off on one of the side streets that led to the bar I saw. Here we encountered a lot more people. I looked at the brick buildings along the way. A few have Amstel or Heineken signs on their walls. If these are bars and/or cafés, there sure are a lot of them. Some of these have small tables outside (it was very nice outside by this time). A few customers were sitting at the tables enjoying a beer, coffee, meal, some conversation, or just relaxing. I would love to stroll up and down these narrow streets but time was starting to become a factor; we needed to be back to the terminal within the next hour.
The closer we got to the bar, the more people we encountered on the side streets. As we approached, I got an increasingly uncomfortable vibe. I decided to go to one a few doors down, instead. There was only one other patron inside. Strange because the other bar I had originally planned to go to was packed, people overflowing onto the patio and into the street. I placed my order for an Amstel. The proprietor served me the beer but kept giving me unsure looks. Don’t know what that was all about. Had it not been for the looks I received from the proprietor, I may have finished my beer inside. Instead, I stepped outside and drank my Amstel. Meanwhile, while my wife wandered around the nearby shops.
Leaving the bar, we ambled off in the direction of the terminal. On the street I spotted a hot dog vendor standing by his cart. Hmmm. A hot dog. Just the thing to help sop up some of the beer I just finished. So I got one and off we strolled again.
A few bites in, I realized I did not like at all. It was terrible. The meat was too soft and it had very little flavor. I ate maybe a little less than half. When we got out of sight of vendor, I tossed rest in the nearest trash can.
Continuing on the way back to the terminal we passed the Amsterdam Public Library (Openpare Bibliotheek Amsterdam) and the Conservatory of Amsterdam (Conservatoruim van Amsterdam). Beyond them lies Nemo Science Museum. Right on the waterfront. From a distance, it looks like a large ship rising up about to crest a wave, with a cutout about 1/3 of the way back from the bow. It gets odder. On the roof is a park-like setting. There are trees and a handful of shacks (I guess that’s what they are). My wife captured a photo of this while we were cycling earlier and we both wondered what in the world it was.
So what’s really going on up there? It’s an open-air terrace. Since Amsterdam is pretty flat in topography, you have excellent views of the city from up there. A restaurant is available if you care to dine up there. I would. I hear they have an exhibition going on. On occasion, classes are held. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll be there when they have a concert. That’s outside. Inside there are several science-related exhibitions you can explore.
I do wish we had more time to spend in Amsterdam. There are so many things we saw that I’d like to learn more about. And so many things we didn’t get to see. More reasons for us to come back and visit.
Side street and roof of Nemo Science Museum photo credit: My wife
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