Our day started off with breakfast at our hotel. It was not included in the booking, but we felt it was better to get off to an early start without having to find a restaurant. After breakfast we headed over to the Van Gogh museum. We bought a pass which gives us unlimited transit on the buses and trams and entrance to some museums and attractions. It also got us to the front of the long. The museum was definitely a do again. We both really enjoyed seeing his art work. The museum is set up so it goes in chronological order and you can see how his art changed and developed over the 10 years he was painting. We followed up with the canal cruise. The boat takes off and cruises along the various canals. Some there is barely enough room to swing the boat around. The driver must turn like the log boom boats we see in BC. The tour lasted just over an hour. We passed many of the buildings we were going to visit today and tomorrow.
Roy has added the picture of the curved bridges. There are 7 of them in a row and we were at the only place you can see them all.
The VanGogh museum was great. No formal lessons, he tried all of the different techniques and used them as he wished. What makes him a famous artist and someone else never gets noticed. His are was done quickly with short cuts but it still has something that makes the painting come alive.
We went to a pancake house for lunch. They are everywhere. The pancakes were like the ones you get at Panakoeke house at home.
Roy has talked about our boat tour. After that and lunch we rode the tram to Dam Square and toured the Amsterdam Museum. It was good but we probably should have bought the audio tour. The places you could go to hear about the history of Amsterdam were too busy. Next to Neuwe Kerk (new church). Construction began in 1410. (Oude Kerk -Old church was begun in 1250) It began life as a Catholic church but the government ousted the Catholic Church in the 1600s and it has been protestant ever since. there was a movie by a man named Fabre playing. It represented different forms of civilization - very weird.
After this we had a damned good and expensive beer on Dam Square. Always fun to sit outside and people watch. Wandered at bit and found the narrowest house in Amsterdam. It is only 6 1/2feet wide and 20 feet deep. I was starving so we had dinner and then visited the Red light area. The girls stand in their windows in scanty attire and lure customers in. Most of the girls were young and attractive. A man in a group ahead of us (including a husband and wife - tourists) opened one door and asked how much she charged - 50 euros. They just close the curtains when they are busy. My god, what a terrible way to make a living. A little of that went a long way so we headed back to our hotel but first we had to get past all the "coffee shops" and stores selling paraphenalia for smoking and for sex.
Back to the room to wash some clothes and blog.
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