Today we started off taking tram #5 to the flower market.  We expected to see a sea of flowers, but while there were alot of flowers, there were more bulbs, seeds and souveniers.  It was nice to stroll down all the shops and just look at all the different plants and flowers.  Some how the flowers seem fresher here.  One of the shops near the flower market was a cheese shop.  Inside the sales person was dressed in traditional Dutch costume.  There were lots of cheese on plates to sample and we sampled many of them.  They were all so good but we didn't feel we could buy and carry around cheese.  The lady gave us cards to order cheese if we want.  They ship all over the world.  We walked on looking for a second flower market, but couln't find it.  There is a open air market that we deciced to investigate in Jordaan.  Another tram took us to the train station and we went inside to scope out what we need to do to get to Paris
Thought we had it made but later we found out we had it all wrong.

 

The market we were trying to find was in the Jordaan district which is quite a bit up scale from the old town where the Red Light area is.  We did have trouble finding where we wanted to go.  The canals and the streets are a bit confusing.  Linda finally asked somene and they did give us good directions even though we were a bit skeptical.  When we finally got there it was a huge flea type market.  The guide book said it was a textile market on Monday.  There were some textiles, Linda bought a couple of fat quarters.  The market was packed, so the people from Amsterdam must use it as a regular shopping spot.

 

We found a little sandwich shop and purchased a couple of sandwiches for lunch.  We walked to to the canal, found a spot and had our lunch.  We were able to get onto a small dock.  It was a great place to have lunch, watching people and the boats go by.  After lunch we walked a short distance to Anne Franks house 

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Roy has left off here so I will continue.  The guide book suggested waiting until 4:00 when the line ups are less but although it was just after noon we decided to give it a shot.  The line was long and there was a bench nearby so Roy suggested I sit on it for a bit while he stood in line.  After about 10 minutes I switched places with him.  A man from the museum came along and gave us booklets to read; I asked for two, one for my husband and one for myself.  He looked over, saw Roy sitting and made a comment about chivalry being dead. I managed to save his name by saying that he had let me sit there first.  Then he got called a gentleman. The wait was only 25 minutes so it wasn't too long.

You walk up an incredibly steep  flight of stairs to the annex and there you see displays and explanations of how the Franks lived and of the time.  Then there is another incredibly steep flight of stairs to their home for two long years.  Even though Anne and her family have been gone for a long line, there is a sensation that you have stepped back in time.  May history never repeat itself.

After we left the house we wandered a bit, had  a snack at a sidewalk cafe and then visited the Ould  Keirk.  Both of us were glad that we made it to visit the church.  There was an organ recital - beautiful music!  We both thought Bruce would enjoy it.  We headed back to our hotel for a bit of a rest.  The tram system is very handy.

Wow, achy feet!  It is so good to get your shoes off and wait for the soles to stop pulsating.  When we were sufficiently rested we went for dinner in one of the many out to catch the tourists with "tourist Menus"  they offer good value with lots of atmosphere.  Sitting outside, watching the passersby is very entertaining. 

The canals and bridges add beauty to the city as do the gabled roofs.  Brick streets and sidewalks are attractive but a bit hazzardous for walking.  I was a bit shocked at the amount of garbage laying about on the streets.  It is a rather dirty city.  The people are friendly and everyone seems fluent in English.  How, fortunate for us.

Oh,last night we went to the Cafe American - quite a posh hotel.  Mata Hari had her wedding reception there.

On to Paris.  Roy has figured out which subway trains we need to take to get to our hotel.  We've got our tickets for the train