Walk This Way

Exit: light

Enter: night

Take my hand

We're off to never never land

- Metallica, Enter Sandman

Westerkerk reflected in the Prinsengracht canal. Photo RGH

We arrived from Tokyo exhausted. Our travels started in the early morning when we had to awaken in time for a traditional Japanese breakfast (Link: Shitsurei shimasu), and we didn't land in Amsterdam until 24 hours later. It did not take very long to collect our bags and get to our apartment in the Jordaan District, but Tokyo is 7 hours ahead of Amsterdam and we had a difficult time falling asleep. We were wide awake at 4 am and trying to tread lightly so as not to disturb the people in the apartment below us. Turning lemons into lemonade, we left the house for an early morning walk and photo tour of our neighbourhood. We were hoping for coffee and a pancake breakfast; unfortunately, few places here open before 9 am. We managed to find an open cafe where we got our fix and had a full breakfast to start our day.

  

  

Early morning in Jordaan, Amsterdam. Photos RGH

Arriving into Amsterdam, there was terrible turbulence and we stepped out of the airport into a raging rain storm. Our driver's weather forecast was disheartening; he said that the entire week called for more of the same. The owner of the apartment where we were staying met us at the door and showed us around. His prediction was much more encouraging ... clear and sunny. Fortunately, his turned out to be the correct one.

Our plan for the day involved a pancake breakfast (done) and a walking tour of the city. When we first started telling people about our Tour of Europe, 2-3 days each in 8 cities, one of the docs I worked with suggested we look at joining a Sandemans tour. It turns out that there were tours in every city we would visit save one.

From their website (Link: Sandemans New Europe Tours)

Every day, guides partnered with us show over 4000 people across 13 countries what the cities they call home have to offer. We believe in supporting local communities and are committed to giving a voice to these self-employed guides, who employ us to market their tours. By ensuring that every guide we work with represents our unique style of infotainment (mixing history and charismatic storytelling through the guide's own personality and flair), we've become on of the most popular tour companies in the world.

The tour was everything we had hoped for. It started off across from the Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace), wound through the Red Light District (inset age-appropriate discussion with Little H here), and toured areas of the city we would not have otherwise seen. Along the way, we learned about Dutch architecture, culture, food, and why the Dutch are so laid back when it comes to prostitution, recreational drugs, homosexuality, and getting along with others. Our guide was funny, informative, and entertaining. We have Sandemans tours booked in Berlin, Prague, Paris, London, and Edinburgh. We even splurged for the Oktoberfest experience in Munich (a paid tour ... the others are "free").

Koninklijk Paleis (1655). Photo RGH

  

St Nikolaaskerk (1887) and Oude Kerk (1460). Photos RGH

  

Waag (1585) and Oost-Inisch Huis (1606). Photos RGH

  

Begjinhof Chapel (1419) and the oldest wooden house in Amsterdam, Houten Huys (1528). Photos RGH

After our guided walking tour, we decided to head to the Hilton SkyLounge for lunch and views of the city. Unfortunately, I took us to the wrong Hilton several km in the opposite direction. All was not lost though. We got to walk through some really interesting neighbourhoods, saw the grounds at the Rijksmuseum, and Little H had her picture taken on the I-amsterdam sign. Once we realised our my mistake, we took a cab to the correct Hilton where we enjoyed "traditional" Dutch snacks (fried food) and looked out over the old city.

The easiest route back to our apartment was through the Red Light District, requiring more age-appropriate discussions with Little H. We finished the day with an early dinner at our apartment and fell asleep to the sounds of another pounding rain storm.

  

Neighbourhood views. Photos RGH

  

Rijksmuseum (1885). Photos RGH

  

City views. Photos RGH

Still suffering from the ravages of jet-lag, this morning we are all up by 4:30 am again, reading, writing, and preparing for our day. Our only plan was a visit to the Anne Frank Huis. We were all struck by how many rooms there were. I knew that there was more than just her family in hiding, eight people in all, but I was unaware that they lived in that attic for 2 years. I didn't realize that they were essentially shut in for that entire time and unable to use the toilet or run water in the sinks during the daytime. I was also unaware that more than just her diary, Anne wrote short stories, fairy tales, and was even working on a novel.

We each talked a little bit about what was most memorable from our brief visit, as well as what we enjoyed the most. The one thing I regret was that I was unable to explore the various churches and cathedrals. While I don't believe in the god that inspires people to built these monuments, I can certainly appreciate their beauty. We all agreed that Amsterdam is a city that deserves repeat visits. We'll be back.

You'll float, too ...