2022 Trip 5: Viking Grand European River Cruise: Sept. 10

Amsterdam September 10

What a fantastic day we had! Initial thoughts were for a rainy day with a Viking provided walking tour in the morning, lunch of local Dutch food on our own and finally a tour of the Anne Frank House.

Well initially a rainy night gave way to morning clouds with sun and a few clouds in the afternoon. The lack of rain was totally unexpected, even our tour guide was predicting afternoon showers. Temps maybe hit 70, just glorious.

The two hour walk with a Viking guide exceeded expectations. John had dry humor with extensive historical knowledge of Amsterdam and the US. Throw in references to art and current cultural trends and it was a joy to listen to him and learn so much about Amsterdam. There were only 11 of us on the tour and the Viking provided earphones made walking and listening a breeze.

Chris had researched a local restaurant specializing in Dutch food. It was not far from the Anne Frank house but did not open until 1 PM. 90 minutes after our tour ended. Mom To fill the gap we had found two interesting (out of more than 50) museums. We chose the Museum of the Canal.

Another gem. Opened only about 10 years it provided a thorough explanation of Amsterdam’s history, focusing on the development of the canals and their impact on the city’s growth. Done through an interactive presentation with earphones tuned to your language, it was another winner.

We walked to our lunch establishment to find a notice it was closed today, no explanation. Around the corner was a small mom and pop bakery also serving take out sandwiches. We ordered two and with two Cokes we sat on a bench and ate watching the world go by.

100 feet away from us was Westerkerk, the oldest continually operating Protestant church in the Netherlands. It was open and free today so we enjoyed examining it.

Our tour of the Anne Frank House was at 3:15 and included a 30 minute talk by a guide before we joined others to tour the house. Not wonderful but moving.

We spent a total of 9.5 hours exploring the city today. Throughout that time we marveled at the bikes, the boats, and the buildings. Bikes are everywhere in the central core. They ride with impunity basking in their moral and legal right of way. Canal cruise boats navigate the canals with moored house boats complementing the nautical perspective. But everywhere are the buildings, magnificent and a marvel of artistic differences. It was hard to limit my picture taking.

Ed and Chris

Amsterdam

Sunday Sept 11. 2 AM