Amsterdam Sites

Magna Plaza is a mall that used to be the postal office. They have a fabulous cheese cart and souvenir shop with the most friendly proprietors. In Central Amsterdam, Dam Square, is the Royal Palace. Today its the royal place for so-called performance artists who dress up in costumes and let you take pictures only if you pay. 

 



 

 

Westerkerk is the church immortalized in Anne Frank's diary as she heard the church bells nearby as she and her family hid in the attic for two years. We visited this also, a barren and tiny place where they had no air, no sun for so long. Anne died just before their camp was liberated. The Mint Tower is near the Jewish Resistance Museum, where I had a tasty bagel with lox and cream cheese. Nothing beats the real thing!

 



 



 

 

 

 

 

Amsterdam Canal Boats

Amsterdam is the capitol of the Netherlands.  It actually has more canals than Venice, and has as many bikes as residents.  In fact, cyclists have the right of way, not pedestrians.  Since there are so many canals, everyone is required to learn to swim.  The best way to see the city is on a canal boat. A typical house has one of three roofs, and are generally the same height as taxation was based on that. Thus, houses are much deeper back than you would think.  Some people actually live on the house boats.  One is a museum, another is a cat shelter.  Amsterdam has a plethora of museums, about anything and everything you can think of, and a Heineken bar on every corner.  Oh, and you can try pot at a coffee shop.  The streets have public urinals (one of which I accidentally stumbled into), and a wide variety of religious stores and non-profits.  In fact, this is the only European city I have visited with Bibles in the hotels, like we do in the US.  I guess they really are tolerant.