Northern Europe 2024

Bill has done an incredible job planning this trip. So he's been familiar with each new city right out of the gate. So, I have to admit that last night and this morning, I felt a little overwhelmed by the size and density of Amsterdam. I just didn't have a sense of where each area was. I said I felt like the little yellow man you drag down to street view on Google maps. I only saw immediately around me. NOW, after spending this sunny warm Sunday exploring the city like seasoned travelers, I feel so comfortable in this lively Dutch city.

We're in a hotel that wants to be seen more as an AirBnB. The friendly girls at reception told us that! We are happy here. When we walk out the front door, we're on a cobblestone, treelined street. The neighborhood is quiet and stately.

We booked a canal tour today. Fun! There are 165 canals and 1281 bridges in Amsterdam! Our boat captain must have taken us into more than 10 canals. We were told Amsterdam will celebrate its 750th birthday next year! The canal homes are so unique! Most are 300 years old and still standing. Many are 4 to 5 stories tall and very narrow. We learned that the taxes they paid on their homes were based on the width of the house, so each was tall and narrow with treacherous winding stairways. So, in order to haul things to the upper floors, each home had a timber that extended outward from the center of the roof peak. On the end of the timber was a hook. This was how they hoisted goods and furniture up. Fun facts!

Later, we made our way to the Noord (north Amsterdam). We walked, took a tram, and a ferry to STRAAT, the Street Art museum. This is in an up and coming area called NDSM that used to be the main shipbuilding area of Amsterdam. It's now a trendy neighborhood with an art focus.Les mer