Amsterdam full second day

We met our group for breakfast in the hotel. We enjoyed their yogurt, fruit and pastries. We booked a boat tour then started out for the free ferry to the Central Station side to walk to the Albert Cuyp ( 17th Century Painter) Market in the De Pijp neighborhood. It is a very culturally diverse area. The streets are named after Dutch painters such as Vincent van Gogh. It is the largest daytime market in Europe with products aimed at residents from Turkish, Moroccan and Antillean backgrounds. We ate at a Lebanese stand. The food was delicious. We took the metro back and met everyone for a canal boat tour. It was a fun tour on an open boat. We saw some new areas such as the Dancing houses at Damrak which are crooked historic houses that lean in different directions. Then the wealthy area with wider Canal houses that you can rent for approx. 30,000 euros per night including a personal chef, concierge and butler. Most of the houses are narrow in Amsterdam because they were taxed on the width of the house. Amsterdam originated in 1275. This year will be the 750 year celebration. It was known for Herring and spices from Indonesia, India and Spain. Now it is known for tourism, companies such as booking.com, and real estate used as head offices for various firms. Following our tour we walked back to the hotel, grabbed a quick bite at the Food Center next door. We sat and visited all together at the hotel. Brad & Annalisa fly home tomorrow. It has been so nice to spend time with Andy & Susie.
A fun day today.Read more