Amsterdam Day 1 On Our Own

The flight from the US was a long one but I was able to nap some. The food (dinner and breakfast) was enjoyable. We arrive at our hotel very early in the morning and our room was ready! With a quick nap and a nice hot shower we were ready to explore the city.

Nice hotel lobby with plants everywhere.

We headed out and stumbled on this statue in the center of Amsterdam at Dam Square (pronounced dom) It is a national monument and a National Remembrance Day of the Dead is held here on May 4th. On the front are four chained men representing the suffering endured during WWII and subsequent conflicts. The figures on either side represent the Dutch Resistance. 12 urns are placed in the semicircular wall behind the monument containing soils from the execution grounds and war cemeteries representing the 12 Dutch provinces.

This is Holland’s famous high-end department store. The 5 floors of luxury items opened in 1870. Unfortunately (or fortunately for our wallets), we arrived before the store opened so no shopping for us at this store.

The Royal Place was originally built as a city hall but in 1806, Louis Bonaparte ( Napoleon’s brother and then King of Holland) took it over to be his home. It was 1813 when it was returned to the state but official ceremonies would be celebrated here. 

This young man was “practicing his music lessons” in the square and hopefully was able to gather some spare change from people passing by.

Most of the buildings are divided into 3 window wide buildings (lot size based on town regulations). Wealthy people were permitted to buy two adjacent lots and have bigger houses.

This is a shopping mall (clothing) but I liked the brick pattern on the outside of the building. The inside was pretty spectacular as well.

De Nieuwe Kerk (meaning “new church”) was originally a Roman Catholic Church in the 5th century. In 1578, it became a Dutch Reformed Church and later it became a Protestant Church. It no longer functions as a church but has an exhibition hall, a museum, and a cafe. Organ recitals and Dutch investiture ceremonies are held there as well. 

Along the way we found an interesting site - and outdoor urinal. Look closely and you might spot a person wearing a familiar hat testing out the facilities.

Westerkerk (1631) is the most important Protestant church in Amsterdam. It is free to visit but not on the weekends so we were unable to go inside. Rembrandt died in 1669 and was so poor he was placed in an unmarked grave with other people. There is a memorial shield inside the church to mark the symbolic place of his burial. 

Hotel Di Ann has a series of rooms along the canal. There are shops on the first floor, then the upper floors are rented out to overnight guests. I understand there is no elevator and the staircase is very narrow and steep. I think it has a nice view of the canal.

We headed over to see Anne Frank’s house, but, we were unable to get tickets to tour the house (the tickets were sold out for the whole month) so I thought I could at least see where it was and take a picture of it. 

Much to my surprise, the house is getting a facelift so no picture this trip

We did see quite a few houseboats. Many are old cargo boats (pre WWII) that are repurposed into living quarters. You would own the house but rent the docking rights. 

Just around the corner from Anne Frank’s house we spotted a delicacy - Poffertjes (Dutch pancakes) -a not to be missed treat! We each ordered a different type: chocolate and cherries, Dutch Delight, and a caramel and crunch. Can you guess which one I ordered?

Look at the little cars! Lots of them here!

Our Lord in the Attic Church (picture of an advertisement). We did find this attraction but 17 Euro each was a bit too much to spend for a quick picture. So here is a substitute for the real thing. This 17th century canal house has a complete Catholic church in the attic. Jan Hartman, a wealthy merchant, had the church placed in the attic because at that time Catholics were prohibited from practicing their Catholic faith in public (city council was Protestant and made the laws).

Yes, we did fine the red light district. 

One “lady” even opened her door and invited one of us in. 😳🤣

Oldest church, built in the 13th century, Oude Kerk (a Roman Catholic Church originally called Saint Nicholas) was first built of wood then later of stone. It grew and was added onto many times. During the 

Reformation in 1578 it became a Calvinist church. Since it was Roman Catholic first, the inside’s isn’t your typical Protestant church. Rembrandt’s wife is buried there. It was Sunday morning (and services are held on Sunday mornings) when we arrived there so we were not able to visit inside (they charge a fee as well).

One seater car! Isn’t it the cutest thing! 😍

Bridges of all kinds everywhere. 

Canals are used mostly for tourism. The views are very pretty. It is a must do activity when visiting Amsterdam.

Nice place for a meal with a view.

Opera and Ballet House

House boats of many shapes. Usually, we did not see people in them.

Bicycles of all kinds and they have the right of way so you need to “mind the bike” and stay out of their way.

Did you notice the windshield in front on this bike? They must get up some speed on these bikes!

There are bike lanes on most of the streets. It is fairly flat and easy to pedal around. And they do zip around very fast so watch out all the time!

Many of the canal houses have hoisting beams above the top floor. Originally, these houses were warehouses and the goods were hoisted off the ship and stored up in the attic. The family lived on the second floor and the shop would be on the first floor.