Amsterdam Later on Day 1

 Again, we strolled around without a purpose. I saw this coffee shop and thought I remembered it from somewhere but couldn’t put my finger on it. Then, I realized it - they don’t sell coffee here. They sell smoke products. 

Maybe this next picture can help identify the products. 😂

This church (Moses en Aaron Kerk / The Church of St. Anthony of Padua) has an interesting history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozes_en_A%C3%A4ronkerk

It is no longer an active Catholic Church but is rented out to the Sant Egidio movement which is a community group interested in helping the lonely elderly, the poor and the homeless. Mass was in session when we stopped by so we did not go in.

On the bench next to the church steps is a bronze statue, “Homeless Jesus” by Timothy P Schmalz which he created as a social statement. Matthew 25:40 states, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Zoom in on the feet and you will see the wounds on his feet. Over 50 copies of this statue has been placed around the world. Some people have called the police thinking it is a real person needing help.

The sign by the bench. “I was lost and you came to me.”

More bikes lined up. I understand that some people will paint their tires an odd color to make it easily identifiable if their bike is stolen. 

Some of the lamp posts are very different and interesting.

If I only could understand these signs, we might have planned our walk better. 

These markers are placed in the cement identifying the Jews that died in the holocaust and had lived in the houses across the canal.

The tulips are blooming!

This is Magere Brug, or Skinny Bridge, as it is knick-named. As the story goes, two sisters lived on opposite sides of the Amstel and wanted to visit daily so they had a wooden bascule bridge built. They couldn’t afford a very large bridge so they built this skinny bridge in 1691 with 13 arches. Originally,   and up until 1994, this bridge was operated by hand. Many of the tourist boats are low enough that the bridge does not need to be opened. This bridge is in the James Bond movie - “Diamonds are Forever.” In 2003, it became a drawbridge for pedestrians and bicyclists. Another story is “kissing on the bridge brings everlasting love.”💕 It is a common site for marriage proposals.

More houseboats in the canals.

River cruising - a big tourist attraction 

I caught the drawbridge open.