Amsterdam – Day 2
On our second day in Amsterdam, we were still recovering from the insanity that was Paris. So we decided to take it easy and rent bikes for the day. Now that was interesting. J. happens to compete in triathlons, so the bike was no big deal for her. I fall down the stairs on a regular basis and would prefer training wheels. But somehow, I was talked into it and before I knew it, I was navigating Amsterdam on two wheels with map in hand (a pretty difficult skill by the way, reading a map while riding a bike – I’m surprised I survived). First stop, the Rijksmuseum. On the other side of town, parts were under renovation, but we still got to see a lot of the Dutch masters, as well as some cool pottery. Overall, it was a really nice museum (with a pretty good gift shop too), but when we were done, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to go to another one. So the Van Gogh Museum was going to have to wait for another day (I took pictures from afar though). Outside the Rijksmuseum is a fun little park (with a joint Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum gift shop, in case you were wondering), baring Amsterdam’s slogan:
And back on the bike’s it was, this time to Amsterdam’s main square area, near the Colon (another monument that looks suspiciously like the Washington Monument.) It was quite a busy day here, so we parked the bikes and wandered around to take some pictures. We saw Madame Tussaud’s, street performers dressed up like Darth Vader and Batman, and once again, a McDonalds. So we wandered around, shopping and looking for a good place to grab a cup of coffee. Which was when I learned that in Amsterdam, always pay attention before you walk into a coffee shop! Luckily, J. was paying better attention than I was and saved me walking into the wrong coffee shop. I wondered why they were checking IDs at the door!
After finding some REAL coffee, we found the bikes and decided to take a quick spin through the Red Light District. It’s certainly been cleaned up a lot in recent years, but it’s still pretty interesting. It was also pretty quiet, seeing as how it was barely 2:00 in the afternoon. But we saw it! Out of respect for the women in the windows (and because I didn’t want them to get the wrong idea), I didn’t take any pictures while we were there. It just seemed kind of weird.
Then it was back to the area around the hotel, with a quick stop for some shopping (I tried to convince J. to go see the Dungeon Museum with me, but I think she was a little concerned for my sanity after the Torture Museum). And after lunch, we decided that we needed a break. So the rest of the afternoon was pretty low-key. There was some reading in coffee shops, followed by some reading in the bar (hey, coffee, wine, cider - it’s all the same). I even made friends with some Amsterdam police officers, who were kind enough to post for this picture:
My major regret about Amsterdam was that I didn’t get a chance to see The Hague, but the time just wasn’t there. Between recovering from Paris and wanting to get to Brussels early enough to see some fun things, Amsterdam ended up being more of a relaxing spot than a rush around and be tourists spot. But that’s okay, because it just means I’ll have to go back!
After a few photo-ops, it was back on the bikes, this time to Anne Frank’s house. I had gotten several opinions on whether the Anne Frank house was a worthwhile stop and decided that no matter what, I wanted to see the building. The impact that this young girl had on history is indisputable and I knew I would regret not going. But the line to get into the actual house is a mile long, even early in the day. So in the end, we compromised – we took a picture of the house and decided not to take the tour.
And back on the bike’s it was, this time to Amsterdam’s main square area, near the Colon (another monument that looks suspiciously like the Washington Monument.) It was quite a busy day here, so we parked the bikes and wandered around to take some pictures. We saw Madame Tussaud’s, street performers dressed up like Darth Vader and Batman, and once again, a McDonalds. So we wandered around, shopping and looking for a good place to grab a cup of coffee. Which was when I learned that in Amsterdam, always pay attention before you walk into a coffee shop! Luckily, J. was paying better attention than I was and saved me walking into the wrong coffee shop. I wondered why they were checking IDs at the door!
After finding some REAL coffee, we found the bikes and decided to take a quick spin through the Red Light District. It’s certainly been cleaned up a lot in recent years, but it’s still pretty interesting. It was also pretty quiet, seeing as how it was barely 2:00 in the afternoon. But we saw it! Out of respect for the women in the windows (and because I didn’t want them to get the wrong idea), I didn’t take any pictures while we were there. It just seemed kind of weird.
Then it was back to the area around the hotel, with a quick stop for some shopping (I tried to convince J. to go see the Dungeon Museum with me, but I think she was a little concerned for my sanity after the Torture Museum). And after lunch, we decided that we needed a break. So the rest of the afternoon was pretty low-key. There was some reading in coffee shops, followed by some reading in the bar (hey, coffee, wine, cider - it’s all the same). I even made friends with some Amsterdam police officers, who were kind enough to post for this picture:
My major regret about Amsterdam was that I didn’t get a chance to see The Hague, but the time just wasn’t there. Between recovering from Paris and wanting to get to Brussels early enough to see some fun things, Amsterdam ended up being more of a relaxing spot than a rush around and be tourists spot. But that’s okay, because it just means I’ll have to go back!
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