August 14

We had a lovely day in Amsterdam!  We met my friend and ICF colleague, Edmee Schalkx, who showed us Amsterdam from the perspective of someone who lives in the Netherlands, so we saw the areas tourists might easily miss..

First of all we went to the SkyLounge for a coffee and the bird’s eye view of Amsterdam.

They have quite a bar there too, but it was too early for that.

We walked in the de9straatjes – 9 picturesque little streets in the Amsterdam Canal belt.. the pictures are too numerous to post but here are a few. The buildings range from crooked to straight, brick to colors and are all unique and interesting.  Edmee was a wonderful guide, and we enjoyed reconnecting.  She told us about the gardens behind these buildings which you could not see and we wouldn’t have known were there.  In some of the shops, you could look right through to the other side and see gardens.

Also, in the past, you paid a tax for each window, so that is why some windows are boarded up, and some are huge.

There are bikes EVERYWHERE and you don’t want to get in their way.  Edmee says they even move furniture on them. The canals and buildings are stunning.

Of course, here a “coffee shop” might not be a place to only get coffee, but where you can buy drugs.  Here are a few Amsterdam pictures!

Who knew they had marijuana beer and Girl Scout cookies!  And this is certainly a different meaning for high tea than they have on the ship every day at 4 PM.

There are plenty of sex shops too.

But of course, we were more interested in the culture.

We had lunch at this place, Cafe de Doffer – and had a type of croquette that is a type of beef that is cooked for a long time, then it is breaded and fried.  And they served it with butter and mustard on toast.  And they eat their french fries with mayonnaise.  They were both a first for us – we asked Edmee what traditional foods we should try.

And here is a dog that really wanted a french fry!!

All too soon, we had to leave Amsterdam.  Edmee and I shared a drink at a bar overlooking the canal and then we were on our way.

Thanks for a lovely and memorable day!