Amsterdam, Netherlands

 The trip is winding down.....started the morning walking the canals again.

One of the things marked on the tourist map was a flea market.  So far, these types of markets were just well organized vendor booths selling a mix of local foods and crafts.  But this one was not like that!  We quickly learned that apparently there is a big market in Amsterdam for used clothing!  Its called "vintage" here.  Some of it was quite dated....

Jeans, leather jackets and fur were all very popular.....now that we are noticing folks out walking around,  they really do dress with these type items.  In particular,  young ladies wear a lot of bomber style leather jackets with jeans or skirts.  Young men dress more formally often wearing suit jackets. 

Continuing our walk, I received a text from Diane and Larry who we had met on the riverboat.   We decided to meet them for a canal boat ride.

So back towards the train station  where many of the tour boats are.

The canal boats are run by a few different companies  who seem to have good competitive spirits. 

We chose one and were quickly  underway.

They snapped a photo of Duane and I. 

Local captain was Dave...he did a nice job for an hour, driving the boat and giving us commentary. 

Passing another huge floating  Chinese restaurant...

A "tall ship" full scale replica that they built  as an attraction at their Science museum. 

The decorated stern of the vessel. 

Some of the bridges made for tight passages. 

We enjoyed the tour....I’ll just include some of the photos along the way.  

At the end of the tour, we invited Larry and Diane back to our Airbnb for a beverage and just to show them our odd apartment  (I had discussed it last week on the riverboat so they were curious.)  They were very interested in the old rooms and how it was renovated.   Fun being able to do some additional touring with them!

After they left, we went back out on foot for a quick bite to eat and more wandering.  We went to the science museum, not to go in, but to climb several stories to the rooftop for city views.

View from overhead a of a line of old boats dating back to the late 1800's. 

View of the city from the rooftop 

Getting late so walking towards the Airbnb,  saw a group of folks playing  tennis on grass courts. Haven't  seen that in recent memory....it's all pickle ball now in the US.

Walked thru a few parks....not as many as we've  seen in other cities.

Saw an environmental group with nets cleaning up trash in a canal.

I meant to mention earlier,  I've seen several of these extremely small cars. So cute!

 

Just perfect for the city streets!

Nearing our apartment,  it is lovely here!

Tomorrow is our last full day...the next will be the long journey  home....

Amsterdam, Netherlands

 We had to set the alarm clock because it's disembarkation day....we had to vacate our stateroom by 9am.  But they served breakfast so we had one more meal aboard.  Last goodbyes to several of the fellow passengers that made the trip even more enjoyable.  Grey day along the Amsterdam waterfront. We did finally see a sailboat just as we walked past the Viking riverboat. First sailboat of any nature we've seen this trip!

Our Airbnb was about a mile away so decided to just walk pulling our suitcases.  The buildings were very different from what we've seen so far.  Very modern.

Walking towards the central train station.

The other side of the train station, quite different!

Walking on towards the Airbnb,  a mix of old and new.

Our Airbnb is a hoot!  Its a basement apartment right on a canal.  It's the entire basement of the owner's townhouse.  They live above.  The place is huge and shows all the old arched passages. 

Very cool setup but feels a little medieval! 

Just outside the apartment. 

We walked to the Newmarket (nieumarkt) square for a quick lunch.

And wandered around a bit. 

Saw some pot growing in a store window....I know, I'm easily amused. 

We toured the Amsterdam  Royal Palace....it's still in use today with furnishings from around 1800. The palace was built in the 1600's as a city hall but waschanged to the royal residence around 1800.

They provided a great audio tour so we could understand a lot about the sculptures  and different  rooms. Very posh!

I know, lots of photos...but it really was pretty impressive. 

I saw the New Church (nieuwe kerk from the 1400's) leaving the palace....

But it's now a museum with a hefty entry fee.  I snapped a photo at the toll booths and left...

Another similar setup as we walked back to the apartment. 

Beautiful  canals 

After an afternoon nap, we headed back out for a light supper.  Did I mention there are a lot of bikes?

On our way back to the apartment,  we walked by the famous  "red light district "....we aren't allowed to take photos of the "workers".....but this was one of the streets adjacent.   We did see a few ladies in little  window displays just like you would imagine.  Its a strange world!