MPC Press International

I amsterdam

May 24th, 2014 by willmarks

We boarded a midday train in Brugge and about 4 hours or 250 kilometers later, we arrived in Amsterdam, and were promptly ripped off (I think) by a cab driver who charged us 35 Euros to transport us the 3 kilometers to the Hotel Notting Hill.

Still, we were in Amsterdam, and excited about the visit, and our short vacation with the Prendergasts. We quickly savored one of our best red meat meals in Europe, at Café Loetje, recommended by our hotel, and leading to ongoing trust in our concierge after delicious steaks.

Saturday morning kicked off with a bike tour, in a city mad about bikes.

Our guide explained the tall and slim houses, which lean toward the street. Historically, with narrow staircases, furniture and goods needed to be lifted from the outside through the use of a large hook protruding from the top floor; the higher up that items were stored or used, the less of a chance of related flood damage when the low lying canals overflowed. In order to prevent items from banging into the building on the way up, the houses were built with a slight forward lean.

During the ride, we spent some time in Vondelpark; it opened in 1865, originally as Nieuwe Park, but was renamed in 1867 when a statue of Dutch poet Joost van den Vondel was placed in the park. It is 45 hectares, or about 111 acres. While initially on the edge of Amsterdam, Vondelpark is now very central.

In the park, on the I amsterdam letters…

You need to see the tulips if you go to Holland in early May, right? We drove about 2 hours to Keukenhof, simply to look at flowers 🙁 In defense of the planners, the tulips in the fields had just been cut, requiring the less appealing park viewing instead.

Motor homes “clogged” the parking lots, similar to at a Nascar event, and the park was packed with tourists…these girls have big shoes to fill, don’t they? Maybe?

Vic, Daniel and Dan Prendergast, not to mention Maggie.

We embarked on a “pizza cruise”, about a 90-minute canal ride while dining on actually very good pizza; guests placed orders when boarding and the boat then stopped for pickup. Wine and beer were served, and Ben & Jerry’s before going ashore.

The Anne Frank House was our first stop on Sunday morning. As expected, it was incredibly moving, yet I would call it “accessible”, even for someone Maggie’s age. We first heard a short presentation, very worthwhile for those planning a trip; in particular it gave us a good overview of the inhabitants of the secret annex as well as those who helped the Frank family while in hiding.

Next was the Rijks Museum. We had been preparing for a one picture visit. When I was younger, I remember being in Paris and my parents discussing the 6 minute Louvre, the record time for a visitor stopping only in front of the Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo, and Winged Victory. We could do better at the Rijks Museum, with plans only to see Rembrandt’s (1606-1669) Night Watch, completed in 1642. Evelyn and I had prepared, reading a small (just a few pages) book detailing the picture and its 34 characters. We did actually stop to see a Vermeer or two on the way out but spent only about 30 minutes in total inside…

The audio tour at the Van Gogh Museum is advisable and the perfect length for young and old. As is well known, and a shame, during his relatively short life (1853-1890), Van Gogh only sold one of his more than 900 paintings, through his dealer-brother, Theo.

Rijks Museum in the background…