Saturday 8th in Amsterdam

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After breakfast, which was quiet and peaceful with so many of the guests sleeping in, we made our way to the Waterlooplein Market to check out the local goods. It was a cold and blustery and rainy day so we had to bundle up and there wasn’t much to see at opening time of 9:30. However we did a have a nice conversation with a Israeli woman who had children spread all over the world.

Note: your life is in your hands as you make your way around the city. The order of importance is: trams, bicycles, cars and people. If there were room on the wheels of the bicycles it would show the number of people run down, like the number of cars destroyed in a demolition derby. You have to look both ways, for trams (they have their own tracks), then bicycles (they have their own path) then cars (they go on tracks and paths and streets), then you run across the street to the semi-protection of the sidewalk. It is a challenge and a wonderful way to be sure people are awake in Amsterdam.

So back on the tram and off to the Antiekcentrum Amsterdam, a huge indoor collection of fine antiques and collectibles. We wandered around looking at the little and the big items, enjoying the quiet and the elegance of the items, many from one or two centuries ago. We had a most interesting encounter with a gentleman who lives in Amsterdam but grew up in New York and goes to San Francisco at least a few times a year with a friend who works for KLM. They arrive in the afternoon, have a great meal, get up at 3AM, drive to Tahoe, ski for two days, drive back in the middle of the night and fly out the next day. Wow.

We also met a gentleman from Zutphen who had some charming oils of cows and windmills that he wanted to sell us. For the entire time we were in the rather large building he would find us with another picture or a better offer on the cows and windmills. Persistent but we don’t need another picture.

We stopped for a late lunch – in and out of the rain – at a little café/bar called Café de Doffer. Nice service and warm food did the trick and we continued on to our home territory for a check-in before going out again for a drink in the early evening. This time we picked a place that had a “high” view (not from cannabis but actual views) of the city. We chose the W Hotel and the view of the Royal Palace and a slice of Dam Square. We relaxed and enjoyed a G&T and a beer and chatted with the waiter from Brazil.

Back to the hotel via the side streets and canals and settling in for the night. Tomorrow we take the train to Zutphen.

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