Amsterdam Walk

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I followed Rick Steves’s Amsterdam Walk today and saw some of the things that the city is famous for. There is a stretch of canal alongside which are numerous stalls selling flowers, especially tulips and bulbs. I passed by the Bulldog Cafe - a “coffee shop”, which in Amsterdam means it sells legal marijuana. I visited a Catholic church that was built in the 17th century when Amsterdam was officially Protestant, but tolerated Catholics who kept a low profile. The outside of Our Lord in the Attic church looks like a typical merchant’s home, but inside there is a three-level nave with altar, pews, organ, and confessional. Another thing Amsterdam is famous for is immigrants, so for dinner tonight I decided to try shoarma (shwarma? schwarma?). I had heard of it , but never eaten it before. It turns out to be pita bread wrapped around a large quantity of roasted meat (lamb?) served with fries and some other items that I couldn’t identify (and didn’t eat). It tasted all right, but I can’t recommend it.

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