day 2-3

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Great flight in on KLM! They served us two complete meals and the 8 hr flight was over before we knew it, ofcourse neither of us got any sleep so when we landed at 8:00 am in Amsterdam we were starting to get tired, and the day still ahead of us, (taking notes for next time, timing of flights is important). We caught the train under Schiphol Airport (a double decker train) and were at Amsterdam Centraal Station within about 20 minutes. Once there we rented a locker (self-serve) and stowed most of our luggage away so we could walk around freely.. Our check-in time at our apartment was 1:00 pm. We wandered the streets and found the Dam square, and the Grote Kerk (where Prince Willem Alexander was just crowned King on April 30). They were setting up for an exhibit so we were not able to get in and see it, we peeked anyways, haha.

We managed to get on the tram to Albert Cuypstraat and from there we walked to the Frans Halsstraat in the district called De Pijp (the pipe), the old Latin quarter of Amsterdam. That should have been our first clue, we wanted an authentic Amsterdam experience ...no kidding! The STAIRS, oh my goodness, the STAIRS, they are sooooooo narrow only half your foot fits on, and almost straight up into the air, ceilings are high in these old buildings so the stairs are high and they do a half turn at the top, at which point the one end of the step disappears altogether so to speak and the other end widens,, you have to reach out and grab the railings on the landing to haul yourself up the rest of the way, hey, now we feel just like the locals. You have to be in some shape to negotiate these stairs to the 3rd and 4th floor, Steve is making a video of the stairs as we speak because words cannot describe..The little apartment comes with a balcony warning, **don't go there when you are drunk or stoned. We do not take responsibility for any injury what so ever**. it then goes on to say *this house doesn't have mice*...good to know, hahaha.

We were so tired when we finally got installed that we napped for 5 hours, then hit the street to walk to the nearest grocery store, food is cheap here, flowers, butter, cheese, bread bread and more bread, so many bakeries with fresh deliscious breads.. We walked for hours through our District and everthing is so beautiful, all the old old buildings, so many green trees and residents in the buildings have so many potted plants outside the buildings everywhere. You do really have to watch out for the cars, trams, bikes, motorcycles, all on their own piece of the road, it's amazing how it all works, but it does, smoothly, except for the bumbling tourists...who wonder onto the bikepaths thinking they are walking paths.

This morning we were up at 6:00 am, ready for the day, ready to explore and see more of Amsterdam. Found a wonderful bakery down the street where we had a deliscious breakfast after which we walked to the Van Gogh Museum. Amazing!

Tonight we will take the tram to the Centre of Amsterdam (10 minutes) and witness the Remembrance Day ceremonies held on Dam Square

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Comments

[Derek]

looks great!
Hey Alie and Steve, thanks so much for posting these! I love the picture of Steve and his food. :-)