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Geo: 52.3738, 4.89095
I woke up at 3:00 a.m. and never did get back to sleep. Classic second-night syndrome.
Breakfast consisted of meats and cheeses, bacon, eggs, rice, fruit, yogurt, croissants and other rolls, and cereal. Not a bad spread. No Nutella, but there was some chocolaty spread for the croissant, so I was reasonably happy.
We were out of the hotel at 8:00, walking to the train station to catch the 8:16 to Amsterdam. The train was there when we walked onto the platform, so we all piled on and rode 20 minutes into the big city. It's been four years since I was last in A'dam, but it really feels like yesterday. There's still all kinds of construction in front of Centraal Station, and the Rijksmuseum is still covered in scaffolding. The city was a lot dirtier (litter) than I remembered, but it could be because the big Queen's Day festival was just a few days ago, and they might not have been able to clean it all up yet.
We started off by taking a tram to Westerkerk to see the Anne Frank Huis. The group had to stand for five minutes or so outside while Reid went inside to check on our reservation and tickets. The weather today was absolutely awful: rainy, super windy, and incredibly cold. None of us was expecting the cold, so we all stood around and shivered and whined. Reid finally came back to tell us the interesting news that today was the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Anne Frank Huis as a museum. As a result, we were all given a special postcard to mark the occasion. A young docent gave us a rundown of the Anne Frank story, and then we were free to tour the house. Even though I had seen it before in 2006, it was no less affecting. Walking through the house, I felt like I was trying to keep it together, like I might suddenly start sobbing. Seeing Anne's actual handwritten diary is unexpectedly moving, and I spent a few minutes blinking away tears. And the photos of her prior to going into hiding ... she looks like an ordinary, happy young girl. And she has no idea what's coming. She has no idea how famous she will be someday. It's almost too much to take in.
Afterwards, Reid found a somewhat sheltered spot to tell us some of the history of Amsterdam and the Dutch. To be honest, I was so frickin' cold and damp that I didn't really listen. East India Company, taxes, Golden Age, yadda yadda. Not that I'm uninterested, mind you, but it's hard to take it all in when you can't feel your nose anymore. We then did a quick walking tour over to Dam Square via Kalverstraat and then continued on to an area where there were plenty of places to eat, and Reid released us for lunch. I went to La Place at the Vroom & Dreesman department store and got a sandwich. I ate it upstairs with Katie from Oklahoma, who (as she freely admits) can eat like a horse. Neither of us wanted to leave the warmth of the restaurant, but decided to go to the HEMA store across the street to see if they had gloves or hats. That would be a big "no"; it's too bad we weren't in the market for bathing suits, however. Figuring that I need SOMETHING, I bought a tank top to use as an undershirt. No dressing rooms though, so I couldn't even pop in and put it on under my clothes. Watch it be 70 degrees for the rest of the trip!
The group hopped another tram to the Rijksmuseum where, again, we had to wait out in the cold and the rain till Reid was able to get our entry tickets. About 90% of the Rijks is under renovation, so there's only a very small wing that's open. Thus, they only allow a certain number of people in at a time. Therefore, the group had to split in two, with one group going in at 2:00 and the other going in at 3:15. I was in the first group (thank Heaven), and Reid gave us a guided tour. We saw some Vermeer (the milkmaid), some Steen, some Hals (happy people wearing lace collars), and some Rembrandt (the Night Watch). Lovely stuff. My half of the group was done by 2:45, and we weren't meeting again till 4:45. I ran into Lisa from Houston, who knew where there was a bench, so we went back upstairs and sat on the bench for about 15 minutes. Warm, dry, seated: what more can a tourist ask for?
Eventually, my need for caffeine won out over my need for warm-'n'-dry and I went down to the bag check to retrieve my bag. Katie found me there, and we decided to try to find a cafe and get something to drink. I thought the Dutch liked their coffee, but there doesn't seem to be anything akin to a Starbucks. I mean, Starbucks, Tullys, Seattle's Best ... they're all sort of fast-food coffee. I've seen a few places here called Coffee Company, but they're few and far between. So, if you want a coffee, you've got to go to a cafe. The one we found was an expensive street (right across from the Louis Vuitton store), and our hot chocolates (no mochas, alas!) were 3.50 apiece. And they weren't even that hot. Still, it was nice to have something warm inside before heading back out.
Met the rest of the group at 4:45 and headed off to take a canal boat cruise. Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about boats (hint: euccch!), so I wasn't too thrilled at the prospect. However, Reid assured me that it was covered and warm, so I was all for it. It wasn't an unpleasant tour, and I was pleased to spot a couple of places I had been to in 2006 (including the Kattenkabinet). And yes, it was warm. Almost too warm. In fact, I was glad that I had not been able to put on that tank top.
The boat dropped us near De Waag, which is a 500-year-old building that now houses a restaurant, but which was once one of the city gates. From there, we walked back to the train station via the Red Light District. It's a pretty ordinary neighborhood, except for the bikini-clad women standing in windows striking poses. And the other interesting window displays. All in all, really not so much titillating as a bit sad.
Again, the train was on the platform when we got there, and we all sank gratefully into our seats. It wasn't raining much when we got back to Haarlem (not enough to bother putting up my umbrella, anyway), but it was still bone-chillingly windy. I ended up having dinner at La Plume near our hotel with Sandy and Sheree from Virginia, Lisa, Katie and Bob the talker from Big Bear. Katie and I shared a fondue appetizer (yum!) and I had chicken pesto with pasta for mains. Really good stuff. No dessert though, as I feel like I might burst.
It's getting close to midnight now. Maybe the lateness of the hour will help me to stay asleep longer tonight. (Oh, what with the cold and the rain, I never did bother taking out my camera today.)
Tomorrow, we ride!
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Mom
non-member comment
I'm so glad I was sitting at the computer when your post arrived. It sounded like another great day of travel with enjoyable travel mates.