A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That . .: 08/08/17

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Bike Barge Trip - Amsterdam to Haarlem - August 2015 - Day 3

Today we were able to sleep in a little bit. We had a late breakfast at a nearby restaurant. Afterwards Jeff and I walked to see if our barge was there, we were not quite sure if actually had a cabin on this barge since it was changed and when we looked last it was already sold out. We checked out just before noon and left our luggage with the concierges. We walked towards downtown, through the red light district, and found a shop that sold t-shirts since Jeff said he needed couple more. We also had the world's best french fries as a small snack.

Best fries in Amsterdam

Some big shoes to fill

Cheese shop in Amsterdam

Some steep stairs, Amsterdam

We got back to the hotel, got our luggage and walked to the barge. And yes we did have a room. We settled down and met lots of our fellow passengers. We seem to be the only American's there, if you can call us Americans. There are 2 ladies from Canada and we make the whole English speaking population. The rest are from France, Spain, Germany and Brazil. We sailed from Amsterdam to Haarlem and everyone enjoyed our little cruise and learning to know each other.

Wending @ Oosterdok, Amsterdam

Our cabin on Wending

Main Cabin on Wending

Hall to the cabins on Wending

Other side of the Main Cabin on Wending

The Bridge on Wending

Wending at Haarlem

Leaving Amsterdam

De Adriaan Windmill, Haarlem

Bridge that swings open, Haarlem

Haarlem

We had an earlier dinner, at 6 pm. Tonight we had a Thai dinner. and after our dinner we went for a short bike ride around Haarlem. It ended up being almost 9 miles. We went through the country side and saw lots of cattle, sheep and water fowl.

Thai Dinner

Thai egg rolls for apertizer

My wheels for his week

Ready to go?

Haarlem

Amsterdamsepoort, Haarlem

Spaarnwoude

After the ride we had some snacks and drinks, some played some games and then it was time to go to sleep.

Bike Barge Trip - Amsterdam - August 2015 - Day 2

After a good nights sleep we went to a restaurant around the corner for breakfast. It was ok. Then we walked to the train station and took a tram to Rijksmuseum. This museum is huge and has lots of paintings of the Dutch masters and all kinds of other artifacts from Dutch history. I could spend a whole day there if I wanted, reading all the discriptions and looking at everything.

Rijksmuseum

The Milkmaid by Vermeer,
Rijksmuseum

Syndics of the Draper's Guild by Rembrandt, Rijksmuseum

Night Watch by Rembrandt, Rijksmuseum

Black Mice by Kaws, Museumplein, Amsterdam

Museumplein, Amsterdam

Part of Miffy Art Parade, Museumplein, Amsterdam

After spending spending several hours there we took the tram to Dam Square and looked for a restaurant to have lunch. We found a place with outdoor seating in a small park and these wonderful sandwiches. Then it was time to head out to our little cruise on the canals. We had bought this Holland Pass that included a free canal cruise. The boat we ended up in must have been one of the longest boats on the canals. It looked like turning to different canals took a lot of experience. There were couple close calls, not because of our captain but other smaller boats who didn't seem to know to give way. Canal cruises are a nice way to see the city from a different angle and see places you might not see otherwise, like the harbor.

Lunch @ Beurs van Berlage Cafe, Amsterdam

Royal Palace @ Dam Square, Amsterdam

Captain on our canal cruise, Amsterdam

Canal Cruise, Amsterdam

Cafe de Sluyswacht, Canal Cruise, Amsterdam

Eye Film Museum & A'Dam Tower, Canal Cruise, Amsterdam

After the canal cruise we walked passed the Anne Frank House. There is always a huge line to see it, so we didn't even try to go inside. We peeked in the West Church, but it was closed again. And then cut through town to go back to our hotel. We rested a little bit and then headed out again for dinner. We took the tram to Rembrandtplein. It was hard to decide which restaurant to eat since there were so many. We ended up in this Italian place. After dinner we walked to Muntplein and tried to find a chocolate shop but there were none. We took the tram back to the train station and went back to the hotel. Ended up watching some TV and just relaxing. We had walked over 4 miles that day. Tomorrow the bike and barge tour starts. Hope it all goes well.