Madam I'm A'dam

Madam I'm A'dam  

After very little sleep on the planes and the marathon walk yesterday, we slept in until 8:30 am. The hotel's buffet breakfast was a great way to start Day 2. The serving trays and platters were rather small by plan. Over the 2.5 hours of service, items were refreshed often so nothing sat for long at become less appealing. Plus there is little waste at the end. It takes two of these small coffee cups to hit my morning ration of caffeine, although it is stronger than ours. 

We took two trams to the Central Station instead of walking again. Our Iamsterdam card gets free transportation. When boarding, one beep scan gets you on; a two beep scan gets you off. But if you forget to scan out, your card can not be used again for trams. A free-to-the-public ferry took us across the river to Amsterdam Noord. 

                            

The A'dam is a tall look-out-over-Amsterdam building. Short for Amsterdam. The elevator ascends 100 metres in 20 seconds to the top. The views from all four directions are amazing. 

Right next door is the This is Holland experience. 

After viewing two films about how The Netherlands were carved from the sea and a general history, we sat strapped in a row of chairs that could rock and roll in different directions. Using actual overhead shots from the ISS, drones and helicopters on a giant screen, we "flew" over the country, literally swooping and banking. 

We actually felt spray when low over water and inhaled realistic flower fragrance when flying over millions of mature tulips. It was scary when we flew over seething 20 foot high waves in the North Sea during a ferocious storm, feeling the spray, banking left and right and rising abruptly. When we flew over the Delta Works, the largest water management project in Dutch history, the water on the other side was calm. This demonstrated the effectiveness of the project.  

Day 3 started with a tour to Volendam, an old fishing village about 45 minutes north of Amsterdam. It was a disappointment, seemed just a tourist trap of souvenir shops and restaurants. Not much evidence of a fishing process. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Luckily it was included in the Iamsterdam card. 

We made a stop on the way back to the city. A family farm makes a variety of cheeses from a variety of cows, sheep and goats. Very creative in flavour additions, including black garlic.

Wooden shoes are made from blocks of wood on the farm. As it was Sunday, the process was on hold. 

My trusty companions had to take a break after all the cheese tasting! LOL

After the tour, we walked to "the nine streets" which are a section of Amsterdam that are boutiquey rather than typical souvenir shops. One store caught our eye and the owner favoured us with more cheese samples. I began to think we might have to move to Green Bay to blend in with all the "cheeseheads" there. 

While  browsing, we happened upon Anne Frank’s statue, and just around the corner, the house that hid her and her family. While planning the trip we decided not to book tickets. The advisory is to book 3 months ahead if going in summer. Several people back home related how they stood in line for 3 hours even with a reservation and were “herded” through the small building. They were able to stick their heads into the hiding spot briefly and then told to move on. 

The centre house below is the Ann Frank house.

We met Anita’s cousin Linda and her daughter Juliette who live about an hour from Amsterdam at a cozy restaurant. Lots of chatter, some in Dutch, some in English and laughs in both languages too. Linda had recently visited the Ontario cousins and insisted that since she had been treated so well she pay the tab. Most generous. 🙏 

I ordered mussels which seemed to be on every menu in both the Netherlands and Belgium. Fries always come with mayo, unless ketchup (they call it tomato sauce) is asked for. 

When Linda visited St. Jacobs in June she saw a maple leaf plaque that she was going to buy. However the $125 price didn't fit with her travel budget. I was able to made a very similar six-layer piece for $16 at the Maker Space. She was most appreciative. 

Almost all of our activities and transportation in the city were covered by the Iamsterdam card and with Linda’s kind gesture it made for a thrifty stay in Amsterdam.