We had a varied and more relaxing day today which we enjoyed very much. It’s fun to not feel like you have to be on the go all the time to accomplish seeing everything but still get to do things you like and have down time as well.

This morning, after breakfast, we strolled some nearby neighborhoods window shopping and browsing for things we might want to buy. Ryan found a shirt, I found some shoes, and we both picked out a piece of art for our “Travel Art Wall” at our home in Palm Springs. It’s a wall in our living room that has small-sized pieces of art that we have found on our vacations and reminds us of where we’ve been.

The cover photo you see at the top of this post was taken during our shopping stroll. The sun had come out and the flowers against the stark buildings were so pretty.

After shopping, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed to the canal just in front of our hotel. We had booked a canal tour with a smaller company for something a bit more personal than all the large tour boats you see on the canals. Besides the captain and the two of us, there was a family of three from Cincinnati, a couple from Boston, and a couple from Brussels, Belgium. The tour lasted 90 minutes and it was a great way to learn the history of Amsterdam  while riding along the beautiful canal ways. We were glad we did it.

Then, it was time for some relaxation and we returned to our hotel to read, nap, and take in the sauna – heaven!

For dinner, we went to a traditional Dutch restaurant that some friends of ours in Seattle had recommended. We didn’t really know what Dutch food was but we were glad to experience it while we were here and had a wonderful meal.

Now, it’s about 10 p.m. and still quite light out and it’s time to get today’s blog written and posted. It’s hard to believe that another day has almost come to a close and we only have a couple more days left here in Amsterdam.

Here I am modeling the shoes I found at a neighborhood clothing shop. They are perfect for summertime, wearing without socks, and will remind me of the great time we had here in Amsterdam.

This small art gallery that we came across during our morning walk was where we found the piece of art for our home in Palm Springs. We didn’t take a picture of it so you’ll just have to come visit us and see it in person!

This is the classic wooden boat “Leemstar” that took us on a tour of Amsterdam via its canals. It was built in 1928 so that makes it 90 years old! It gets around just fine for its age.

Jack, our tour guide, was born and raised along the same canal our hotel is on. He still lives on the same block so really knows Amsterdam well. He loves his native city and was a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide who taught us so much.

The next 8 photos are all from the canal tour. Here is an interesting water craft in the form of a wooden clog.

A well known spot in Amsterdam is looking down this particular canal and seeing bridge after bridge after bridge. It’s called the “Seven Bridges” but where we were you could see five of them in one direction and two in the other.

Many people live in houseboats tied up along the canals. It was interesting to get a close up and personal look inside many of these homes and see just how quaint, but nice, they were. You almost have to be an exhibitionist to live on one as you really have no privacy from land or the water.

Our tour took us out of the canal system and into the Amstel River for a time. This bridge (known as the “Skinny Bridge”) was originally built as a private bridge by a couple of sisters back in 1934. It is said that if you kiss someone while passing under it you will have eternal love. Yep, we did it! You can see one of the larger tourist boats that ply the canals just passing under it in the photo. We were glad to be on a private boat for a more personal experience.

You will see many of the narrow canal homes listing to one side or the other. This is because the high water table has compromised the foundation piers that were sunk deep into the peaty soil when the homes were built. They call this particular grouping of houses “the 5 drunks”!

Because bicycling is a way of life for the Dutch, they need to have places for people to park their bikes while they are at work. This particular bicycle parking garage can hold 4,000 bikes.

There aren’t a lot but you can see some very modern architecture along the water in Amsterdam. Here, if you look closely, you can also see the other permanent installation of the I amsterdam sign.

Nearing the end of our tour we saw a quintessential Amsterdam scene – a canal bridge lined with bikes.

On the way back to our room for some relaxation, Ryan came across another quirky art installation in the outdoor gardens of our funky hotel. There are actually a number of these scattered around the grounds and inside the common areas. We found out they were made to be installed on roof tops around the hotel and were supposed to be calling down to the people in the garden, telling them to “Be quiet!” But, the city wouldn’t issue a permit for that and the hotel was forced to find another use for them. Ryan seems repulsed by whatever this crown prince was saying! But, the prince does have nice abs.

Dinner at the restaurant Haesje Claes…oh my! That’s 2 whole Dover Sole fish on Clint’s plate plus a whole lot of mushrooms, mashed potatoes, and assorted vegetables around and under them. And, this is after we both had big bowls of pea soup for a starter. And, who ordered those fries? Neither of us remembered seeing those listed with our dishes on the menus.

Ryan’s dish is a traditional Dutch dish called a Stamppotten (from mashed potatoes mixed with a mashed vegetable). The one he had was a Sauerkraut stamppot with white vinegar cabbage, a meatball, sausage and bacon. He thought it was out
of this world!