Museums, Museums

Please Note:  Photo Albums now appear in the left hand column.  Click on a link to get to my Picasa Album site - no sign in required.  The Amsterdam album has been updated to include today's photos.

Of course we slept right through our breakfast time -  we told Jannake that we would make it down by 8:15 and we barely made it downstairs by 9:30.  Had a traditional croissant, cheese, yogurt, fruit breakfast with some very strong, delicious coffee.  Said good morning to Lois and made plans to meet up here to go to the dinner meet-up together later on.

Armed with our trusty tram passes, we headed out for a day of museum tours.  First stop was a quick walk over to the Rijksmuseum which happens to be under construction.  There was still plenty to see - a few Vermeer, Degas', and of course, Rembrandt - with the biggy being "The Night Watch".

From there we walked down to the Jewish History Museum passing through Rembrandtplein.  This museum is the original old Great Temple along with the new temple combined with lots of information on the history of the Dutch Jews, who happened to immigrate mostly from Portugal and Spain during the inquisitions. A free audio tour is included in admission which is very helpful.  There are also wonderful exhibits of the Jewish religion and culture.  Wanting more of the history of the Holocaust, we walked down to the Dutch Theater.  This is where they rounded up all the Jews and took them to the camps.  It is a small museum with a nice memorial and a wall of names of everyone who died with an eternal flame.

Hopped on a tram and got off at the Heineken Brewery.  Took the obligatory tourist shot, walked in - saw that admission was 16 euros.  Since Geoff wasn't all that keen on going in and I was there once before, we opted for a sidewalk cafe.  I got my brew for 2euros and saved about 30!  Still had some time to kill before heading back.  Grabbed another tram and went down to the flower market.,  Lots of flowers, lots of people.  The "high" light was a head shot that we found.  Poked around in there - looked over the menu for the various drugs ..maybe some other time...

I am now lounging back in our suite, cozy in the supplied bathrobes, drinking some very wonderful cafe. Shower time and off to meet the group. 

Made it down  for dinner with most of the barge gang.  Basically had the place to ourselves.  It was a pretty small establishment.  In fact, the chef had to do a special shopping for our unexpected group!  Good food, conversation, and lots of confusion about where to get the barge and when to get there.  I think I have it all sorted out and have sent out an email with directions.  Hopefully, we will all get there for the 1:30 departure.  Wrapped up dinner at around 8:30ish.  Geoff and I took a leisurely stroll back to the B&B and decided to stop and have a dessert at the corner cafe.  It was a beautiful night out and we didn't feel like turning in just yet.

Our plan tomorrow is to head out to the Van Gogh museum, which is right down the street, after breakfast.  Pick up our luggage on the way back and head down to the barge via tram.   For now, it is definitely time to crawl into bed.  It has been a busy couple of days.  We are getting excited about exploring more of this country from our bicycles.


Next time.... Meeting the Magnifique