Walking Amsterdam

After almost 13 hours of sleep we were ready to explore Amsterdam. Where we are staying is quite a way from downtown where all the action is. We have a one bedroom apartment in Zuid Amsterdam. Right below us in the courtyard is an Italian restaurant, a Jewish restaurant, a Japanese grocery store and an International store. We feel like we are really staying in a neighbourhood, not the tourist section. 

No matter how often you visit Amsterdam, there are always new things to explore. It always surprising how many people smoke, you have to get used of that. But Amsterdam is full of canals, canal boats, bikes, restaurants, tourists, old buildings that lean a bit and ways to get lost. 

Behind theses canal boats are more than two levels of bikes. This only a quarter of the bikes at the Central Station. We had to stop here to get Norm’s newspaper. Next we headed off to find a book store for children and enjoyed the sights along the way.

This old store used to sell fish and fruit and now it sells house design items.

The date on one of these is 1740! So many look like they might fall over but they insert iron rods to make them stable.

Walking makes you hungry and what better way than a broodje, a Dutch sandwich. And we found the kinderboekwinkel.

Next we headed across town to the Albert Cuyp market but stopped by the touristy Rijksmuseum to take at east one IAmsterdam photo. 

 To celebrate Amsterdam you have to have stroopwafels and frites.

Yummy

For dinner tonight we met up with Duncan and his girlfriend Lauraine at a farm house in the country. It wasn’t really country but a fun place and delicious food.

Pictures to come