Amsterdam by rain

One step closer to making it to Italy tomorrow. 

We had a test booked in Zaandam and had a nice 2km walk there this morning.

To celebrate we walked through the outdoor street shopping in Zaandam.

Lots of shoppers out, maybe it is because Black Friday here too. 

We had our “breakfast” in quick stop shop. Probably not very nutritious but it filled us up. 

The Dutch have found a way to take the traditional style of house in the Netherlands and made it new and modern and still look Dutch. Love the colours.

And some are just very creative.

We decided to go into Amsterdam one more time before we leave town. We walked quite a ways to the Stedelijk Museum. 

The exhibits were interesting and provocative. I enjoyed the art piece from Africa. It was huge and made of bottle caps that had been flatten and held together with copper wire.

You can see each cap here.

And the copper wire.

Amazing work! 

We passed the Rijksmuseum along the way. 

Front 

Back. Beautiful building. 

When one walks around Amsterdam there are a few hazards to watch out for. Firstly are the bikes! They are everywhere and it is important to look before stepping out. Cars on the other hand just go anywhere they want. We’ve decided never to drive in Amsterdam. And like most cities, there is construction everywhere. But unlike most cities, Amsterdam doesn’t pave streets, they use bricks and sand. So it is much easier to dig them up, put in new wiring or pipes and just replace the bricks. 

These large white bags contain the bricks that have been removed ready to reuse. 

Norm also noticed that there are no flaggers in Amsterdam. Another reason to pay close attention to where you are going. 

Once back home we prepared ourselves to be in charge tonight. So far we have entertained Odessa, read to her, 

Fed her, changed a diaper, given a bottle and on a couple of occasions had to cuddle and bounce her back fo sleep. 

What a sweetie.