Well we got to the boat about 11 this morning and the rooms weren’t quite ready so they served lunch and then guides took small groups on 90 minute walking tours of the Old Town area where our boat is docked. It was low key but the guide was great and the tour was fun and interesting. And actually the area where our boat is docked is so fascinating that I could just sit all afternoon and watch from our window the steady stream of boats that go by.
Now THAT’S a busy boat!
These ferry boats transport mostly bicyclists and their bikes across the water. There are many of them and they run every 5-10 minutes and they’re very crowded.
Across the river from our boat is a big corporate building. It’s an ordinary modern building but what makes it especially interesting are the outdoor swings located on the top deck. (See 2nd photo for close-up.)
See the 3 sets of red swings? Does it look like fun? Nope!
Their stately, historic Central Station.
I love these buildings on the canal, all similar yet different.
The equipment shown in this photo can impact the water in the canal.
The Int Aepjen bar is one of the oldest remaining wooden buildings in Amsterdam. See the front window in the photo below.
What a fascinating place this bar is. Sailors were said to pay their bills in monkeys picked up on their travels, hence the stuffed monkeys in the windows.
This beautiful old building, once a manufacturing facility, has now been repurposed as a pricey apartment complex for young couples.
Amsterdam has 160 canals and this is a typical view of a narrow one. It has it all: Lots of bicycles, a coffee shop with umbrellas, beautiful buildings, and a power boat meandering down the canal accompanied by (chasing?) 4 anxious swans.
A lovely door for Denise.
Tomorrow we get to visit the windmills!
Our Viking River Cruise 