Amsterdam: Pre-Tour Highlights
We arrived in Amsterdam two days before our tour began in
order get over jet lag before the tour.
Here are a few highlights.
Equipped with our trusty Rick Steves audio guide we walked around the
Jordaan neighbourhood, a labyrinth of narrow canal-lined streets with markets,
art studios, and courtyards. With the
help of our walking tour app, we discovered a hidden away secret garden behind “Door
107” featuring seasonal colourful flowers in bloom thriving in lovely well cared
for flower beds. Seeing so many bikes in
action in this fabulous city, we wanted to see the countryside, not by car, or
train, but by bicycle, like the locals!
We booked a biking tour which took us along canals with houseboats and
locks and we pedaled through the countryside to the polders (reclaimed land)
and out to a working cheese and Dutch clog making farm. On the way back we stopped at a Dutch
windmill and learned how it operated.
Our dinner cruise that night was “Gezellig” (a Dutch word we learned
meaning cozy – pronounced Herr-Zell-ig).
At sunset, we cruised the 88 canals or at least a few of them while we
dined on delicious gourmet delights brought on board by our captain from a high
end gourmet restaurant.
The Van Gogh Museum, dedicated mostly to Vincent Van Gogh’s painting was a moving experience. With the assistance of the rented iPod, we were taken back in time and revisited the life of this incredible artist through his work. We saw his work evolve from being dark and heavy when he resided in Holland to bright, colourful and inviting as he was influenced by the impressionists with his move to Paris. Some of his most famous work was created in Arles including Starry Night, where he resided during the most productive days of his career. Unfortunately, he struggled with depression and committed suicide in Northern France in 1890. What a sad ending to one of the world’s most recognized and loved artists.
The Van Gogh Museum, dedicated mostly to Vincent Van Gogh’s painting was a moving experience. With the assistance of the rented iPod, we were taken back in time and revisited the life of this incredible artist through his work. We saw his work evolve from being dark and heavy when he resided in Holland to bright, colourful and inviting as he was influenced by the impressionists with his move to Paris. Some of his most famous work was created in Arles including Starry Night, where he resided during the most productive days of his career. Unfortunately, he struggled with depression and committed suicide in Northern France in 1890. What a sad ending to one of the world’s most recognized and loved artists.
Amsterdam Pre-Tour Highlights
Amsterdam Cuisine
Although there is lots that can be said about Amsterdam cuisine, a few highlights from our brief time here are (pictured below from left to right): red wine on our canal dinner cruise, beer and tapas at a sidewalk café, mid-morning cappuccino break with apple pie, Dutch pancakes, another cappuccino break (with the fancy design!), and linguine with seafood - all very delicious!