Around Amsterdam

Saturday, August 29th, was a slow morning. Had our usual Saturday a.m. breakfast of poffertjes, eggs, and fruit. With only about 7 weeks left in Amsterdam, we decided to start crossing a few things off our list and go "explore" Amsterdam. Sounds silly to say since we feel like we know the city by now, but there is still so much this amazing city has to offer!!

We left home around 11 a.m. and walked down our "shopping street", Haarlemmerstraat, towards Centraal Station. We saw the Posthoornkerk (church), built in 1863. There are no longer services held here; I believe it is now used for concerts, exhibitions, and other events. Also saw the West Indisch Huis (West India House) on Herenmarkt, which was the Dutch West India Company's 17th century headquarters, handling trade (including slave trade) between Holland, the Americas, and Africa. I also snapped a few photos of things I don't want to forget - like Barney's coffeeshop, we get a strong whiff every time we pass by. And, another coffeeshop down the street has an "Amsterdam coffee cup" ad painted on the building. Greg and I think it's a pretty smart and fun ad.

We walked past Centraal Station, and even though we have been in and out of this building hundreds of times by now, I still think it is a very beautiful place. The station was built between 1884 and 1889 on three man-made islands (supported on 30,000 pilings) in the IJ channel. I guess there was controversy with the location, as it effectively cuts off Amsterdam from its own waterfront, making it basically an inland city. Interesting. We walked by Sint-Nicolaaskerk, but it does not open until noon, so we planned to come back to it. We kept walking along to nearby Schreierstoren (Tower of Tears), built in 1480. It was once a strong point in the city wall, and the name allegedly comes from the tears shed by wives as their men sailed away on voyages from which they might never return. We turned inward towards the city center and walked behind St. Nicholas's Church, a pretty view which we'd never seen before.

We neared the Red Light District to see, surprisingly, two more churches. We just snapped a photo of Museum Amstelkring from the outside, which houses Our Lord in the Attic. After the Protestant Changeover in 1578, Catholics were forced to worship in secret. A wealthy Catholic merchant transformed his attic in 1661-1663 into a secret church, and it has been preserved for visitors to see. Even the canal house itself is among the oldest you can visit, and so the house furnished as it would have been in the mid-18th century with heavy oak furniture, Delft tiles, and period paintings is worth a visit...I've heard. With Ben still wide awake, we decided to keep going...

Right down the street (actually, canal) is the Oude Kerk (Old Church). I had seen it before from the outside, but it was time for Greg and I to take turns and see the beautiful interior. The church was begun in 1250 and essentially completed with the extension of the bell tower in 1566. The church houses three organs; the main organ built in 1724 is regarded as one of the finest baroque organs in Europe. The floor consists entirely of gravestones - because the church was built on a cemetery. Rembrandt's wife is buried here, and all of his children were christened here.

Because we were in the "neighborhood", I couldn't help snap a "forbidden" photo of a red light. There isn't anyone in the window, so I figured I was safe from having my camera thrown in the canal. Also thought a photo of the classic urinals in this part of town was appropriate. What will Ben think one day when he is old enough to know that we let him 'play' in the RLD of Amsterdam?? He had a fabulous time throwing leaves and rocks into the canal - his new favorite pasttime. (Which is hard, because there are canals everywhere, and we don't always have the leaves or rocks he 'needs'. We have started to keep an emergency stash of 'nature' products in his stroller pocket...leaves, rocks, sticks, etc. We're nuts, but it's what you do to hold off a meltdown!)

Another item on our list was kind of silly, but we felt it was a must-see. We pass by Magna Plaza all the time on trams, buses, or just walking in the city. Magna Plaza is basically a shopping mall, but in a really magnificent building. It is actually the former central post office, which dates from 1908. Quite pretty inside, and filled with lots of expensive shops. So, no buying, just browsing. As we made our way back to the Jordaan area and home, we passed by another thing that we see all the time - the Multatuli statue. I have to admit, I had no idea who he was until I came home and looked him up. He was a Dutch writer famous for his satirical novel which exposed the abuse of free labor in the Dutch Indies (Indonesia). Even proclaimed as the "most important Dutch writer of all time" in 2002 by the Society for Dutch Literature. I guess that deserves a statue, right? :)

At this point, Ben had fallen asleep and so Greg and I decided to take a little detour before going home and have coffee, tea, lunch at Spanjer en van Twist on the Leliegracht canal. I love this little cafe, as it sits literally right on the canal - you could fall in if not careful! It's fun to watch the big museum boats, Dutchies in their personal boats, and tourists in paddleboats go by. It was a chilly day, so we enjoyed some yummy soup, mint tea, and cappuccino as we sat and talked while Ben napped. I sure am going to miss getting all those tasty little treats with my tea/coffee - what a nice touch and a great way to top off a day of being out and about around Amsterdam!

The next day, Sunday, August 30th, Greg left for 4+ days of travel - this time to Zurich on Monday/Tuesday and then Milan on Wednesday/Thursday. Time to put on his work travel hat, and for me to put on my single mommy hat...here we go!