Amsterdam – May 2013

After our cruise finished in Venice, we flew to Amsterdam to spend a week there.

We rented an apartment in an old Canal House on the Amstel River that was conveniently located to all the tourist spots as well as restaurants and supermarkets.

The apartment was typical of old Canal Houses with very steep and narrow stairs.  It was quite a challenge getting in and out of the apartment but once there it was worth it.  The apartment was spacious, comfortable and had a great view across the Amstel River.

We took a bus to Kukenhoff, an hour drive from Amsterdam.   Kukenhoff is an amazing display garden covering 32 hectares with more than 7 million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths.

There were also pavilions with various plant and flower displays, including an amazing display of orchids.

The weather on the day of our visit was superb and the colours were spectacular.

The abdication of Queen Beatrix happened shortly before our arrival and there were still decorations all around the city from Queens Day.

We were in Amsterdam for Liberation Day, May 5^th, which marks the end of the occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II.  A concert was held on the river about three hundred metres from our apartment and we stumbled across the dress rehearsal in the afternoon so we were able to have front row seats of the action.

There were lots of locals in their boats enjoying the dress rehearsal too. 

Later in the evening, we watched the concert on the television and could hear it live through the window.  At the end of the concert the King left in a launch and sailed along the river past our apartment and transferred to a motorcade just past us.

We spent lots of time just wandering around the old part of town alongside the numerous canals.  The area is very beautiful and a photographers delight.

We visited the Van Gogh museum and spent a pleasant few hours wandering around the gallery.

 

To see all of our Amsterdam photos click here to go to smugmug.com and open a new window