Donna is a dear friend that we have introduced many times in our blogs. She has visited us with her husband in Paris, San Francisco and San Diego then with her brother Mark in Mexico City, Madrid and now Amsterdam. We have also had the pleasure of her solo visits in several other locations to the point that she is afraid of being labeled another stalker, but we have assured her that title is reserved only for our friends Dick and Andrew. We were very excited to have her and Mark stay a tad longer than the usual week so that her French friend Hélène could join us for the last few days. This blog covers the first half of her and Mark’s visit before Hélène’s arrival.
We welcomed our friends Donna Quirk and Mark Neylon (Donna’s brother) the morning of April 10.Every one of our guests has said their taxi drivers remarked about what a great location we are in.Despite a red eye flight from Boston they were ready to explore Amsterdam and overcome any jet lag.We first oriented them to our neighborhood and surrounding sights. Bridge over the Amstel River looking at Zuiderkerk(South church). A restored church that is now an events center but has been closed since we have been here. We wanted to climb the towers in Amsterdam but fund out there is some kind of a dispute going on and none of the towers are open to climb as they have been in the past.This is the Magere Brug ( Skinny Bridge) a most iconic drawbridge featured in many films. There is a legend that the bridge is named after the Skinny Sisters who lived on one side of the river. Amsterdam is built on 90 islands. It is a maze of canals….more than Venice, and has 1,281 bridges, 65 of these are drawbridges.We kept them awake by a lot of walking and went to the Albert Cuypmarkt which since opening in 1905 is the largest and most popular outdoor market in The Netherlands with 260 stands operating six days a week selling food, clothing and everything in between.We have enjoyed seeing spring arrive in Amsterdam.Love is in the air. Bloemenmarkt also known as the floating flower market is ranked high on every guidebook to The Netherlands. It is a collection of waterside flower stalls located on boats that are moored on the picturesque Singel Canal. It has been in operation since 1862 and is colorful sight to see and smell.Above the flower stalls there are displays of the various Canal House Gables of which there are primarily just four types of facades; steeped gables, neck gables, bell gables and frame facades. The hooks on the gabled roofs were originally used as a means to hoist goods and furniture up and through the windows as the staircases in the homes are very narrow and steep.Donna and Mark decided to finish off their first day with a canal boat tour. We dropped them off at our favorite place Rederij P Kooij. They were fortunate enough to get a ride on the Jan Steen.The following pictures are theirs from the tour as we dropped them off and went home to fix dinner.Reguliersgracht is a beautiful and tranquil canal and the location of the “Seven Bridges Amsterdam” where you can see seven single arch bridges that are lit up at night which adds to their romantic and magical character. Mark snapped this photo from the canal boat they were in. We apologize for the blurry photo from enlarging it and are sorry it was not a night view which is regrettably past our bed time. Maybe we will send out some of our younger guests to get a good photo at night although the sun does not set until well after nine.So far none of our guests have done the A’DAM Lookout Swing which is Europe’s highest swing over the edge of the tower of Amsterdam giving those who dare an adrenalin rush as they dangle 100 meters above the ground enjoying a birds-eye view of the city over the water. We did it a few years ago but have yet to convince anyone else to try it.Us on the swings in July of 2019.We spotted their boat going by our home.We waved from our window and they were able to see us. See them standing up in the boat.First sighted in the mid 1970’s there are now over 4,000 rose ringed parakeets in Amsterdam. They thrive in colder, urban climates despite hailing from tropical regions. This one landed on a tree right in front of our dining room window.We took apart and rearranged this sectional couch which was blocking our view and made a window seat. One of the fun things about living in multiple accommodations is making these improvements. So far all of our hosts have liked our changes. This one remains to be seen but our host lives in Monaco so we may not move it back.We took Donna and Mark to Vondelpark which is the largest and most famous city park in the Netherlands. It is 120 acres and dates back to 1865. The park has 10 million visitors annually. It has an open-air theater, a playground and several food service facilities. These tulips float around on pallets in the pond of the park. In 1878 The English Pavilion was built to replace a wooden chalet and is now a restaurant and entertainment venue. We saw this bird for the first time in the park and identified it as the humble coot. They have firmly established themselves as residents in Amsterdam and can be seen everywhere.Tom and Donna really enjoyed touring the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum.This is Museumplein or Museum square, referred to in an earlier posting.Amsterdam is now displaying tulips all around the city in containers but it is definitely not the spring temperatures we are used to. We are hoping we can ditch our puffy winter coats and multiple layers soon.Donna and Mark tried to get tickets to the Anne Frank House but something went wrong and their tickets were not valid but they decided to go and explain the problem and see if they could get in anyway. They went to the security guard at the Museum entrance and to all our surprise he decided to let them in anyway after they paid. We have found the Dutch people to be extremely accommodating and friendly. They seem very patriotic and eager to share information about the country to tourists.We had the most delightful time sitting at this street side cafe and watching the world go by. It was near a blind intersection where pedestrians, bicycles, motor bikes and cars all converged with no lights or stop signs making for some cringeworthy sights of many near collisions.To atone for our walk through the Red light district we had to take them to church. Oude Kerk (old church) is located in the heart of the Red Light District. It is Amsterdam’s oldest building and newest contemporary art museum (since 2012). The building was founded about 1213 and consecrated in 1306 by the Bishop of Utrecht. After the reformation in 1306 it became a Calvinist church and remains so today.The ceiling of the church.
We took a video to show you how beautiful it is. Rembrandt was a frequent visitor here and it is the only building in Amsterdam that remains in its original state since Rembrandt walked its halls. Rembrandt’s first wife Saskia was buried here in 1642. Each year on March 9 at 8:39 am the early morning sun briefly illuminates her tomb.Some nights we are blessed to see beautiful sunsets right from our picture windows overlooking the canal, this is the golden hour.Amsterdam Central Station opened in 1889. It features a Gothic, Revival station building and a cast iron platform roof spanning approximately 1300 feet. It was designed by Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers who also designed the Rijksmuseum. It services about 250,000 people a day.We had a picture perfect day trip to Zaanse Schans which is a free outdoor park with a collection of historical windmills that are open to visitors from April to October.This was our first view of the windmills as we crossed the bridge after leaving Zaandam train station.Our local grocery store that we regularly shop is Albert Heijn. This was their warehouse in Zaandam founded in 1899.
Here Donna and Mark are climbing the exciting narrow stairs to the mill deck for a beautiful view.
Watch the windmill turn on this video.The last building we went to on the Island was the Windmill museum which was very interesting.They also make wooden clogs on the Island.One of our neighbors in the building advised us to go to the National Maritime Museum located very close to where we live. The building itself was beautiful.The Historic building dates from 1656 as a storehouse for Admiralty of Amsterdam. The Arsenal was was built in the 17th century, when Amsterdam was the largest port and market place in the world.It holds one of the world’s largest and most notable maritime collections including paintings, ship models, navigation instruments and sea chartsThe replica of the Dutch East Indiaman ship Amsterdam is docked right beside the museum where you can walk, climb on the ship, lay in the hammocks, visit the captains quarters and get a feel for what life on a ship entails.Very low ceilings in the Captain’s quarters.Woman were only allowed on ships as passengers, not crew as the men considered them to bring bad luck on the ship.Rain and a little hail again as we head back to our place for the day.
In spite of cold and rain we are enjoying Amsterdam with Donna and Mark. Our requirements for our three month stays has always been temperatures between 55 and 75 ℉. So far Amsterdam has barely reached 55° as a high for the day but we came here for tulip season thinking that Spring would be warmer than it has been. “It is what it is” and we are surviving although somewhat uncomfortably at times with miserable walks in rain, wind and hail but this is such a charming country and we have hopes that the weather will improve.
I was wondering why, after hearing of your temperature requirements for your stays, why you were in Amsterdam! Very unusual for you two! I’m sure it will improve. Love your new living room furniture design—bravo!
Another great blog of lovely Amsterdam; in spite of the cold, wind and rain. Love the pics of Vondelpark, the clogs, and the floating flower garden, which we missed on our short 4 days there. So fun to experience via pics of what we missed!!! Thank you both!
This week’s blog brought me right back to so many fond memories of our time with you in Amsterdam. Thank you so much for providing us with such a fun adventure! Miss you guys!
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