As soon as you get off the plane, there’s lots to like. The airport is great for shopping! You can pick up almost anything you need for your stay, from underwear and toiletries to souvenirs and food. The array of transportation is also great. There a train station in the airport that is part of the regular rail system, so you could go any where in Europe from there. But I recommend staying at least a day or 2 in Amsterdam, since you are already so close!

There are taxis, and you can share to reduce the fare. There is also a hotel bus service called Connexxion, that goes to most of the hotels in the city, for less than cab fare. Check on line at www.connexxion.nl for more details.

The city itself is very walkable, but do get proper shoes for walking on cobblestones. Get a good map that lists tram lines, and you can get to almost all the city sites without cabs or taxis. There are buses as well; check at the front desk of your hotel to find out which ones will work best for you.

The iamsterdam card is a great thing to get for touring the city. You get a card that gets you free admission to many museums and a canal ride, a transportation card good on all city transportation - trams, buses and ferries, and discounts at more museums and attractions and some restautants too. While you can break even or save just a little with the one day pass, the longer passes are absolutely worth it. And you have the convenience of just showing your card, and not having to dig around for euros in your wallet or pocket. More info at I amsterdam

Unless you have trouble with stairs, do go to the Anne Frank House. She wanted to do good things for mankind after the War, and this museum lives up to that . If you do not want to wait outside in a line, (Amsterdam is NOT known for sunshine), go online to annefrankhuis.org, and you can buy tickets for a specific time. It’s an extra half euro for purchasing online, but this way you walk past all the people in line, ring a door bell and they let you in. It is in a great neighbor hood, so you don’t leave and have the world suddenly come crashing in on your thoughts.

I said this was a very walkable city, but that is an understatement. There is so much to see, that you do need to walk around to take in the atmosphere. In the center, there are the older buildings and of course the Red Light district. If the idea of legal prostitution or legal marijuana does not appeal to you, you need to make sure your hotel is not in this area. The area truly has red lights over the doors or windows of women in the trade, and the are provocatively dressed to entice customers. There are signs in Dutch that say that photos are forbidden; they take this rule very seriously.

Just outside the central area are the circular canals with the famous tall skinny houses that ring to city center. The roads are very narrow, but some how people drive on them - one way. Some are wide enough to have a separate bike line, and bikers get very upset if you walk in their lane. Some of the more unusual museums are here, like the Bag and Purse Museum. This is also where the mayor’s house is.
To the east is the Plantage, where you find the zoo and the botanical gardens.

This is next to the site of the old Jewish quarter, which was a huge center of Jewish life until World War II. There were 4 synagogues all one block in the Ashkenazi/ Eastern European tradition that were maliciously destroyed by the Nazis. These buildings have been restored to become a Jewish museum, with a café and art museum. 2 blocks away is the Portuguese-Israelite Synagogue, which follows the Sephardic/Western European tradition. This was left intact by the Nazis and no one knows why. It is still used as a synagogue, but is open for tours. There is also a video shown in a small room in the complex that tells of the history of the synagogue.

Not too far from here is Rembrandtsplein, since he lived in this neighborhood as well. It has lots of clubs and restaurants, and in the middle of the plaza is a statue of Rembrandt, as well as 22 statues depicting characters from his masterpiece, the Night Watch.

Outside the canal rings are the old suburbs, now considered part of the city. On Museumplein, the main museum is found, the Rijksmuseum. It is going through renovation, but you can still see the important works, including the Rijksmuseum. Admission is free with the iamsterdam card, and this is WELL worth it. Nearby is the Van Gogh museum, and this is on the iamsterdam card as well. The main concert hall, the Concertgebouw is here as well, and there is free music once a week.

To be continued…..

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Hey Mindy

Your time in Amsterdam sounds wonderful! Thank you for so much detail and the web addresses for the hotel shuttle and the iamsterdam card. Very useful information for other cruisers who will be in Amsterdam.

Looking forward to reading "the rest of the story".

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Thank you Mindy

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