Day 8: Flowers & ShipbuildingWe were up early to catch the frenetic activity of the Aalsmeer flower auction. The flowers were beautiful and the sheer variety of blooms, gourds, and shrubs was amazing as were the fork trucks whizzing by with their cargo. Next, we visited the Bataviawerf in Lelystad where craftsmen have constructed an exact replica of the Dutch merchant ship, the Batavia, applying techniques that were used to construct the original. Finally, we arrived in Amsterdam and Hans took us on a pre-dinner visit of the old historic core, including the Red Light district.
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Today's Highlights
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Today's ActivityBigger cities provide more options for longer walks. Our hotel was well located in the museum district and we were easily able to get to the center of town with our three day tram passes. After a morning of not too much walking, it was great to wander during our long lunch and then really pick up a few steps as we toured Amsterdam. Now I know why everyone bikes in this city - it's so flat! Peak steps for the day came from skipping the elevator and taking the stairs to our room.
Totals for the day: 18,934 steps, 23 flights of stairs |
If I could do this day differently...
I would get up a half hour earlier to catch more frenetic energy at the Aalsmeer flower auction. We had a great visit, but it was clear the action was starting to wind down. While the Batavia was very interesting, I would spend far less time on a visit to this location so we could arrive at Amsterdam earlier in the afternoon or even for lunch.
Day 9: Amsterdam AdventuresToday was our first full day to explore the town, take in some of the many sites and give a go at navigating on our own without getting run over by a bicycle (After strict instructions from Hans to look both ways twice! Safety First!). The day started with a sobering, but uplifting visit to the Anne Frank house, I was glad I had read the book beforehand, but even if you haven't, Anne's voice is very strongly felt through displayed quotes from her book describing the rooms and the activity that took place within them. There are also video interviews with her father and others who helped to hide the families. Next we strolled the Jordaan before our visit to a local coffee shop where we chatted with the owner, Ludo. More strolling of the historic core and a visit to the Begijnhof and church within before our free afternoon. We indulged in more local museums (all covered by our museum card) and kicked our feet back at the Heineken Experience.
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Today's Highlights
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Today's ActivityToday was a lot of walking even though we were exercising our tram pass whenever we could! We criss crossed town a bit checking out different museums, then our very long walk through the canals put us over the top. A new step record for my Dad and more cries for tram usage rather than walking for the next day! Peak stairs for the day again came at our hotel.
Totals for the day: 28,697 steps, 41 flights of stairs |
If I could do this day differently...
I would probably try to fit in a nighttime canal cruise. We had an amazing day packed with activities. It would have been a welcome relaxing break after our canal walk or tour at Heineken to sit on a boat and enjoy the cruise.
Day 10: Amsterdam MuseumsToday it was wall-to-wall museum visiting as we tried to cram in as much Amsterdam as we could (Hey, we've got that museum card and we need to make the most of it!). We had an early start with a short stroll to the Rijksmuseum where we had another wonderful guide who pointed out the highlights and talked about the details and humor of Dutch art. With an afternoon free we visited the Van Gogh museum, the Dutch Resistance Museum, and toured a canal home all before our farewell group dinner in the heart of central Amsterdam.
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Today's Highlights
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Today's ActivityIt's such a short walk from our hotel to the main museums, that we didn't pick up many steps as we explored the museumplien. We combined the tram and some walking to get across town to check out the Dutch Resistance Museum and then on to the Van Loon canal museum. Our farewell dinner was capped by a wonderful stroll with Hans as he pointed out a few nighttime highlights of Amsterdam as we wandered back to the hotel. Peak stairs for the day came at, you guessed it, the hotel.
Totals for the day: 19,053 steps, 26 flights of stairs |
If I could do this day differently...
I would have liked to take advantage of the Van Gogh museum's late opening hours as it was absolutely crushed when we arrived mid morning, but I wouldn't miss out on our group dinner to do so!
Day 11: Bon Voyage! |
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Today it was time to say goodbye to our new tour friends. A group of us piled into a van and headed to the airport early to catch our flights home.
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Here's our crew, Back Row: Neil, Marty, Kathy, John (Our bus driver), Dick, Rich, Robin, Bill, Kathy, Jack, Cyndy, and James. Middle Row: Mary, Kelsey, Clint, Helen, Arlene, Cindy, Janis, and Gail. Front Row: Mark, Hans (Our guide), Steve, Greg, & me.