Amsterdam walks

It was a lovely sunny morning as we set off on the Rick Steve's Amsterdam City Walk. Starting from Central Station, we walked up Damrak, past the 1903 brick Beurs building to Dam Square where there is a fun park, and then up Kalverstraat. Kalverstraat is a pedestrian-only street and it was a relief to escape from the cars and bikes. We found the entrance to the Amsterdam Museum and went through to the Civic Guard Gallery where there were some interesting pieces, including a David and Goliath scene, and some traditional group portraits which had been given a modern twist.

David and Goliath in the Civic Guard Gallery

Painting by Jan Mytnes 1666, adapted by Barbara Broekman 2012
- enhanced with items of old-fashioned haberdashery

From there we walked to the Begijnhof, a quiet courtyard with houses around a church. This used to be the home of Beguines, women who removed themselves from the world to dedicate themselves to God but were not nuns. It is now run by a foundation which still provides subsidized housing to needy single women, mostly Catholic. Unfortunately no photography was allowed there, in respect for the women's privacy.

The next item of interest was the House of Hajenius at 92 Rokin Street. This renowned cigar shop occupies a wonderful 1915 Art Deco building, with painted leather ceilings, elaborate chandeliers, wood panelling and a climate-controlled room for smelling pipe tobacco. More like a museum than a store!

Two photos from the PG Hajenius website

At the end of Kalverstraat we walked through one of the original medieval town gates and followed the Singel Canal which is lined with the shops of the Bloemenmarkt (Flower Market). All varieties of flowers, bulbs and seeds are sold, ranging from tulips (in countless colours and types) to eucalyptus branches and canabis starter kits. As we walked along, we enjoyed the scent from all the flowers.

We followed Leidsestraat through a very crowded  area of fashion and tourist shops to the square of Leidseplein and then continued on to the Rijksmuseum. We had intended to visit the museum but there were two immense queues of people waiting to enter, so we decided it might be better to return early tomorrow. Instead we retraced our steps to Leidseplein where we enjoyed lunch at a restaurant in the sunny square.

On our way back we visited the Oude Kerk (Old Church). While similar to the Haarlem church that we saw yesterday, it was rather run-down and bare. There were however some interesting carvings on the seats in the choir, illustrations of medieval sayings. For instance:

'It's like trying to out-yawn an oven door.'
In other words, don't try to attempt the impossible.

 After an interlude back in our apartment so that we could do the internet check-in for tomorrow's flight home, late in the afternoon we went on another Rick Steve's walk, this time in the Jordaan district. We took the tram to Dam Square where we started by sharing a plate of delicious poffertjes (tiny puffed pancakes dusted with icing sugar) with cream and strawberries. On the way to the Jordaan area we passed the following

• The so-called skinniest house in Amsterdam at 166 Singel - in fact, this is just the entry to a normal house that opens further back;

The red house in the middle

• At the Torensius Bridge, the 'big head' statue of Multatuli (1820-1887), the first Dutch author to criticize slavery in Dutch colonies;

• The upmarket area of Herengracht with stately houses on the canal;

• The huge queue for the Anne Frank House at 5pm, only thirty minutes before the last admission; and
• The interesting and varied houseboats on the Prinsengracht canal.

The Jordaan is a quiet area where many of the ground-level apartments have windows right on the street and small gardens on the footpath around their entrances. Originally built in the 1600s as a working class area, they are now homes and studios for artists, craftspeople and young professionals. There are also many small galleries, cafes and book shops. It seems like a very pleasant place to live and worth a walk to see it!