Amazing Amsterdam, a Photo Review of our 3 day precruise stay

[Ssislandgirl]

Hello Fellow Cruisers,

This is a very picture heavy report on our visit to Amsterdam in September 2014. We stayed for 2 nights in a very charming and centrally located Bed&Breakfast, before boarding the Celebrity Constellation for a 14 day European Explorer Cruise to Istanbul. It was our second visit to Amsterdam and we really enjoyed our stay. This time we explored some of the more "off the beaten path" sights. I hope this report will inspire other cruisers and help with their planning. Maybe it will bring back fond memories to travelers who visited the city already.

 

Ben and I left Saint Simons on Sept. 3rd for a new European Adventure. We had an uneventful and very pleasant flight and reached Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport around 10:30 in the morning of September 4th.

 

Our Bed and Breakfast was located within walking distance of the Central Station in Amsterdam, therefore we decided to take the train from the airport. It was very easy, fast and cost effective. Within 40 minutes, we reached our accommodations for the next 2 nights, the Barangay B&B. We checked in early, dropped our bags and were off to a few hours of exploring.

 

 

 

The outside

 

 

 

the beautifully made room

 

 

 

The steep and narrow staircase that is very typical for old, traditional homes in Amsterdam. We had to climb 2 sets of stairs to get to our room. If you have mobility issues or are into bringing lots of large pieces of luggage, you might consider staying in the newer parts of town, but you will most certainly miss out on the charm of these old homes.

 

 

 

View from our room of a very quiet courtyard flanked by narrow houses.

After dropping off our luggage, we started to explore the city. It was a beautiful, sunny day and lots of "Amsterdammers" were out with their bikes. One of the first things we noticed was that the city of Amsterdam provides Free of Charge parking facilities for their bikers in stark contrast to the fee to park your car.

 

 

 

This is an impressive 3 story bicycle garage by the river

 

 

[Ssislandgirl]

 

Later on we also saw barges providing thousands of extra free parking spaces for bicycles.

 

 

 

Since it was lunch time, lots of people were eating at several kiosks which sell pickled hering sandwiches often served with onions or sour cream. We stuck with more conventional food...shame on us!

 

 

 

Other people were enjoying huge servings of French Fries with mayonnaise, not ketchup. My arteries were clogging just watching them.

 

 

 

And another Dutch specialty is obviously cheese. I took this photo in a super market. Look at all the different varieties.

 

 

 

We arrived at the free ferry behind the train station, which took us across the river to the Eye-Film-Institute.

 

 

[Ssislandgirl]

 

The ferry runs continuously and is frequented by lots of pedestrians and bikers

 

 

 

Views from the ferry of the A'DAM Tower or Overhoeks Tower close to the Film Institute. The Tower and the surrounding area is under heavy construction and currently being transformed into offices and apartments. Work is supposed to be completed in 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

The Eye Film Institute is not only architectually very interesting. It holds 4 screening rooms and houses permanent exhibits in the basement. A large terrace offers a spectacular view over Amsterdam. We sat on the huge outdoor deck of their café and enjoyed the sun and the beautiful view with an espresso.

 

 

 

 

 

On our way back to the ferry, we discovered lots of art work. This particular piece of street art was hidden behind a construction fence....what a shame!

[Ssislandgirl]

 

More modern art in the form of a huge table and chairs

 

 

 

We crossed the river again and are now headed to our next stop, the 11th floor SkyLounge of the Hilton Hotel.

We encountered sooo many more bikes and I became fascinated by the sheer quantity and variety of styles. Supposedly there are 600,000 bikes in Amsterdam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The city built a huge network of bike lanes right next to the car traffic lanes

[Ssislandgirl]

 

and even regulates the bike traffic with its own traffic lights.

 

 

 

Here are some of my favorite bike pictures

 

 

 

The animal print transporter

 

 

 

The leopard duck tape wonder

 

 

 

The runaway

 

 

 

The outcast

Edited February 27, 2015 by Ssislandgirl

[Ssislandgirl]

 

Bicycle still life

 

 

 

There is nothing like parking right next to the public men's restrooms. Notice how it drains!

 

 

 

I got a little side tracked, but we are now back at the Hilton and were enjoying the incredible view of Amsterdam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ssislandgirl]

We went back to our B&B and after a short nap decided to visit the Red Light District in the late afternoon. Some of the following photos are a little racy, but that's a part of Amsterdam's charm.

 

 

 

Here she is, "Belle", a statue dedicated to the unknown prostitute. It honors sex workers around the world. Belle is situated right in front of the beautiful Old Church (Oude Kerk).

 

 

 

The area around the church marks the neighborhood's most dense concentration of prostitution. The working girls have their "offices" just around the corner and put themselves on display.

 

 

 

On a previous visit to Amsterdam we were informed that the Ladies really don't like to have their pictures taken. I always honor request like and put my camera in its bag. So neon signs will have to do. By the way, I got yelled at for taking the above photo

 

 

 

You might also almost trip over this bronze breast in the pavement.

 

 

 

Beautiful old houses across from the church are now the Prostitution Information Center and a Room Rental Office, which also provides security for the women. The center also offers a guided tour around the district on Saturdays. We took this tour on our last visit. It was eye-opening!

[Ssislandgirl]

 

The main drag provides all kind of stores. For all kinds of needs.

 

 

 

 

 

As well as all kinds of bars and special coffee shops. Translation...pot shop. You can purchase Cannabis Brownies if you so desire. The Bulldog is supposed to be the oldest.

 

 

 

Here is another incredible Dutch invention. I was wondering about these metal contraptions all over the corners of the houses. I was told that they are urine deflectors to deter men from relieving themselves in the streets. How about that!

 

 

 

After all the sex and drugs lets not forget the beautiful architecture of this area around the canals.We really enjoyed walking around this district. We never felt uneasy or in danger.

 

 

 

The old homes are beautifully preserved.

[Heritagesteeler]

Thanks for the great pictures, we go to Amsterdam the is Sept. for before cruise stay. We are only their for one day, what would recommend for us to see in that one day. I was there for awhile in the early 1970's, so long ago I don't remember much. Thanks again,

Heritagesteeler

[Ssislandgirl]

 

Notice how crooked and out of alignement those windows are

 

 

 

DHL is delivering packages by boat.

 

 

 

We got back to our accommodations around 9pm. We had an amazing first day!

 

 

Day 2

 

After a great night's sleep, we started our self-guided city walk early in the morning. Amsterdam was just starting to wake up and the normally busy streets were still empty. We walked past the Central Station and continued on Damrak until we found the Stock Exchange with the Dutch "Bull".

 

 

 

We walked on to Dam Square, the historic heart of the city....

 

 

 

And stopped briefly at the National Monument. The Obelisk was built in 1956 as a WW2 Memorial.

 

 

 

The statues remember the sufferings of those grim times and the structure is now considered a monument for peace.

[Ssislandgirl]

 

We passed the Royal Palace, which remains 1 of the 4 offical residences of the Dutch King

 

 

 

We found this hidden church in a busy shopping area.

 

 

 

Who knew that this huge church laid behind such a small entrance. A very tranquil place amid 21st century commercialism.

 

 

 

Up next we visited the courtyard of the Amsterdam Museum and had a coffee in their cute cafeteria.

 

 

 

 

 

We passed through the arched entrance and discovered display cases about life in this former orphanage. The Amsterdam Museum housed the city orphanage until 1960. To remember this time, the orphans' storage lockers have been kept intact as display cases in the courtyard.

[Ssislandgirl]

 

Our next destination was Begijnhof. This tranquil area with vintage houses grouped around a church, has sheltered women since 1346.

 

 

 

The Beguines were not nuns, just Ladies who turned their backs on materialism and marriage to live in Christian poverty, spending their days with prayer, spinning wool, making lace and caring for the sick.

The last Beguine died in 1971, but this Begijnhof still provides housing to about 100 single, senior women.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ssislandgirl]

 

We soon arrived at the Flower Market (Bloemenmarkt),

 

 

 

Where you can find all kinds of souvenirs and flowers

 

 

 

 

 

I am not so sure that you could bring this kit back to the US. We did not try!

 

 

[Ssislandgirl]

 

We walked past Muntplein, with it's Mint Tower ( Munttoren), which used to serve as one of the city's original gates during medival times. The clock tower was added in 1620 and is a favorite within Amsterdam's marijuana culture. People love to take a picture of the clock at 4:20 (16:20) :) Obviously we passed by just a few hours too early!

 

 

 

 

 

Amsterdam is definitely a place for people-watching. You'll see more later on in this chapter.

 

 

 

We found this group on Leidseplein, 1 of Amsterdam's liveliest squares

We also went inside the city's most expensive piece of real estate....

 

 

 

...the huge 2 story Apple Store. I really liked this spiral staircase.

[Ssislandgirl]

 

We continued on to a small park in front of the City Cinema. It features 40 life sized lizard statues guarding the lawn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After passing through Max Euweplein's courtyard with the huge chess pieces,

 

 

 

 

 

...we soon reached the Rijksmuseum.

[Ssislandgirl]

 

Some really beautiful private residences can be found right on the canal across from the museum.

 

 

 

 

 

We sat down in a small sculpture garden for a few minutes to have a snack and then walked towards the back of the museum for more people watching

 

 

 

A great group of street performers were putting on a show in front of the IAmsterdam sign.

 

 

 

It was fabulous!!

 

 

[Ssislandgirl]

 

 

 

This is as close as we got to Mr. Rembrandt and his masterpieces. We are not really "museum people".

 

 

 

We passed a few of Amsterdam's 2500 houseboats

 

 

 

 

 

And reached the "Skinny Bridge" (magere brug). It connects the banks of the river Amstel at Kerkstradt.

 

 

 

It is a very scenic place and lots of artists were out drawing it.

[Ssislandgirl]

 

We strolled along the canals for quite a while....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until we reached Westerkirk. Our original plan was to climb up for great views, but the weather didn't cooperate. It was very overcast and started to sprinkle.

 

 

 

We saw the Anne Frank Statue,

[Ssislandgirl]

 

visited the Homomonument, Amsterdam's Aids Memorial,

 

 

 

 

 

And passed the crowds lining up for Anne Frank's House. We visited this site on a previous visit to Amsterdam and highly recommend getting there early in the morning at opening time. We were able to walk right in, no wait involved.

 

 

 

More impressions from our walk through the very scenic Jordaan neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

[Ssislandgirl]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived back at our hotel, grabbed some dinner and were off again for a sunset canal cruise.

 

 

 

The tour was narrated and allowed us to revisit some of the sights we saw earlier on foot from the water view point. We timed it just right!

 

 

[Ssislandgirl]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a long day of sightseeing and miles of walking through beautiful Amsterdam we returned to our B&B around 10:30.

 

 

Day 3

 

On our last morning in Amsterdam we decided to explore the area around our B&B and then walk to Prinseneiland.

The Barangay B&B is situated in a lively residental area

 

 

 

 

 

with all kinds of stores, schools.....

[Ssislandgirl]

 

And lots of small businesses. We tried to buy a few snacks in this really nice grocery store and were surprised to find out that they do not take cash! Credit cards only, who knew!

 

 

 

Some impressions from our short walk to Prinseneiland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ssislandgirl]

 

Prinseneiland is very centrally located and extremely picturesque. You will find beautifully restored homes and warehouses, drawbridges and canals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It doesn't really feel like you are minutes away from the center of Amsterdam.

[Ssislandgirl]

 

 

 

The area is now very up and coming. The old warehouses were abandonned until the 2nd half of the 20th century, when they were turned into apartments. Now this area attracts lots of artists.

After a few hours of exploring we returned to the B&B and soon left for our home for the next 2 weeks, the Celebrity Constellation.

Check in was extremely speedy

 

 

 

 

 

And we were leaving the port of Amsterdam soon after for our next destination.....Zeebrugge, Belgium

 

 

Thank you for following along!

Photoreviews of our other ports of call can be seen using the following links

 

Brugge

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2160220

 

Cherbourg (Normandy Beaches) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2160220

 

Vigo

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2160663

 

Lisbon

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2164431

 

Almeria (Cabo de Gata National Park)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2162364

 

Malta

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2167293

 

Athens (Canal of Corinth)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2162918

 

Kusadasi (Pamukkale)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2162200

 

Istanbul

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2167629

 

 

 

 

 

 

[duck addict]

Thank you. This makes me even more excited about my arrival there in just over 2 weeks. 3 days there before boarding a river cruise.:D