Amsterdam, Netherlands
A wonderful morning of exploration was enjoyed by all in the incredibly picturesque and refreshingly delightful city of Amsterdam today. We tied up National Geographic Explorer shortly after 8am having gone through the Ijmuiden locks. After meeting our local guides we were driven a short distance into the city where we boarded canal cruisers. From our low-level position we had a remarkable perspective of the streetscapes of this capital city. Serried ranks of bicycle handlebars lay across the tops of a multitude of bridges that we glided under. Looking up we had a mouse-eye view of the tall, brick built seventeenth century houses lining the waterways. Most of these still retain the original crane arm which in conjunction with a pulley and rope were used by the owners of the houses to lift large sized furniture and provisions up to the higher floor. This was necessary because the internal stairways were very narrow. We sipped coffee as we passed along the narrow concentric canals with each turn of our boat presenting attractive vistas. This is an engaging water world. Every meter of canal side is taken up by ‘parked’ riverboats; barges of every style, shape and color, around 3,000 in all are registered in the city. Some have such a multitude of potted plants that they look like veritable gardens. The deciduous trees growing along the canal banks were beginning to display a hint of autumn, what the locals call ‘Rembrandt colors.’
And ‘Rembrandt colors’ we did see shortly after alighting from the canal cruisers and continuing our morning in Amsterdam with a visit to the Rijksmuseum. Here in the National Museum is housed a remarkable collection of the seventeenth century Dutch Masters including Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Jan Vemeer. Some guests continued on with the art theme by visiting the world famous Van Gogh Museum. On our way back to the ship for lunch we were treated to a short panoramic overview of this vibrant city. The flower market, constructed on special platforms along one of the canals, was a blaze of colors comparable to a Van Gogh canvas. In short this city is a visual feast.
The afternoon was taken up with a variety of activities including a visit to the famous Anne Frank House and guided and photo walks around the city. Viewfinders framed images that captured some of the many threads that combine to make the remarkably rich cultural and social tapestry that is Amsterdam.
