Amsterdam
We sailed into Amsterdam from Kampen on Thursday night. On Friday, May 1, we walked over to be met by canal boats for a morning tour of Amsterdam.
Below are pictures of two of the drawbridges we saw.
Here they are putting up the ribbons to be cut for the opening of the Waldorf Astoria. Note that one can drive and park along the biggest canals, trusting that your parking brake works well.
From this spot we could see a succession of bridges across the side canal. The window reflections make the more distant ones harder to see.
Here are a couple of the houseboats that line the canal.
After the canal ride, some of us headed toward the train station to catch the tram to the Rijksmuseum. The train station itself is a magnificent building. A variety of modes of transportation converge around it.
The magnificent main building of the Rijksmuseum (state museum) opened in 1885. It closed in 2003 for a 10-year renovation.
The building incorporates design elements reminiscent of Gothic and Renaissance styles.
Decorations honor great Dutch artists.
The museum houses many famous works of art. In addition there is a collection of weapons and ship models.
Just outside the museum are gardens that were in ful bloom. There is also a fountain that people enjoy getting inside.
The picture below is my favorite of all the many pictures of flowers I took on the trip, including those from the next morning's garden tour.
In addition to a tower and a huge platform for bicycle parking, an old ferry has been docked near the train station for the purpose.
The passengers on our ship were almost all part of alumni groups and a group from the AMA. The University of Wisconsin alumni were given signs to put on the doors of their staterooms.
On Friday morning we rode busses out to Keukenhof Gardens. You can see some of my pictures on this page. On the bus ride back to the ship, we passed a genuine windmill of the old style.
