Jon and Jody in Jo'burg: Amsterdam

Last week I had the opportunity to go to Amsterdam with Jon, who was attending the International Broadcast Conference. Neither of us had been before and I must say I saw much more of this beautiful city than Jon did.

Amsterdam has quite a history. You can read about it by clicking here. The best way to see the city is on one of the many canal boat tours. There are several companies that provide hop-on hop-off service. It is also a terrific city for walking or riding bikes and it has an extensive tram/train service for getting around. I was not brave enough for a bike. My concern was I would either get hit by a car, a tram, a motorbike or simply fall into a canal.

Among the sites I visited were the Rijksmuseum, the Hermitage Amsterdam, the Rembrandt House and the Anne Frank House. The Anne Frank House was incredibly moving (like the Holocaust Museum in DC). It was reverently quiet and chilling when you think about what these families endured. Unfortunately it was pouring so I have no photos. I skipped the Heineken Brewery tour and Jon and I made the obligatory walk through the Red Light District. WOW! I lead a very sheltered life.

Hope you enjoy the photos and the brief explanations.

Typical view of the city

Amsterdam is filled with streetside cafes and the cafes are filled
when the weather is good.

Holland's windmills were used for sawing wood
which made them the largest shipbuilding and trading country
in the world in the 1600s. The Dutch East India
Company, is still around today, would be the size of
Microsoft and Coca Cola combined.

The Rijksmuseum, home to the Dutch Masters, among many
others.

Locals say the canals here are 3 meters deep. the 1st meter is
water, the 2nd meter is mud and the 3rd meter is bicycles.

Grand Central Station and the electric tram lines in the
foreground. Grand Central and the Rijksmuseum are identical
buildings built by the same architect.