Today, Alex and I met up with my friend Pat and his daughter, Marina. The four of us decided to spend the day touring the museum district of Amsterdam.
Rather than drive to them, Alex and I opted to take the train in to see them. Brilliant idea, if I do say so myself. We found a parking lot close to the train station, hopped on the train and headed into the core of the city. 25 minutes later, we were walking to meet Pat and Marina.
We found them at the Irish Gate Pub – where else, right?
After a hearty breakfast, we headed off to the first museum: The Van Gogh Museum
This is a very modern museum that houses some of Van Gogh’s most famous works. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures except in very specific areas, hence the shots below:
From there, we headed off to the Anne Frank House. What an incredible experience that place was. Again, no pictures were allowed but, suffice to say, every person who ever travels to the Netherlands HAS TO VISIT THIS PLACE.
We all know the story of Anne Frank and how she lived and sadly, how she died, but to see the actual house where she and her family hid for 2 years was astonishing.
The line ups were long and the waits were even longer, but, I am so glad we did it. The haunting faces of all the people hiding in that home were chilling.
From there, we headed off for a bite to eat. Naturally, we found the Hard Rock Cafe in Amsterdam:
After an incredibly hearty meal, we headed off to the Rijksmuseum only to discover that it had closed an hour before…. *sigh. Fortunately, our tickets are good for a year, so Alex and I will come back to visit next year.
Touring the city, we found some beautiful architecture and so, just wandering around was well worth the day. It was great fun to hang out with Pat and Marina.
Around 6:30, we decided to call it a day. Pat and Marina had to get up early for another guided tour and we were feeling the effects of our massive dinner.
On the train home, Alex and I decided to have a down day. We are going to sleep in, watch a bit of television, and just relax.
So, my post tomorrow will be less than exciting.
Al Zylstra 