Conversations with Myself

Friday

3

October 2014

Amsterdam – The Venice of the North.

Written by , Posted in Travel, Comments: 5

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Good morning Lovelies!

A normal day in Amsterdam.  The post man is delivering letters on his bicycle, hopping on and off of his bike to drop letters sometimes to avoid bumping someone.  The streets are busy, bikes are everywhere.

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Bicycles are prevailing mode of transport in Amsterdam. To most of us biking is a joy that we left in pre-teen years.  There is no better place to light up that childhood joy than in Amsterdam.  Ok, I thought I saw many bicycles in Berlin. No, that was nothing. People are riding bicycles in this city.  Amongst them are ladies in high heels and skirts with cell phone in one hand and cigarette in another all driving at a speed of light.

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We passed four large floors packed with bicycles. I am amazed. After an hour of seeing so many bicycles, my mind slowly warmed up to the idea.  Yes, I am a bike commuter but I never thought bike commuting can be used by millions of people in one city. thinking about the health benefits, reducing carbon footprint, saving on transport money, well I am in awe.

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People are head over heels in admiration of Venice canals but did you know that Amsterdam has more canals than Venice?.  Granted, there is only one real Venice but Amsterdam oozes a charm of its own.  They may both be watery cities but that’s where their similarities ends, even the atmosphere is far from similar.

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We had an appointment with our friend from SA .  We walked along the canals as we were waiting.

Typical houseboats on the Amsterdam canals. I fixed my curious gaze at this house in the water. Wondering how is life spent living on water.

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In few minutes our friend from SA – Wallace greeted us.  We met at Anne church.  He was in Amsterdam to complete his PHD studies.  Last month he got his doctoral degree.  We admire his persistence and we are so proud of him.

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After hugs and catching up we went to number 263 Prinsengracht – Anne House.  In there a little girl called Anne hid with her family for two years. They had fled from Frunkfurt in Germany after the coming of Naziism. Anne wrote her famous diary daily about her life. It is such a heart warming diary to read.  Almost everyone pose on the door to take pics.  And we posed too.

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Not far is a small statue of a little girl portraying Anne Frank. Cullo posed there too.  I was a trusted photographer because Cullo read the Anne Frank diary in 6th grade. We sent pics to his 6th grade friends to show that the diary issue was real.  Such good memories!

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Wallace had to leave because he had some appointments and we had a boat to catch too.  It was nice meeting him.

My mid started to wonder as we climbed on the boat.  These cars do not seem safe to me.  One mistake, they will be in water.

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I am looking at picturesque buildings along the canal.  More so the buildings at Herengracht.  It is said the richest and most eligible people of the 15th century stayed there.

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Its not only me who is amazed, Muli is too.

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At a distance there are bicycle boats. Friends and couples cycle on the boats adding to the beauty of canals.

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Along the canals, people are sitting as if time has suddenly stood still.  They seem to be relaxed and living for the moment.  Aren’t all holidays supposed to be like these?.

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It is said that 7000 houses along the canals are declared national monuments. They are mainly occupied by offices as their maintenance is too expensive for private ownership.  Wow! Tenants from the 16th century must have been well off.

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Another vibrant area was  Museumplein Square.  Tourist don’t just come to the square to jump on big letters ‘I amsterdam’ to pose for picture but to visit some important museums.

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Museumplein Square is a place of the most significant museums in Europe, The Rijksmuseum, The Stedelijk Museum and the Municipal museum,

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We had to cut our day earlier than we planned because Muli was showing signs of being fatigued.  And we never want to push her little body to that level.  We were on day 15 of our vacation.  The last 14 days were filled with adventures, new discoveries, late night dining and lots of laughter.  We wanted to give our bodies some rest.  This cosy hotel bed was calling our names.

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I have 3 recaps remaining.  The Hague and Rotterdam both in Netherlands and the last destination Brussels in Belgium.  Next post will be The Hague.

Take care,
Nez