We're Going to Amsterdam!

The introduction to Amsterdam had its plusses and minuses. The canal cruise was a great idea but there was quite a lot of garbage and litter around, too. On our first and only full day here, we were ready to explore the city. Luckily, the sun shone and the breeze was cool and it was a perfect day for walking. And boy, did we walk!

Smallest. Room. Ever!

May 3

*Check notes* Exit Centraal Station, see the multistory parking garage for bikes on the right? cross the little bridge near that. Go down the street opposite and keep to the right when it splits into two directions. Hotel is just a little further on and has red canopies. *check* We found the hotel without any problem and checked in. I booked this hotel in Amsterdam on the recommendation of a coworker who stayed here. The location is very good, just a few blocks from Centraal Station and Dam Square, with a tram stop right outside for several lines that are very useful for many of the main attractions. The staff at the hotel were very nice when we checked in, offering us maps and brochures and later on, called one of the tour boat companies to check on departure times for us. You use the room key card for the power in the room but also need it to call the elevator from the lobby and for the toilets in the lobby as well.

The room itself is very small, probably the smallest I've ever been in. The double bed foots right up against the back wall which is carpeted and has a flat panel tv mounted on it. The wall of the bathroom is about a foot and a half from one side and the outer wall with window is about the same from the other side. Behind the bed is a desk with two chairs and there's a closet/wardrobe at the entrance of the room where you can stash your suitcase and hang a few things. There's a safe in the closet as well and they have a kettle or coffee maker in the room with supplies. Good thing we only had hand luggage. Still, it was nice looking and the bed was comfy.

We were forewarned about the bathroom. It has glass walls though a frosted section around the middle on the wall that faces the room and the door swings both ways! The shower was roomy enough but the toilet is wedged into a corner and there isn't much hip room even for narrow bodies.

We had the evening ahead and decided to take a canal boat cruise to introduce ourselves to the city. We hurried back to the Station. In front of the station in the canal is where most of the tour boat offices are. The major one, Holland International, was the one we went for but they're all pretty similar in price and routes. We got there about 8 minutes before the departure so we didn't get seats as good as we'd have liked. The boats contain tabled booths down both sides, which they also use for dinner cruises, i should think. Each booth/table sits four or 6 very small people. The roof is glass and the side windows open. We didn't get window seats but our booth-mates did open the window so many photos taken on that side of the boat are reflection free.

The cruise lasted an hour, with narrative and was really nice. The skies were blue and it wasn't cold. Along the way you can see the elegant canal houses that line the water, but there are also modern buildings too, some built to match or similar in style. You go under the stone bridges and down a few quieter canals but mainly you are in the large canals that circle the old city. It was a nice way to see the city from a different perspective.

Once we had disembarked, it was time to start looking around for somewhere to eat. Between the street our hotel was on, and the "main drag" Damrak that leads from the station to Dam Square, are a few smaller streets, some pedestrian only. We thought there would be places in there. Damrak itself does have eateries but they were fast food, or quite tacky. We found that the general feeling of Damrak as it was, with tatty souvenir shops, arcades, theme pubs and restaurants.

We also noticed a *lot* of rubbish and litter all over the place, on ground and in the water of the canals!!! It was very off putting. By the end of the evening there were street cleaners out and we didn't notice it as much the rest of the time we were there but it didn't make a very good first impression. I suppose Amsterdam is a weekend destination for parties, stag and stagette parties and it's too bad that people don't respect the city enough not to find appropriate places to put their trash. Maybe the city is partly to blame for not supplying public garbage cans, I don't know.

We did finally find a dark little bar/restaurant called Rosmarijn just a block up from the station and in off Damrak on a side street. It had a menu that had some things that appealed to both of us so we ate there and enjoyed it. The price wasn't too expensive though not cheap either but the food was good.

After we ate, it was still light out so we walked up Damrak to see Dam Square where the Palace and National Monument are. There are some other large buildings there and the Nieuw Kerk (New Church) which isn't that new but is newer than the Old Church which is down in the Red Light District. It was closed of course, at this time of night as was the Palace. One of the buildings has Madame Tussaud's in it and there's a "Grand Hotel" along the back of the square which is large and open otherwise. It was chock full the next night as the Netherlands commemorate those that died in wars. The Royal Family attend and lay wreaths on the memorial and there's a service. We didn't brave the crowds for that and watched on tv instead.

Getting tired now, we walked behind Dam square and passed a huge shopping "mall" which is just behind. Also closed this time of night. We wandered back to our hotel, not that far away, stopping to get some snacks for the hotel room and spend the rest of the evening trying to decipher some of the Dutch television shows!

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