Friday, June 2: Rijks Museum, Amsterdam Boat Cruise

On our free day in Amsterdam we take the tram to the Rijks Museum housing many Rembrandts and Vermeers


with a new courtyard since I was here last.
With our audio guides, we first peruse the main hall on the second floor
with great paintings

 including Girl With a Pearl Earring by Vermeer
and Night Watch by Rembrandt.
The library from the 1800s is amazing.

We are intrigued by a dollhouse from the 1800s.
After three hours of cruising the galleries and listening to our audio guides, our feet are very tired so we head to the museum store
and then experience the neighborhood surrounding the museum.

Telling Siri "I need a glass of wine" leads us to this wine bar for lunch.
 Pear, blue cheese and walnut flatbread above.  Tomato, mozzarella, pesto and baguette below.
We take the tram back to the Centraal Station to buy tickets for a boat cruise on the Amsterdam canals

where we first get views from our very nearby hotel
and then gorgeous views of the many canals of Amsterdam.



After a short break in the hotel we again take the tram, this time to Dam to admire city hall where Amsterdam got its start and have a group discussion of where to go next.
Amsterdam is a very bicycle friendly city with a guide telling us that there are fifty percent more bicycles in the city than there are people.  Bicycles are everywhere riding on designated lanes of which pedestrians need to aware to prevent being killed.  And, of course, there must be bicycle parking lots.
We happened on the scene of an apparent murder with the body outline on the pavement.
In the evening, we take a walk along the canal and a few pictures including a selfie.


Good night.  Tomorrow we are headed back to the USA.

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