Amsterdam!

So...originally we were planning a trip from Barcelona, up into San Sebastian and the Basque Country and then on to the south of France (shooting by bullet train up to Paris!). That was the plan anyway...but then Jayson told us he was going to propose to Iren in Amsterdam.  Suddenly  everywhere I looked, I kept seeing travel articles about Amsterdam.  As I read them (several times before forwarding them on to Jay) I began to wonder why we had never been to this lovely city, and our travel sights began to drift north!  When I looked into booking airfare to Amsterdam, it was actually cheaper to fly into Copenhagen.  Germany seemed like an easy add on...and as Gary says "I know, I know, we always have to end in Paris!"  So it was exciting to finally get to the city that prompted this whole revised Northern itinerary!

Well, let me tell you, Amsterdam did not disappoint!  This is a beautiful, beautiful city...the winding streets, the canals, the bridges, the cobblestones, the amazing architecture, and all the bikes!  It is just as beautiful as every photo you see on Instagram!  But it is a very dangerous city in which to be a tourist!!  The number of bikes on the road is amazing...and they aren't really "on the road"...they are on the bike path.  But the speed they fly at is terrifying!  And both scooters/vespas and bikes go on the bike paths!

If you are walking on the sidewalk and meander into the bike lane, you are apt to be run over by the parade of bikes with their bells going ding, ding, ding, ding very aggressively!!  There is no curb between the bike bath and the sidewalk so I hear an awful lot of the ding, ding, ding!  If I make it out of this beautiful city alive, it will be a miracle!!

And it IS beautiful...

bikes + canals = Amsterdam!

Within the center of the city we wandered int this Begijnhof, a former convent from the 14th century.  This was a Catholic order of unmarked or widowed women who cared for the elderly and lived a religious life without taking monastic vows.  They lived in this tranquil, walled section of the city surrounding this green park; wooden gates were closed at night to keep the men out.  The last true Beguine died in 1971.  This was a beautiful and tranquil spot in the middle of a very busy city.

As we were driving into town to our hotel from the airport, I was immediately struck by the large hooks at the top of all the buildings...and wondered what could they be for?  

do you see the hoisting hooks above each building?

As it turns out, when the city was being built, the residents were taxed based on how wide their front doors and front of their homes were, so the early Dutch, being very frugal, built very narrow houses.  The stairs in these narrow houses were super narrow and steep, almost like ladders.  The early homeowners were mostly traders and kept storehouses in the attics of their homes.  They used these hooks and a system of pulls to get their spices (pepper was a big import) and other imports up to their store rooms!  In more recent times, the hooks got used for moving furniture into homes.  In current times, a electrical lift or scissor lift are used to get furniture into upstairs windows...

do you see the electrical lift in this photo?

This little red house is the narrowest home in Amsterdam...just 6' wide!

We have really loved exploring this city...first with our free walking tour on the first day, then by canal boat cruise in the evening, and lots and lots of walking (gotta keep up with our 5-6 mile daily average!). We are setting out today (our last day here) to explore a section of the city called Da Pijp...looking for new adventures.  So far I would definitely say that Amsterdam has worked its fairy-tale magic on us!