Aug 6, 2016
Amsterdam Day 1 - August 5, 2016
Our first day in Amsterdam has come to a close. We spent it
exploring beyond the immediate neighborhood. Our apartment is
located near museums including the Van Gogh Museum and the
Rijksmuseum. Somewhat farther away we found , in due time, Central
Station and even the location of the apartment Mom, Dad and I
stayed in 16 years ago when last here. Yesterday we spent a couple
of hours exploring the immediate surroundings; today we wandered
farther afield. Amsterdam is certainly walkable but you had best
pay attention to the countless cyclists and motor scooter riders.
While the vast majority of them follow the same rules of the road
that cars do their bike lane is right next to the sidewalk and easy
to stray into. It is certainly an extra challenge for anyone with
low vision , let alone blind people; walking here can be a real
trial even though traffic lights have audible warnings for when you
can cross or not.
We walked around for several hours with notable breaks to take in the Van Gogh Museum. He certainly led a troubled life and yet during his productive career, just ten years, he would have a large impact on the world of painting. It is a remarkable museum even if it is somewhat crowded.
Later in the day, a pleasantly warm partly cloudy afternoon, we took a canal boat tour. You get a bit of a sense of the city's age when doing that. You pick up a few tidbits of information along the way too. It is a nice change of pace.
We wrapped our day up with a jazz concert at the Concert-Gebouw. That was a very fine way to top off the first full day here in Amsterdam.