Up the Amstel and beyond

We were graced with fine weather again today, so a canal walk was in order.  This time, we wandered up the beautiful Amstel River and from there, over to Prinsengracht, a beer and a bite to eat in a delicious Italian restaurant at canal’s edge, and then a wander through the Bloemenmarkt, where it broke my heart to find out that not a single bulb is exportable, unless you want to pay a hefty fine.  There were Amaryllis bulbs the size of coconuts and tulips of more shapes and colors than there are words to describe.  

Over lunch (and shored up with a pint of Dutch courage), I blithely announced I wanted to climb someplace high and take some photographs.   And the old (and I do mean old) Westerkerk was just the venue to do that.  A few centuries old and complete with circular rickety staircase (with a rope to help you hoist) along with wooden, uneven stairs, it was redolent of history, especially since our guide came along with us to fill in the historical gaps.  The climb was not arduous but did require concentration and I was happy for a few stops along way.   At the top, we shuttled through a tiny door and out to the most incredible vista of old Amsterdam.  A tiny circular pathway gave a 360 degree view, and our guide and Dave had some amiable chats about the changes seen over the last thousand years or so.   While they chatted, I was quietly coming to the realization that I am not as comfortable hanging off a precipice as I used to be.   So I kind of plastered myself up against the wall and kept my feet solidly grounded, even if my imagination was everywhere but.  But wait, the best part was the descent.  During the first part, one needs to back down the narrow, winding stairs.   And that’s when I discovered that I don’t have much blind faith or back-up beepers left either.  But, in for a dollar and with a little encouragement/shove from Dave, I swung my beam south and down I went.   Not as bad once I had begun and within a reasonable amount of time we were back on the cobblestones and I was dealing with a light case of leftover vertigo.  But, I did it!  Rick, who was nursing sore hips from a lot of wandering, wisely elected to wait for us in the pub across the street but said he knew when he heard the bells ring that it was us standing beneath.  And so we were.

With Dave’s guidance and tram expertise we caught rides to Rembrandt park and had a sweet wander amongst the green pathways before returning home via Albert Cupymarkt to load up on fresh flowers, cod filets and a nutty baguette.  The wine and/or rum has just been poured and plans are cooking for our trip to Delft early tomorrow morning.   Where I highly doubt I will be climbing any Medieval staircases!