We have just a partial day to see a bit more of Amsterdam. The crew from European Waterways is scheduled to pick us up at Central Station at 4:30. There’s not a lot of time, but with the I Amsterdam card, we can use the tram service to get where we want to go fast.
I have been to Amsterdam several times and have seen most of the major attractions. If this is your first time, don’t miss the
Anne Frank House, the Rijkmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum or the Hermitage.
We decide we want to see the new things in Amsterdam, so we do a pretty brisk walking tour past the flower market on the Singel and through some of the small shopping streets in this area of the city.
There are many canal cruises you can take that will give you an overview of the major sites in the city. One new one, which we decide to try, is a cruise designed by the Rijksmuseum that gives the artistic history of the city as you tour. It is a good tour, and I enjoy it, but feel it is a bit skimpy on information.
After the canal cruise we walk to the Rijksmusuem to see the gardens with their tulips in full bloom but we don’t have time to see the collection.
Next stop is the Eye, (www.eyefilm.nl) the newest attraction in the city. It is a film museum and an architectural landmark that you can see from the back entrance to
Central Station. It is shaped like an eye and is all white. It stands out starkly against the rest of the city. The museum’s restaurant gives you a spectacular view of the waterfront.
Unfortunately we run out of time so can not visit the Handbag Museum, something I know my fashionable daughter would have enjoyed. I’ve heard it’s very cool.
And then we collect our bags from the hotel and head to the Central Station to meet our hosts from European Waterways.
Heidi, Editor-In-Chief
