On Tuesday we got up early and high-tailed it to Keizersgracht 106, to meet Olly, our canal tour captain.
Olly removed the plastic rain guards before we departed, because it had turned out to be a nice day. We would recommend pureboats.com for canal tours in Amsterdam
Waiting to board our canal tour. There were twelve of us on the boat, plus Captain Olly.
On this canal you could peer through seven bridges at once.
This is a hand-hold for barge workers to hold on to and propel the barge forward. They are under most of the older bridges.
Refreshment time on the canal boat.
Amsterdam is a gorgeous city.
Ducky
Olly and a fellow passenger with the Narrow Bridge in the background. Olly was a great tour guide, he talked about the history of Holland and its role in the world.
Locks.
The Narrow Bridge over the Amstel River.
Selfy time.
Google Lens thinks this is the Zuiderkerk.
A prime example of Amsterdam’s crooked canal houses.
Because Elaine is a bit of a stork freak, Captain Olly told us where we could see a stork nest with a fledgling still in it. So, after the canal tour we set off to the end of Prinsengracht and the University of Amsterdam campus.
On our way to find the stork nest, we passed the Cow Museum shop, and couldn’t resist stopping.
On both the canal tour and on our stork quest, we passed the Museumhuis Bartolotti, considered by many to be the most beautiful canal house in Amsterdam. It’s open for visitors, but we skipped it because we were on a mission.
Octopus bridge over the Singel.
At last we reached the magical chimney with the stork’s nest on top,
Smile little stork! This picture was taken from the street with telephoto to the maximum. We wanted a better look.
To get the better shot, we climbed to the third floor of the University of Amsterdam’s psychology building. Students were friendly but found us and our quest amusing. The white spot in the nest is the fledgling stork.
A whole new meaning for UvA!
Captain Olly had told us storks occupy every green space in Amsterdam, and have become a nuisance after their recovery from near extinction in Amsterdam. This green spot is close to the nest in the previous pictures. So, Elaine wanted to believe that this was mommy (or daddy) stork. But it turns out it’s really a great blue heron!
Quest completed, we got a bonus reward of a pretty camellia on the street.
Possible stork nests in the formal garden
Then there was lunch. Elaine had a traditional Dutch pancake, and William had hot wings that he still salivates over
After our very late lunch, we had a few hours and after much discussion we decided to go to the ARTIS (zoo), which was across the street.
Flamingos and a few herons
The gardens at the zoo were as beautiful as the animals.
Some sort of ape.
Two Patagonian maras taking it easy. Aka Patagonian hare
Great blue herons were all over the zoo.
Tyrannosaurus rex sculpture at the zoo.
Zen garden at the zoo.
Cool red birds!
Elaine posing with a vulture and a peacock.
Ankole cattle.
The giraffe and kudu shall lie together
Formal garden at the zoo. With benches!
Possible stork nests in the formal garden
Resting in the formal garden.
There was no barrier between us and these red puffed lemurs. Zoo personnel were nearby.
Dalmatian pelican
Great blue heron
Great blue herron
When we left ARTIS on our way back to the hotel, we came across a few interesting Amsterdam sights, particularly in the Jewish quarter.
The Auschwitz monument. The broken mirrors symbolize that Auschwitz caused heaven to be broken. The “litter” on the monument is the remains of flowers people have left. Stones marking visits were also left on the glass sign in the background.
We saw our tour boat go by!
Amsterdam houses tilt in all directions for a variety of reasons, mostly having to do with foundations.
Placques like these were all over the Jewish quarter, commemorating individuals from this neighborhood who were killed or taken to concentration camps. There were too many to fathom
Rembrandt
After resting a while at the hotel and changing our clothes, we headed out for a Rotterdam Orchestra performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony at the Concertgebouw Hall, followed by a late night dinner.
On the tram to the Concertgebouw (which Captain Olly told us means “concert building”, which is the ever-so-Dutch way to name things simply.)
The Concertgebouw concert hall, getting ready for the performance.
The hall is about the same size as Orchestra Hall in Detroit, but feels much more intimate – maybe because of the seats behind the orchestra, half of which were occupied for a choir for this performance.
The conductor, the soprano and alto entered through these doors. It was cool that we got to hear the organ performed as part of this symphony.
Concertgebouw exterior after the show.
The orchestra immediately decamped.
Waiting for the tram to take us back to the hotel.
We walked through a restaurant-filled neighborhood on our way to the concert, and thought it would be a good place to have dinner on our way home. But. This pizza place was the only dining establishment open at 10:00. It turned out to be really good pizza, rivalling what we had in Naples some years ago.
We had been in Amsterdam for two full days, and William hadn’t gotten a single picture of a maintenance hole cover. Fortunately there was a nice one on the way back to the hotel.
So endeth our quick trip to Amsterdam. The next morning we were picked up before 6 AM to be whisked away to Schiphol airport for our flight home via Copenhagen and Chicago. The Copenhagen airport was lovely and was remarkable because Elaine was able to attend a Baldwin Public Library staff meeting via Zoom while waiting for the plane. She also got some herring, which we were able to get through customs without confiscation. See you in Alaska for our next adventure.