Hectically Moving Crowds

Amsterdam Walk About Town

Amsterdam is a beautiful and interesting place to visit. My husband and I arrived on a Tuesday late in the morning the beginning of May. We were met at the airport by Peter, who drove us to our hotel in a Mercedes van. Mercedes are a very common sight in Amsterdam. The ride felt very comfortable, not only because of the type of van we rode in, but because people drive on the right side of the streets in the Netherlands. When we got closer to town, we noticed the bicycles. The city bikes have fenders, chain guards, and a skirt guard on the rear wheel. A shocking amount of people were commuting to work and other places on bikes in their office-type clothing. No one wore a helmet and sometimes babies were strapped in either on a bike or a person who was riding one.

Amsterdam Statue of Rembrandt

Amsterdam Rembrandt Square

Rembrandt Square

As we neared where we would be staying, Peter had a hard time finding a place to park. Luckily, he was able to wedge the van in between two cars that were parked alongside a canal, and we got pretty close to the hotel, the NH Schiller. The hotel was built in 1912 and is located next to Rembrandt Square. The lobby is decorated with stained glass windows, woodwork, and artwork painted by Frits Schiller who once owned the hotel. The headboards on the beds are also reminiscent of the creations of the artist.

Amsterdam NH Schiller Hotel

Amsterdam NH Schiller Hotel Bedboard

NH Schiller Hotel (Bottom Photo is Headboard)

We quickly checked in, got a map, and went for a walk to find Anne Frank’s House & Museum. Along our walk, we commented about the stunning architecture of the buildings. Some buildings seem crooked as if they are leaning onto the next. Canals wind about the town. We marked our way by how many canals we crossed. We ambled down a main street, by the Royal Palace, took a left turn to cross three canals and found Anne Frank’s House pretty easily. We would return to the house of the well-known author later that night to go on our tour.

Amsterdam Royal Palace

The streets were not only alive with bikers and walkers, but trams, buses, cars, and a horse and carriage helped make the town boom. Ferries dotted the canals. Around a million tourists visit Amsterdam this time of year during an eight-week period to see the tulips at Kuekenhof Gardens, a 40-minute drive away. We wandered around a little more and came upon a little restaurant called Mama Pancakes. My husband’s breakfast came with scrambled eggs, sausage, beans, and bacon, chopped up like ham. I ordered an omelet with ham, and toast on the side. Both meals came with a garnish of shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. The coffee was served in a tiny white cup atop a little matching saucer.

Amsterdam Mama Pancake Coffee Tiny Cup of Coffee

Our tour of Miss Frank’s house was soon to arrive, so we went back to our hotel to get ready. Now that we knew the way, we felt confident we would get to the tour on time. We only worried about staying out of the throng of the hectically moving crowds!