A few days ago I decided to photograph my walk along the Prinsengracht. Here are some of my findings.
First up, Noodermarkt Kerk. Just outside here in the square on Saturdays you can stop by and get your fresh bread, meat, fruits and veggies. Monday mornings is more of the flea market style which I’ve posted previously. This is the square we looked out on in the temporary place.
Every once in a while you can find a bench to sit at for people watching purposes or just to rest. There are a few I found along the Prinsengracht.
Okay, this one’s on a houseboat so perhaps not a seat for the public to sit on but it looks pretty funny sitting on top of the boat.
Need a hand? Have a seat! Hee, hee.
And finally benches with people actually sitting on them. These people are pondering life while the pigeons are waiting for the one lady to drop whatever she’s eating.
Here’s a quick shot of a trusty tugboat pulling along a boat needing some help.
These green wheel cars are all over Amsterdam. It’s a car coop program. Instead of owning a car you pay a monthly fee and sign up to take one of these cars out for certain blocks of time. I have to say I’m quite shocked at how many cars drive through these narrow streets.
Along with pigeons there are many seagulls who live here. They love trash day, market day or when people decide to throw bread in the canal. This is one of those moments.
I hope you enjoyed your wander along the Prinsengracht. I shall be back tomorrow so stay tuned!
canals
benches, churches, houseboat, Prinsengracht
Yep! That’s right. Shannie wandered for a total of 22 kms yesterday! Crazy? Why yes, yes I am.
I went to see Anne Frank’s statue which is on Merwedeplein. I know some of you have already found faster routes to accomplish said task but my goal is to get to know the city. So off I trekked in search of her statue.
The park is encompassed by a triangle of buildings that looks to be all one complex. The Frank’s residence I believe was 37C. I read that tidbit of information somewhere and have been unable to retrace my research to know absolutely. In any case the residence has been restored to its original 1930’s set up and is a writer’s residence for 1 year at a time for writers who cannot write freely in their country.
I then retraced my steps as a test for myself. Along the Amstel River there are many true houseboats…
I turned down one street too soon after a bridge I crossed and it was all head scratcher from there on in. A local, thankfully, was kind enough to come to my aid. Off I went to meet Corinna for a walk in Vondelpark and again I lost my sense of direction. Eventually she told me to meet her out front of the Riijksmuseum which is a hard building to miss. A stroll in Vondelpark with a stop at the Blue Tea House topped off the afternoon.
Today I decided it was time to hit the books so where to go to find some solitude… the Bibliotheek of course! Along my walk I passed Centraal Station.
So many buses, trams and subways. There is a significant amount of construction going on along that entire strip that I walked the wrong way. Bike paths are generally in red brick with pedestrian paths in grey. Well, the grey quickly disappeared and was replaced with a yellow curb. I suddenly had busses turning to the left of me and swarms of bikes to the right. Being an agile light-footed wonder I avoided contact and quickly found my feet beneath grey bricks again. *Whew* I eventually found a pedestrian who looked like he knew where he was going and followed him to this walkway that took me straight to the library.
It is such a wonderful open air concept library with plenty of work space available. Each floor is dedicated to a specific collection that is written in large letters on the ceiling of each escalator. There is also quite the security presence that I didn’t dare take out my camera for fear of it being confiscated. The top floor is a cafeteria so people could spend an entire day without having to leaves the premises. Hmmm, what a thought.
amsterdam, you big tourist
Anne Frank, bibliotheek, houseboat, walking