Amsterdam..........

This is my sixth visit to the city of Amsterdam, and it never ceases to amaze me.  After a basic breakfast, I was off to the central station to purchase my ticket for Monday's train ride to Bruges, Belgium.  I walked over to the station "the back way" along many small streets with canals running through them.  These canals make Amsterdam very unique, at least in one sense.  After purchasing my ticket, I just began to explore the city, taking many photos.  After a general browse of the areas around the central station and Dam Square, I took a long walk to find the Rijks Museum.  Along the way, I passed what is now known as the Heinekin Experience.  This building was the original site of the Heinekin Brewery, and was used to brew beer from 1867 until 1988.  Heineken beer is now brewed in many other locations world wide, and the original building is a museum about the history of Heineken Pilsner.  I did not go into this "Experience", since I did so in 2006.  I did take a tour of this facility in 1970 when it was still Heineken's main brewery.  After a bit more walking, I reached the Rijks Museum.  The museum is still going through major renovations as it was when I was in Amsterdam in 2006.  I went into the museum, even though there were limited exhibits on display compared to the vast collection of art that the museum holds.  I really enjoyed seeing many of the famous paintings of Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, and Johannes Vermeer.  The detail in the paintings and the expressive emotions on the faces of the people in painting is astounding.  After leaving the museum, I walked over to the Leidesplein area and browsed many of the shops.  My trek continued, and next I walked through the well known Amsterdam Flower Market.  This market has an amazing selection of Dutch tulip bulbs, among many other bulbs and flowers.  After enjoying the flower market I made my way over to an Indonesian restaurant that I eaten at in 2006, Kantjil & Tijger where I had dinner.  After dinner I returned to the hotel for a bit of relaxation before heading out again to explore the city.  My wonderings took me through the Red Light District and other parts of "downtown" Amsterdam that I have never seen before.  This is really an extremely interesting city..........very diverse population, beautiful canal streets, "coffee shops" and the smell of marijuana everywhere, an active red light district and so much more that I cannot even put into words..........what a great place!!
To See More Of My Photos Of Amsterdam, Click HERE!