In May, Money Grab visited Amsterdam. I kept looking for dikes and windmills, but it turns out there’s only one windmill left in Amsterdam and all the dikes are by the ocean, not in the city. What the city does have plenty of is bicycles, which are the preferred mode of transportation. I almost got run over several times, since the bikes have the right of way over everything, including pedestrians.
The Rijks Museum had wonderful collections of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh, as well as a fun fountain out back where those who needed a pick-me-up from too many hours of art appreciation could take a quick splash. And the gardens contained expansive beds of the beautiful tulips for which Amsterdam is famous.
Our hotel, the Pulitzer, was within a quick walk of the Anne Frank house. I gained a new appreciation for Anne’s book as I toured those upstairs rooms, with all windows blacked out, where two families had to sit in complete silence each day for two years, so those working in the warehouse below could not hear them. They couldn’t even run a faucet or flush a toilet. And in the end, they were all captured anyway. An incredibly sad story. If you plan to visit the Anne Frank house, get tickets in advance. Otherwise, the line is several hours long.
The Pancake Bakery was one of our favorite spots for dinner. It served both sweet and savory crepes, which were worth our 45-minute wait to get in the door.
And of course, what visit to Amsterdam would be complete without a quick spin through the Red Light District, where marijuana and various other pleasures are completely legal.
Frances Aylor 