From Paris to Amsterdam:

The train ride from Paris to Amsterdam was just under three hours. A short taxi ride took us straight to our hotel. Ibis Amsterdam was comparable to our hotel in Paris. The room had comfortable beds, clean, and supplied with basic necessities. The hotel staff were nice and accommodating enough to answer all our questions. We immediately prepared for our first activity of the day. Anne Frank House, a museum, was not too far.

Exploring the walkways of Prinsengracht:

It was crowded outside Anne Frank House. The museum wasn’t big and was requiring advanced reservation for entrance. We didn’t have it. Our next option was exploring the vicinity of the neighborhood.

Prinsengracht (literally, princes canal), one of the hundreds of canals that surround the city, was right in front of Anne Frank House. It bordered the trendy neighborhood of Jordaan. It was a good starting point to explore and we didn’t have to go far. We walked over to the Leliesluis (Lily lock). A steady flow of bicycle and boat traffic went by as we soaked in the ambiance on the bridge. We ate at Café De Prins and became friends with cafe’s owner. The variety of cheese were delightful at the Amsterdam Cheese Museum. There were a lot of memorabilia at the Amsterdam Tulip Museum.

The Trekschuit:

We boarded a trekschuit (tow boat) for a canal tour late in the afternoon. The tour guide was tall, blonde, and eloquent with his description of the sights around the canals. He spoke like a true local and we learned a lot with his description of each detail surrounding the tour.

The tour ended with the trekschuit anchored between the Anne Frank House and Westerkerk. We went back to Cafe De Prins for a light meal and coffee. A table by the sidewalk allowed us to sit and wile the time away. We watched the bicycles whiz past us and the riders deftly maneuvering the narrow streets. We felt rested enough by early evening. It was a slow walk east toward the red lights. The crowd was sparse and there was not much to see. Activity became more heated as the evening wore on and the crowd became denser. It was impressed upon us that activities become more interesting close to midnight.

We were back to our hotel rooms by the wee hours of the morning. It was a long day of walking activities and it made our muscles sore. We headed straight to bed to rest and regenerate. Tomorrow will be something new.