Tuesday 22nd October 2024 (day 39)
We had an uneventful trip down to the campsite at Amsterdam and had arrived and set up by lunchtime. It is a large, well organised site with good facilities. It is also within walking distance of several tram stops.
We wandered into the city centre to have an initial exploration and decided to take a tram to see the highlights. We have bought 3-day tickets which work on trams, the metro and on buses. Tram No 2 was recommended for this purpose and we hopped onboard after taking the No 26 to Centraal Station.
The range of architectural styles to be seen in Amsterdam, is wide. From the ultra-modern to medieval gabled town-houses and warehouses. You can even see purpose-built house boats.
On the terrace behind Centraal Station, you can see passenger liners. One was docked, along with several river cruisers.
This is a busy stretch of water with many ferries, but what took my eye, was this sailing boat with its mast down and its keel strapped to the side:
Walking through Centraal Station, you find yourself in a mix between a shopping arcade and transport hub. There is also the mix of the old with the new:
Outside at the front, the building is undergoing some renovations, but the main facade is still visible:
We visited the flower market, which mostly seemed to be selling tulip bulbs and wooden tulips. They are surprisingly realistic, but I guess they would ultimately just collect dust. The real things, which were also available, would be discarded first.
Many stalls also offered other traditional Dutch products, so of course I had to try on a pair of wooden clogs:
Of course, there was also lots of cheese on sale in nearby shops:
Some other typical Amsterdam scenes were …err seen:
That is it for now. Our exploration of Amsterdam continues tomorrow.
BTW, if you click on any image, it should open a larger version in a new tab. TTFN. See you later.
"See-u-Later" 