Very Interesting

Here we are on our last full day in Amsterdam, but don’t think you’re getting off that easy, we are still only a little more than halfway through the trip! Jeff headed out early, so I got some coffee and set about organizing our suitcases. This took about forty-five minutes, so unless I wanted to watch  Sesame Street in Dutch  all day, I needed to find an activity.

My Amsterdam Card had long since expired I so was on my own. There’s a Madame Toussauds Wax Museum in Dam Square so I thought about giving that a whirl.

Who the heck are those guys on the sign?

When I arrived I reconsidered this plan. First off, one can visit Madame Toussouds in the states; second the tickets are twenty-one Euros or thirty dollars US, too steep for me; but the clincher was that the line wrapped around the building and was not moving an inch. I will only wait in a line like that to ride Space Mountain.

Right across the plaza I saw some signage exclaiming that the Royal Palace was Now Open!  I was intrigued.

The Royal Palace under wraps

Royal Palace uncovered

Apparently the Royal Palace had just finished the second stage of a three-year renovation and had opened up just in time for my arrival, plus the tickets were only six Euro. Decision made.

This turned out to be an amazing take; it was absolutely opulent and beautiful .

Central Hall

One of many Bedrooms

Meeting Room

Each room had a specific marble carving depicting what type business was done there.

Death sentences were carried out here

Outside the palace I navigated around the creepy street performers. These are of a different kind than musicians. They are sort of like the “super-heroes” at the Chinese theater in Los Angeles that lurk about in grungy costumes taking pictures with tourist for tips.

No pictures please...

Unless you're tipping

I believe that these guys must be required by law to stay on their little boxes; I’m good with that.

Even with all the people and activity flooding the streets here, it’s surprisingly clean. Every morning there are scores of cleaning crews that cover the entire city.  Small trucks with elaborate vacuum and power washing systems drive up and down the streets sucking up debris. What’s so interesting is that the workers use these Harry Potter type brooms.

They seem antiquated, but I guess that after about a thousand years or so of keeping up after partiers, they know best way to sweep.

I was looking for some food by this point. I saw a shopping center across the plaza and thought for sure that there would be food.

It was quite Grand inside.

I poked around all the floors looking for a snack. Apparently the higher up floors were not getting rented by the usual vendors, they had some avant garde “artistic” displays up there.

Kimonos, nice

Hi! Um, is this a restaurant?

I just want a sandwich!

I started to head back towards the home base by way of some side streets I hadn’t been down (I guess I was trying to see all that I could before we left) when I came across this:

Humina, Humina

The heavenly smells of smoked meats would have made a grown man cry. I stepped in and drooled over the case and asked the young lady behind the counter what she would choose for lunch and she proceeded to make me a most delectable smoked sausage sandwich.

I took my purchase and found a place to plop down near the canal.

The view

This may have been the best thing I ate on the entire trip.

Another remarkable thing is that the only beverage they sold was milk. I think it is interesting that all the things that we consider bad for us in the states (whole fat milk, sun, meats, cigarettes, beer) are staples of living here, yet these folks are all slim, attractive and seemingly healthy.  Don’t come after me CDC, this is purely anecdotal.

I was dragging my feet to go back to the room so I lingered a bit at a café with a splendid view:

This night we were meeting up with some friends and colleagues of Jeff’s for dinner. As I looked around the table, everyone was attractive, diverse and interesting. It was almost like being in an episode of “Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentis.”

We had a great evening . It was nice for me to put names with faces of the folks that Jeff talks about all the time. After dinner we took the whole lot to, SURPRISE the pub and had a round of scotch.

Time to head back to the hotel for our last night in Amsterdam, sigh.