This will be a quick look at our few days in Amsterdam. We stayed in North Amsterdam in an area that used to be industrial and is now quite residential. We were on the second floor of the “bluish windows” building.We overlooked a canal. When the weather is hot, as it was when we were there, people head out on barges and party. They can be a little loud in the middle of the night!We walked around old Amsterdam and had a good view of the Oude Kerk (old church).. Views of the canals.The first day we had a beer at the brewery that was beside this famous double windmill.Shopping for dinner.The next morning we visited a tiny cheese museum and Joanne posed as a Dutch milkmaid.We visited the Anne Frank House. Joanne had made our reservations back in April. It was really interesting and organized so that there weren’t too many people in the tiny rooms at a time.After lunch, we took a canal tour on a boat similar to the ones that you can see here. The central station (for trains, buses, metro and ferries) is in the background. It has an ancient facade, but is very modern in the back.A view from the canal tour.Here are the “Dancing Houses,” named for how crooked they are, seen from our canal boat.Next was the Maritime Museum (Hep Scheepvaartmuseum). You can see the kind of boat we rode on our canal tour just passing the sailing ship.The next day we walked around old Amsterdam some more. This statue was of a founder of the nearby Salvation Army,which was located in this leaning building.Doug and Wendy had a quick visit to the free part of the Amsterdam Zoo. Here’s a photo of a stork. Joanne and Bill did a bit of shopping.We decided to meet up at the Delirium Cafe, expecting that a cafe would be open for lunch. But it wasn’t. It was more of an afternoon and evening place. So we ate our apple and regrouped. Luckily the “Little Delirium,” was at Central Station so we stopped there for a beer.Next was the Rijksmuseum. We had to see Rembrandt’s famous painting: “Night Watch.” It was the size of a mural and was full of amazing details.We had reservations at the Van Gogh Museum at 4:30. Fascinating! Doug posed for a photo that was set up to automatically take your photo and email you the result.That night, Joanne and Bill’s neighbours who are living in Amsterdam for two years, welcomed us to their home and indulged us with a delicious home cooked meal.The next morning, Joanne and Bill had to fly to Edinburgh to get their return flight. Wendy and Doug had another day to tour. First up was the open air market at Albert Cuyp,then the zoo. This area is meant for the white pelicans (which can’t fly away) but it is also the chosen home of many cormorants and grey herons. The photo below that is of an ibex. It was great to be among some greenery after so much pavement and cobblestones.Here are two views of Montelbaanstoren, a tower on the bank of the Ouchescfuland Canal. The original tower was built in 1516 to defend the harbour; the top decorative half was added later. The first photo was taken on our last day in Amsterdam, and the other on our first.We took the passenger and bike ferry back to our home base. It’s a free ferry and well-used on a Saturday afternoon. Cars and buses take the tunnel across to North Amsterdam.And then we (Doug and Wendy) were on our way home. Doug was able to book us a first class ticket with points. Here’s a view of our cabin with pods for our Amsterdam to Toronto flight.So if you’re reading this in real time, you probably know we’ve been home for a couple of weeks. We’ve been busy getting ready for our next trip. Stay tuned for scenes from Sisters: quilting, fishing and hiking, (and some birds of course.)