Amsterdam and Beyond
July 8th - July 11th
The little town of Muiden (pronounced Mow-done) a few kilometers east of Amsterdam was our location for the next four days. We had a bit of investigating to do to figure out the train system but once it was explained we thought it was genius. All you do is tap your credit card as you enter the station and upon arriving at your destination you tap your card (be sure it's the same one) on your way out and that is when you are charged the fare. Once we tackled the train program we headed into Amsterdam (a 15 minute ride) to take a canal boat ride and then visit the Van Gogh Museum for which we had reservations.
 |
| The train station in Amsterdam |
 |
| I just love all the kid carriers |
 |
| Tulip Museum...duh |
 |
| Picturesque Houses |
The boat tour was informative and we had great views along the canals. We learned that there is a new underground bike garage that holds 11,000 bikes. Also there are over 5,000 houseboats that people live on along the canal sides. Finally, Jay asked the boat driver about how the water level is managed and he said there are several giant locks that are way out of the city.
We still had some time to kill before finding a place for dinner so we did the VoiceMap tour of the red-light district. The tour really covered a lot of history of Amsterdam as well as the history of the ladies. We often do VoiceMap tours because you can stop and start as you go along and rewind if you've missed anything. It was fun just wandering the streets to people watch and stop for a beverage as well.
 |
| There's always an Irish Pub to be found |
Because we only had a few days in the Netherlands we were anxious to do a couple of bike rides. The first day we were able to ride from our AirBnB out to the village of Marken for 66km and the next day was a loop from Muiden through Weesp and Naarden. Both were beautiful rides along canals and quaint villages. We had a terrific lunch at the harbor in Marken and another near an old historic fort on our way to Naarden.
Our studio apartment in Muiden was very comfy with a great bed, shower and view. The old fort right outside our window and the castle of Muiden just around the bend. The local restaurants were great as well. The only downside was no real kitchen but there was a little fridge and a Nespresso so we managed just fine. The owner was super friendly and helpful with hints on restaurants and sites to see in the area.
 |
| Mural of the Castle on our wall |
 |
| Great salmon and sole at Floris |
