Another great day in Amsterdam! We started the day with a walking tour and ended with some beautiful night time photos including the one below of an area where two canals meet.
In the morning we went on the walking tour that was included in our pre-excursion with Viking. Our tour guide for the two-hour tour was informative and funny, and we learned a lot. The Viking group staying at the hotel was so big that they divided us up into 3 groups, and thanks to Viking providing each of us with an earpiece and receiver, we could hear the guide well even if we slowed to take pictures. Below is one of the numerous “plaskruls” (a public urinal for men) that are scattered around the city that we had to include in our blog!
Another stop on the tour was the very quiet 14th century courtyard of Begijnhof, which was originally built as a sanctuary for Catholic women who served the community like nuns, but did not take vows. Today, the religious community no longer exists but in order to live here you must still be female (over 50) and have your application accepted. It was a very peaceful place, right off of a busy area.
After our walking tour ended, we explored more of Amsterdam, including the Our Lord in the Attic Museum, a former hidden Catholic church in the middle of the red light district. In the 17th century, a Protestant city government was in power and forbid Catholics to practice their faith in public places. But since the principle of freedom of conscience was (and is) strong in the Netherlands, hidden churches were allowed. This church was built by a wealthy Catholic merchant. The diagram farther below shows the whole house and the area where the church was hidden.
After lunch and a short break, we met two of our friends at the Anne Frank House for a very somber and informative tour. Then we all met our other friends (there are six of us total) for dinner. Jack took the first photo in today’s blog and the following photo on our walk back to the hotel tonight. Tomorrow we check out of our hotel and get on the boat!
