Sunday, September 28, 2014 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Day 4

We slept late again - waking up at 9:45 am.  Coffee in the concierge lounge and then we headed out to walk to the "Sunday markets" that the concierge had recommended.

We went first to a very small market near Spuistraat.  This had mostly artists with paintings - some good and others not so good.  Small market that was interesting.  We then discovered the Indonesian restaurant that Al Stewart had recommended and decided that we'd come here for dinner tonight.  But they weren't open so we'll come back.

We headed to the art gallery street on Nieuwe Spiegelstraat - antiques, collectibles, paintings, sculptures and jewelry.  It was fun looking through many of the galleries. 

We walked through Rembrandtplein where there is a statute of Rembrandt and statues of people from his painting "The Night Watch".

The statue of Rembrandt in Rembrandtplein

We then went to the Rijksmuseum.  No line so we got tickets and went in to view the exhibits.  Rembrandt's "Night Watch" is the showcase piece here.  Lots of other interesting displays and lots of people inside.  The structure in places is as interesting as some of the art.  After our stroll through the museum, we decided to have lunch in the Rijksmuseum Café, in the atrium of the museum.  I had a great cucumber gazpacho and a ham sandwich that was tasty. 

 

The Rijksmuseum

We enjoyed the many Rembrandt paintings - "The Night Watch" being the most famous on display behind me.  Lots of people in the museum today.



Beautiful structure and stained glass in the Rijksmuseum

We then headed to the plaza outside the Rijksmuseum and walked past the Van Gogh Museum - huge line there waiting to get in.  Good for us we had been there before so we kept walking.

We headed for Vondelpark, which is the Central Park of Amsterdam.  Lots of people walking, jogging, sunning, biking and enjoying the beautiful weather.  We walked around a while and also sat and enjoyed the sights.  We stopped for an ice cream later and then headed back across town to the hotel.  We keep saying that we are going to take a tram but we have been enjoying our walks.  Good exercise too.

We stopped at the Indonesian Restaurant and made reservations for 8 pm tonight.  A short stroll back to the hotel, check up on email, a very short nap, and then to the concierge lounge for wine and snacks.  It was here that I finally got my blog caught up.  I just need to add pictures.

We had several wines in the hotel concierge lounge and then headed out early for the restaurant, Kantjil & de Tigeres.  It was good and lots to eat, but it takes forever to eat in Europe.  Tim gets very impatient and I keep having to remind him that we aren't at home.  Stop, smell the roses, and enjoy.  We had a great dinner.

A short walk back to the hotel and to rest my feet - the "dogs are barking", so to speak.  Another fun day in Ansterdam.  We plan to get up early and go to the Ann Frank House to see if we can get there with a very short line.  We'll see.  If not, Plan B is to take the train from Central Station to Haarlem for the day.  We're going to be flexible.