Thursday Aug 22, 2024 Amsterdam museums

We had breakfast at the hotel which was very good. The usual adjustment to buying Euro coffee. Flat White or Americano usually get you close to what we drink back home.

First museum was the Rijksmuseum which is huge and covers Dutch history and art. Each section represents a different century and after leaving we had the sense that they are pretty proud of the 17th century and the others were so so.

Next stop was Museum of the Canals which we think was our favorite. It covered the history of the development of the city including all the dikes and pumping to be able to live below sea level. Anybody can build cities on dry ground so the Dutch decided to build below sea level. Hence all the windmills and water pumps and dikes.

Next museum was Our Lord in the Attic. Amsterdam started Catholic and then the government decided it would allow any religion as long as you kept it to yourself. So everyone held church services in private homes. This guy created a good sized Catholic Church on the upper floor of his house complete with pews and alters and even a pipe organ. It was big. Very tolerant folks when religion was concerned.

Next stop was the Botanical Gardens and dinner in the adjacent restaurant. We were all pretty tired by then so it was back to the hotel and bed.