Amsterdam and Kuekenhof

Carlyn and Cari's Web Page Carlyn and Cari's Guest book Venice in November Spain with Lin and Monica The Louvre and Monet's House and Garden, September 2009 Disneyland Paris- The end to my month long 50th birthday celebration London Skyride- September 20, 2009 ARRAY(0xa5757f4) Switzerland- July 2009 Carlyn's Birthweek 2009- Fun, Food and Henry VIII Sailing Trip on the Solent of the English Channel, June 2009 Istanbul, Turkey- May 2009 Aberdeen with Jacky and Steve The Loire Valley with Mom and Sheri Budapest, April 2009 The German Christmas Markets with Joyce, December 2008 The Lord Mayor Show, November 8, 2008 Madrid and Andalucia, October 2008 Krakow, Poland- September 2008 Cari's Birthweek- Germany Dinner at Muspatts Farm celebrating Carlyn's Italy, June 2008 The Lake District- May 2008 York- May Day Holiday Weekend 2008 Cornwall and Wales- Page 1 Cornwall and Wales- Page 2 Hever Castle Blemhein Palace Hastings and Battle- 1066 Country Brighton German Christmas Market Fall in Provence Paris in a Day Visitors at Parliament Square Amsterdam and Kuekenhof The South West "Jurassic" Coast Cambridge Christmas and Canterbury Normandy Austria Prague, Czech Republic Belgium break ARRAY(0xa5757f4) Blog

Amsterdam and Kuekenhof

Amsterdam is the capital city of the Netherlands, located in the south of the province North Holland. The name Amsterdam literally means Amstel dam.  We enjoyed drinking an Amstel beer on Dam Straat (means Dam Street but I couldn’t help repeating it over and over). The city was founded in the late 12th century as a small fishing village. The historical centre with its concentric canals was largely built during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century.Amsterdam is renowned for its canals (grachten), of which many exist within the city centre. The principal canals are three similar waterways, with their ends resting on the IJ, extending in the form of crescents nearly parallel to each other and to the outer canal

Enjoying Pannekoek - authentic Dutch pancakes, served with stroop, cheese and ham and a cold Heineken.

Typical canal and bike scene in Amsterdam

The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam or Rijksmuseum (English: State Museum), the where we viewed the Dutch masterworks including Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer

A Dutch "fast food" of raw herring, which is sold and eaten with chopped onions from street vendors, by lifting the herring high in the air by its tail, and eating it upwards. We chose to have it cut and tried a few pieces, heavly laiden with onions before tossing the remaining bits

Windmill at Kuekenhof Gardens

One of many tulip beds at Kuekenhof

Cari on "Wisteria Lane" at Kuekenhof

Anne Frank's likeness by her home where she and her family was in hiding for two years during WWII

Canal houses

WWII Memorial on Dam Square.  While we were visiting they celebrated the liberation from the Nazis with the Queen laying wreaths on the memorial and two minutes of silence at exactly 8:00 PM May 5.