Netherlands 02: City Sights & Herrengracht (but no Peter R)

Monday, February 3, 2025

This morning I slept in quite a bit, which was desperately needed and I was better rested by the time I set off for the day. Returning to the city center, I set out to explore the area and revisit many of the places that I had visited many years ago. After stopping for a quick coffee, I wanted to get a bite to eat. I had passed by several shops selling French fries, so I decided to give them a try. The fries came in a sleeve and were covered with both ketchup and mayo. While a simple bite to eat, it hit the spot.

My plan was to tour around the royal palace, so I made my way over to Dam Square. The large public space was packed with tourists and locals alike. I was disappointed to discover that the royal palace was closed today. Nevertheless, I walked around the exterior of the building so I could at least admire it from the outside. Behind the palace is the massive Magna Plaza shopping mall, but from the outside it looks like another older structure and one would not suspect that it houses a mall.

I decided to spend some time wandering around the various canals in town, which are one of the main attractions of Amsterdam. Nearby was the famed Herengracht, the second of the four canal belts running through the city. Shops, restaurants and cafes lined the streets. Try as I might, I was unable to find Peter Rouse or the elusive headquarters of his supermarket chain - where was this infamous Dutchman's leather desk?! Has Rocky Flintstone entirely lied to me about what goes on in Amsterdam?!

My route took me all along the canals, heading from the west side of the city over to the east. The Skinny Bridge was my next destination, which I had first head about in the James Bond film “Diamonds are Forever”. The bridge is used by pedestrians and cyclists and it was with some difficulty that I managed to get a decent picture of the bridge itself.

I then walked over to Rembrandtplein, which is a large public square with a statue of the Dutch painter in the very center. Facing this statue was another one of an astronaut posed to resemble “The Thinker” status by Rodin. As it was starting to get late in the afternoon by this time, I turned towards the central train station as I continued my wandering. One bridge I crossed had a pretty clock tower located to one side, and rows of houseboats lining the canal on the other side.

I returned to my hotel to have a short rest in the late afternoon and only went out again when it was time for dinner. Dinner was at a small Asian restaurant called Wok to Walk, where I had a tasty meal. For dessert, I went to a café that served chimney cake just up the street. The woman running the café was extremely friendly and we talked for a little while as I enjoyed the freshly made chimney cake.

Tonight I had booked a ticket to tour the Anne Frank House, which I had not had the opportunity to visit during my previous time in Amsterdam. I was lucky to get a ticket too because they are usually sold out months ahead of time, but I was happily able to purchase one yesterday. As I walked to the house, I walked by the small, yet moving, memorial to homosexuals along the edge of a canal.

My entrance time to the house was at 20:00 and I arrived right on time. After queueing outside for a couple of minutes, I was let inside and given my audio guide for the tour. Photos were not permitted inside, so I was able to focus all of my attention on the tour of the house. The audio guide was very informative and told visitors all about the harrowing events of the 1940s as the Frank family eluded the Nazis. The rooms of the house itself were almost entirely empty, but had been preserved as they had been at the end of the war. After the Nazis discovered the Frank family, the house was gutted as a punishment.

The most moving part of the tour was at the end when many of the journals containing Anne Frank’s writings were displayed. It was these journals that had been compiled into the famous book “The Diary of Anne Frank”. I was thoroughly impressed by the tour, though it leaves one feeling numb afterwards.

It was late by the time the tour concluded, so I went straight back to the train station so I could return to the hotel. I started packing up my bags this evening before heading to bed.