We spent two days in Amsterdam, commuting by train from Kitty’s home in Zaandam. Amsterdam is very easy to get around, thanks to the transit system and the layout around the canals. There was a huge influx of visitors due to the Whitsuntide (Pentecost) holidays. Although many stores are closed on Sundays, a large number catering to tourists were wide open for business. Commerce triumphs over all.
On our first day we just wandered hither and yon through neighborhoods. By chance we found a number of used booksellers in a neighborhood called the Spui (pronounced Spwee). We also visited the Begijnhof (hard to spell phonetically), which used to be a home for pious Catholic women who opted not to take the vows of nuns. It’s still being used as a home for single middle-aged women, regardless of their religions. There are Protestant and Catholic chapels in the Begijnhof. We chatted with the docent of the Protestant church, a woman from Kentucky who immigrated here when she married a Dutch man.
On the second day we had specific missions. Our first stop was the Dutch Resistance Museum, across the street from the Zoo. The history of how the Dutch fought back against the Nazis was truly amazing. (By coincidence, the Washington Post ran a story on Memorial Day of a small town in southern Holland where families volunteer to care for the graves of American soldiers who died liberating the country. Descendents of the soldiers have formed bonds with volunteers and other members of the town.) Our next stop was the Jordaan, a picturesque residential neighborhood. Some of the old homes had been torn down for modern monstrosities until the city wised up and changed its zoning rules. The cafés and coffee shops were doing great business. (See my earlier post for a distinction between the two.) Julian took plenty of pictures of the local architecture.
At the end of the day Julian asked me if I might be interested in retiring in Holland. First, I’m too young to retire. Second, their housing prices are even more exorbitant than Seattle’s. Third, I’d have to learn to speak Dutch. Dealing with German was hard enough for me four years ago when we visited Berlin and Switzerland. Fortunately, English is the unofficial second language in the Netherlands. Even the panhandlers in Amsterdam speak impeccable English!
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