Day 2 in Amsterdam - Anne Frank Haus, Canal Cruise

Up very early after a bad night's sleep...went to bed too early so both of us were up for awhile during the night :(.   The Club lounge is not open on weekends, so we had an amazing complementary breakfast at the hotel restaurant! Then off to our 9 AM appt to see the Ann Frank Haus.  So thankful for Trip Advisor suggestion to buy advance tickets.  The line was very long when we arrived about 8:30 and we were able to walk right in without any wait!  Definitely recommended for anyone wanting to go. It was a very moving experience...so worth every penny and reminded me that I want to reread Anne's Diaries yet again.  We walked along one of the beautiful canals, then bought tickets for a Canal Cruise. Waited in line a long time due to problems with the boat and finally got a refund and bought tickets on a different line ( there are many choices, all do about the same itinerary).  No sooner did we begin the cruise then the sky opened up...rain made picture taking more difficult, but it was still a lovely look at the city from a different vantage point and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  

After visiting the Anne Frank Haus

 

Gentlemen's row....large, imposing wide houses

 

   Along a canal lined with house boats

 

    Holland International canal cruise boat

  

Parking 

 garage For 2500 bikes

 We had our rain jackets with us and we were only a 5 minute walk from the hotel, so not a problem...just an excuse for a mid- day nap for Art and blogging time for me.

Then we took a long walk to explore the Jordaan area....loved the beautiful canals, lovely narrow streets, flowers in bloom and many cafes and shops.  The whole community seemed to be outdoors socializing on this warm summer Saturday evening.

    

 

After having a drink at a canal- side cafe, we headed back for supper at the Coffee Shop at the end of our street....on to plans for tomorrow ! 

Addendum - from yesterday

Last night we walked to the Central Station area and on the main tourist drag.  this was our first real disappointment in Amsterdam.  The streets reminded us of NYC and Times Square before they were cleaned up.  Lots of fast food, cheap souvenirs, loud music, smells of illegal substances ( at least at home).  The amount of litter and bad smells in alleyways and underpasses were awful.  Decided to simply avoid those areas from here on....the canal neighborhoods are charming even when crowded with bikes and the sidewalk cafes tempt you to stop and stay awhile.  So that will be our hang out for the next few days :)