After breakfast at the hotel we set out to ride the hop on hop off bus to the city centre. We visited the Gassan Diamond Factory and took a 30 minute guided tour. We watched diamonds being polished and learned about the various cuts and colours of these precious stones. We saw diamonds worth up to €50,000 and our group of about 10 people got to handle diamond rings, watches and earrings. Of course, the exit was through the retail part of the factory. Since we were not interested in making a purchase we availed ourselves of their free coffee.
We walked to a shopping area, found a small grocery store and bought some fruit and Dutch licorice to take along for nourishment on our walk. Everything is more expensive here than it is at home.
Next we walked to the Red Light District to see the 800 year old Old Church (Oude Kerk), Amsterdam's oldest building. The area was very crowded today with lots of American high school groups around along with the many bicycles, scooters and cars. It amazes me that we haven't witnessed a single accident. Looking both ways has become looking all ways before crossing a street in Amsterdam.
Even though the city map looks easy to follow, we got lost walking to the Anne Frank House. In fact we walked about 2 kilometers in the wrong direction before we realized our mistake. After another 45 minutes of walking we arrived at the Anne Frank. Haus. Fortunately I had purchased tickets online and so we didn't have to wait in the very long line to get in.
If you have ever read The Diary of Anne Frank you know the importance of this museum. Anne and her family lived in hiding in the annex of this house for two years before someone betrayed them and the Nazis came and took them away to Auschwitz. All perished in the prison camp except for Anne's father who later honored his daughter's memory by fulfilling her desire to be a published author. Needless to say, visiting this museum is a solemn occasion.
Our next long walk was through several districts including The Jordaan, Liedesplein and the Museum and Fashion District. We strolled along canals, window shopped and made our way back to our hotel where we rested for a bit before heading out to The Seafood Bar for dinner.
We probably walked about 20 kilometers today. Tomorrow we will visit two museums in our neighbourhood; The Van Gogh and The Rijksmuseum.
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