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Given the commonly held maxim that a boat tour really gives you a different perspective of a city, we were herded onto small boats equipped with glass ceilings instead of the usual bus, though after the boat tour we were then put on buses.
I learned that they change the canal water once or twice a week and that seeing a city from a boat is a perspective one cannot quite get from anything else, but it is still not a very good perspective for seeing anything but the undersides of bridges and the houseboats. I do enjoy being in a boat, however, as well as our guide's dryness.
This is what a lot of the northern part of the city looks like (progress).
Houseboats are a common feature of the city which has floating houses lining its famous canals in many different and creative shapes and sizes.
I forget why, but a lot of the old houses are crooked.
More progress. The city is currently building up/developing the northern side of Amsterdam.
Typical grey skies and beautiful brick buildings, trees and houseboats lining the canals.
This really caught my attention and I wanted to share it with a few of my friends: note the palm tree in the background of the smoking girl's picture is not her hair but just poorly aligned and the man with the leather pants and long hair is holding ice skates.
After the morning of zipping around the city, Mom and I decided to explore at least one of Amsterdam's many famous museums instead of buying diamonds. We agreed upon a visit to the Hermitage museum, part of the enormous collection of art held by the Hermitage in St. Petersburg which displays some of its collection in this branch in Amsterdam. The exhibit was on Alexander the great and much of what was shown was different renderings of him throughout history on carpets, coins, jewelry, writing, etc. My favorite pieces were the cameos and intaglios, which must have been popular in Imperial Russia because they had quite a collection.
Though brief, Amsterdam was one of the better stops that the Viking Sun made.
