Amsterdam!

Posted byolePosted inAmsterdam 22

Easily the most delightful and welcoming of big cities, I am astonished by how friendly Amsterdam seems every time I am here. Well hi there!

home for a couple of days, the fabulous Canal House in central Amsterdam
breakfast!
and a delightful little garden right in the middle of the city

Off to be a tourist – and do some shopping – but first have to get a Covid test. Fortunately there’s a test center right nearby.

check out the amazing tile art – a former bar converted into the test center
an important result – means I get to go home 🙂 – whew

Time for a bit of shopping … Amsterdam has everything and a lot of things not necessarily found elsewhere.

whoa – architectural shoes from Rem Koolhaas
De Beijenkorf aka The Beehive – a beautiful high-end department store
not a typical shopping mall – inside or out

Well that was fun (and yes, I did make *ahem* a few purchases), now onward to be a tourist…

Actually there’s one story I must tell. I’m in De Bijenkorf, and I’m shopping, and a salesgirl comes up to help. She says “hi can I help” in accented English, and I of course reply in Dutch. She looks blank, and I fear my Dutch is too poor for communication. But then she tells me, in English, she is from Germany and does not speak Dutch! But yet is able to work in a high-end department store in Amsterdam. I guess that tells you how well the Dutch speak English 🙂