From the Water

Yesterday was bright and sunny and seemed like a perfect time to explore Amsterdam by boat. The hour long cruise with Flagship boarded right behind the Ann Frank House  and was very reasonably priced. (We opted for a less expensive cruise where the price didn't include beverages - with teens along, we wouldn't have sampled the  Captain Morgan's anyway...)

Viewing the city from the canals was fun. It was delightful to sit in the sun and ride for a while.  I loved the "dancing houses." See how they look a little off? Hundreds of years ago the buildings were built on wooden piles driven down into swampy soil. Over the years they've settled and now they all lean at slightly different angles. Sometimes newer buildings are purposely built to lean so they fit in with the buildings on either side.

This is one of the narrowest canal houses in Amsterdam. At just about two meters (about six feet) wide it saved the owner quite a bit in taxes. Back when these buildings were built, the taxes were based, in part, on the width of the building. Typical canal houses are about five to seven meters wide (about 15 to 20 feet.) Since the taxes were based on the width of the building on the canal, they often get wider in the back. 

The Wadorf-Astoria hotel is in the high-rent part of Amsterdam. See how much wider the buildings are? These people weren't too worried about taxes, and could show off their wealth. Actually, the hotel is the entire block of buildings - they've been connected on the inside. They can't alter the facade of the buildings since the canal district is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

One of the neatest things we saw was along the Reguliersgracht (gracht is Dutch for canal.) It's a special spot because if you line up your camera just right, you can see seven bridges. There is another spot, where you can supposedly see 15 different bridges while standing atop one of them. Maybe we'll try to find that spot another day...

Delft Blue

I just love blue and white Delft pottery. OK, maybe not the cats and chickens, but I think the plates, vases and boxes are beautiful. A bit grandmotherly perhaps, but I'll be a grandma someday, right? Every time I've see a Delft shop, I've wanted to go in, just to take a peek at the lovely things inside.

Peeking was a good thing today because we happened on a gentleman demonstrating how these hand painted-items are made.

He was incredibly friendly and answered every one of my gazillion questions. (Anyone who knows me, knows that isn't an understatement.) He explained that he could never work in the factory because he can't paint fast enough. He walked us through the entire process - from transferring the design (with a pencil because the graphite burns away during firing,)

 

to painting (it turns blue during firing due to cobalt,)

to signing each piece (each artist's has their own mark,)

to the finished product; which, of course, I had to have. I felt like Varuca Salt as I walked over to the shelf thinking, "I want it... NOW." My little piece of the Netherlands, safely wrapped in layers of tissue and bubble wrap, is tucked away in the corner of my suitcase...

Wandering

It's fun to wander the streets of Amsterdam. As a first time visitor, there's always something new to see.

And of course, we can't walk past a pair of giant wooden shoes without taking the obligatory tourist photo.

The buildings in the Canal District are lovely.

While we were out yesterday we discovered this CAR2GO. They are little electric cars you can rent by the minute, the hour, or the day. Just after we walked by a man hopped in and drove away. Apparently, you rent the car through an app; just get a code to  unlock  the car, drive it to where you want to go and park it in a CAR2GO spot (or in any other public parking space.)

In Amsterdam there are bicycles everywhere. Just like on Mackinac, people personalize them. Though this particular person may have gone a little overboard. I wonder what Allen would think if  I did that to my bike?

Anne Frank House

"It's sweltering. Everyone is huffing and puffing, and in this heat I have to walk everywhere. Only now do I realize how pleasant a streetcar is, but we Jews are no longer allowed to make use of this luxury; our own two feet are good enough for us." - Anne Frank, June 24, 1942

Anne Frank wrote those words in her diary 76 years before, to the day, we visited. It hit home with us since we've been riding the trams all over the city. Though the weather this year isn't "sweltering." So far the high has been 70 degrees and we've been wearing long pants and sweaters.

My mom got us tickets for the museum as well as a pre-visit presentation. The 30 minute presentation was well worth our time and taught us about the Frank family, their immigration to the Netherlands, as well as what happened to them after they were taken by the Gestapo.

Visiting the Ann Frank House was an experience I will not soon forget.  As we passed the bookcase and entered the secret annex, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Despite the crowds, everyone was somber in this special place.

Otto Frank (Anne's dad) was heavily involved in the creation of the museum and he specifically requested the annex be left empty, and it remains so today. But in Anne's room, the pictures she she mentions gluing to the wall are still there:

"Our little room looked very bare at first with nothing on the walls; but thanks to Daddy who had brought my film-star collection and picture postcards on beforehand, and with the aid of a paste pot and brush, I have transformed the walls into one gigantic picture. This makes it look much more cheerful…" July 11, 1942

It was one of the parts of the diary I clearly remember; I was once a teenage girl who taped pictures to my wall. Although my pictures were all of Harrison Ford, I remember feeling a connection to her as I read her words in high school. To see the pictures she herself glued up on that wall, it was almost haunting. I can't really explain it, other than to say touring the Anne Frank Huis and seeing her original diaries touched my soul in a way few things have.

All four of us read (or reread) Anne's diary before we came and we were glad we did. It made our visit much more meaningful.  If you come to Amsterdam, put the Anne Frank Huis on your list -  now. Tickets are only available on-line, and they sell out quickly; they go on sale two months prior to a visit, so it is a good idea to book as early as possible. The rest is painless - you arrive just a few minutes before your ticket time, get in line, and then head inside. Be sure to put a couple pieces of Kleenex in your pocket. I was glad I did.

No photography is allowed in the museum (other than in inside the pre-visit program room.) All the photos above, from within the museum, are the property of Anne Frank Huis.

Kattencafe (Cat Cafe)

Have you figured out that my daughter loves cats yet? She's wanted to go to a cat cafe for ages and yesterday she finally got her chance. I suppose all four of us are cat people at heart, so its no surprise that we enjoyed Kattencafe Kopjes. Luckily we'd done our homework and knew we needed reservations (they only allow 20 people inside at a time.) We probably could have gotten in without one yesterday though, since there were not 20 people there, but better safe than sorry. I knew K was excited about our visit because she was worried all day about being late.

Yesterday there were seven cats in residence,

three of which were quite happy to get scritches and play.

The cafe itself is adorable - with eclectic furniture and  cat kitsch everywhere. We ordered "ginger tea" and were thrilled to receive slices of fresh ginger steeping in boiling water; it was delicious. We sipped as we shared a slice of red velvet cake and taught Grandma how to play Exploding Kittens - one of our favorite games.

Hollandsche Manege

Today we explored the Hollandsche Manege - the Dutch Riding School. My mom was keen on stopping since a friend of hers suggested we pop in for a cup of tea. My mom was thrilled that we arrived just in time to watch a riding lesson. All the instructions were in Dutch, but it was still fun to sip our tea and marvel at the history of the school. (It is the oldest riding school in the Netherlands - dating back to 1744.)

Every time someone walked past the stall of the horse above, he would stick his nose out. Of course, we had to oblige and scratch his nose - every time one of us walked by. Which of course became a very fun game. Though I'm not sure who enjoyed it more - the kids or the horse.

The Riding school is one of those places that if you weren't looking for it, you'd never know it was there. If it hadn't been  suggested that we visit, we never would have thought a ring like the one below was hiding behind that building facade. 

Apparently we were supposed to pay €8.00 each to get in, but there was no sign and the door was open so we just walked in. As we were leaving we noticed a sign had been put out directing visitors through a specific door. Luckily no one seemed too concerned about us; the only other people there were parents watching lessons and a small group of children who appeared to be celebrating a birthday. 

Photo of the horse ring courtesy of Amsterdam Municipal Department for the Preservation and Restoration of Historic Buildings and Sites (bMA.)  

Body Worlds Amsterdam

Yesterday afternoon we spent a few hours at Body Worlds.  I've read about plastination, but I've never seen an exhibit before. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.  The six story exhibit focused on a different body system on each floor and each had numerous preserved specimens, called plastinates. Each level also explained how stress affected that particular system and included quotes on living a contented life.

Anyone who knows me, knows this kind of exhibit was right up my alley! It was amazing to see the different body systems. The kids and I noticed that the creators did a few things to keep the bodies looking more human (at least that's what we thought.) Although each full body typically had all of its skin removed, the creators left the eyebrows, eyelashes and lips in tact. 

The geek in me wished they explained more abut how the bodies were preserved. Luckily a quick trip to Wikipedia was all it took to fill me in.

Just in case your as curious as I was, it's a four step process:

1. Bodies are preserved with formaldehyde so they are rigid and can be dissected.
2. Next, they are placed into an acetone bath. Under extremely cold temperatures the acetone replaces the water in the cells.
3. Then, the bodies are put in a bath of liquid polymer and placed in a vacuum. The decreased air pressure causes the acetone to boil off at a fairly low temperature. As the acetone leaves the cells, the polymer is pulled in filling the cells with liquid plastic.
4. Finally, the plastic is cured so it hardens.

So very interesting...

De Poezenboot

We spent part of today at De Poezenboot - known in English as The Catboat. It was at the top of my daughter's list of places in Amsterdam she wanted to visit. (She kind of has a thing for cats.)

It's essentially a floating cat rescue. People bring cats to the Poezenboot, they care for them and work to find the cats new homes. Along the way, visitors come to play with the kitties and hopefully donate a few Euros o help pay for it all (believe it or not, there was no fee to get in.)

Not all the cats were up for snuggles, but this sweet boy soaked up all the scritches he could get. I'm not sure if you can tell, but he lost both of his eyes to an infection. One of the volunteers said he was brought to the boat all the way from Turkey. 

We really enjoyed our time there; in fact K asked if we could go back again before we leave town. 

Safe and Sound in Amsterdam!

Yup - my mom, the kids and I are traveling. We left Sault Ste. Marie yesterday afternoon and landed in Amsterdam this morning.

Our home for the next two weeks is lovely. It's a typical canal house - about as wide as one room and four stories tall. The kids took the bedrooms up on the fourth floor, my mom and I have spots on the third floor, the living room is on the second floor, while the kitchen and dining room are on the first floor.

 

And the location is amazing - right on a canal, with a tram stop about 200 feet away on the corner.  My mom couldn't have found a more perfect location.

Right now, however, I am completely exhausted and need to go collapse. Hopefully we'll all wake up tomorrow full of energy, ready to start exploring the city.

Look Familiar?

As we were walking down Mission Hill the other day we noticed this interesting hole in the pavement. Does it look just a tiny bit familiar to you?

Here's a hint:

Seeing Things?

Am I seeing things? Or, is this post trying to tell me he isn't thrilled about people walking the trails along the Black River. I would have thought he'd appreciate a little company.

Hanging Out

I'm not quite sure what he (or she) was interested in, but this barred owl spent a couple of hours just hanging out in our backyard yesterday.

New Friends

A few weeks ago we adopted a few new friends.

OK, seven new friends...

Seven adorable little fluff balls who are currently living

in the house until it warms up a bit.

Allen isn't thrilled with the idea of having a crate full of chicks in the house, but the kids and I are loving every minute of it. They're just so stinkin' cute!

Delicious

 

At least once a summer we have to stop;

 stop for burgers, onions rings and milk shakes.

Mmmmmmmmmmm,  milk shakes.

And a bit of silliness. Because, with a 13 year-old in the

car, we get lots of silliness.

If you're passing through St. Ignace (between spring and the end of deer season)  and you happen to be hungry, drive in to Clyde's. It's delicious.

Opening day is tomorrow!

Spicy Ginger Cookies

These ginger cookies are sooooooo good. They have a strong gingery bite to them due to the addition of crystallized ginger. They're delicious, especially because they are nice and chewy...

3/4 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar (+ a bit more for chopping ginger)
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
A handful of crystallized ginger pieces - finely chopped

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Chop ginger pieces. You can do this by hand, but it is much easier to use your food processor, chopper, etc. Just be sure to add a little sugar as you go. The insides of the ginger is very sticky - adding the sugar helps the pieces not stick together in a big gloppy mess. Set these aside.

Mix softened butter, sugar, molasses and egg. Beat well.

Stir dry ingredients together into a bowl. Mix well and then slowly add to the wet mixture. Last, but not least, add the ginger pieces. I must admit that I never do this. I throw the spices into the wet mixture and then add in the flour and they always turn out just fine.

Chill the dough for about an hour to make it easier to work with. (Trust me - otherwise it is way too soft.) Scoop out one inch balls and then roll  them in sugar - turbinado sugar is wonderful, but white sugar works fine, too. Place on cookie sheet about two inches apart and bake about 10 minutes if you like a chewy cookie, but a couple of minutes longer if you prefer a bit of crunch. Make sure you try one while it's still warm!