Following our barge & bike trip, Joel and I spent two wonderful days exploring Amsterdam. After dropping off our luggage at the Apollofirst Boutique Hotel, we embarked on Rick Steves’ audio tour of the city, hitting some of the tourist highlights from the outside. We lunched at a canal cafe before heading back to our hotel for naps and a nice dinner.
On our second day, we explored the Jewish Quarter with a tour guide. Next, we visited the largest Sephardic synagogue in Europe (the Portuguese Synagogue) and the Jewish Museum. While walking back to the tram, we saw 3,000 swimmers in the canals for an ALS fundraiser.
Dinner tonight was delicious Indonesian rijstafel, with many types of foods and a big variety of flavors.
View of Amsterdam from the Mint Tower.
Nope. I don’t remember this canal’s name!
Flower market.
Until about ten years ago, there was only one memorial recognizing the Holocaust. This new memorial, along the canal bordering the Jewish ghetto, mentions the people living in the home and their ultimate demise.
Building where the Jewish Council was located, including where they distributed yellow stars which were to be worn by every Jewish person on every piece of clothing.
National Holocaust Names Monument: Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the names memorial lists 104,000 Dutch Jews and and 220 Sinti and Roma killed during the Holocaust.
Memorial to Auschwitz Victims: The oldest memorial in Amsterdam related to the Holocaust.
The Jewish Museum, housed where the Ashkenazi synagogues used to be, includes a mikvah discovered during renovation.
Inside the Portuguese Synagogue, which is still active.
Amsterdam Swims: Fundraiser for ALS.
Vondelpark: Amsterdam’s Central Park.
Indonesian delights for dinner!
