Amsterdam, the Netherlands (Holland)

Amsterdam is a city full of history.  We visited Amsterdam many years ago and had a great experience walking around the various parts of the city, enjoying great meals and excellent beers.  Our hotel (at that time the Jolly Carlton Hotel, now known as the NH Carlton Amsterdam) was very near the floating flower market so it was a daily routine to stroll and step aboard to enjoy the beautiful floral arrangements.  One evening we were enjoying a rather pleasant walk not paying attention to where we were going; we suddenly looked around and realized we had walked to a very wooded/forested area near a parkway.  We had no idea where we were, no how to pronounce the street name of our hotel.  Luckily in those days, your room key had the hotel name and address.  We showed it to one couple who, without speaking any of the same languages, walked us to the bus stop and waited for the bus with us to tell the bus driver where to let us off.  A little uneasy that we were lost, but grateful that strangers were kind enough to guide us.  A short bus ride later, we were directed to exit and walk straight ahead.  We walked a few blocks and found our hotel - "yeah" we said with a sigh of relief!  We had not realized that Amsterdam is a series of rings of land and canals and we must have zig-zagged away from the city center.  Anyway, all went well, because here I am 20 years later and writing about that experience as well as my most recent visit to Amsterdam!
Amsterdam was the port of disembarkation on our Avalon River Cruise this summer (2015).  The city was an overnight stop so there was a full day to enjoy Amsterdam's sights before disembarking the following morning.
As was for each port of call, a tour of Amsterdam was included - but this one was by water.  Gently bobbing in the canal, we passed under old stone bridges, photographed centuries old leaning houses with pretty shutters and were amazed at the hundreds of bicycles traversing the streets at any one moment and marveled at the sight of a parking lot just for bicycles.
It was a Monday morning and the streets were humming with cars, bikes, scooters and pedestrians; they were seamlessly intertwining as if a perfectly choreographed ballet.
After the canal tour, we walked for a few hours down twisty-turvy lanes, over bridges, through the main rail station (I love them!), along a section of waterfront and back to the ship to rest our tired feet.  We were happy to be off the organized mayhem that is today's Amsterdam city center....I guess if one lives there, you become one with the heartbeat and pulse of the city.  A morning's visit was more like a rapid out-of-synch heartbeat!
The city does provide opportunities for wonderful photos - here are mine!
Zo Lang   (So Long in Dutch)
Camille