Now for Something Completely Different--My Amsterdam trip

From July 21 to July 31 I was out of the country. My niece and her husband live near the Hague (den Haag from now on) and her parents were visiting, so I met them for part of their time and then spent some time alone in Amsterdam. That is the last trip I take to Europe on my own--I'm too old for this kind of adventure. Also, timing is everything, and the world is traveling post-COVID. That means the streets were packed, and the airport was a literal nightmare. More on that later. 

So I am going to post my photos and thoughts over the next few days. I did not want to post while I was away for security reasons, but I am almost home now. 

First, five things you need to know about the Netherlands:

You need a smart phone. You will need to download apps, like the National Transportation System (NS) one. You will need help with directions and walking. You will have to show tickets to museums online because you can't just walk into them.

 

You have to ride the trains, trams, and buses.

 

You will be walking a lot (one day I walked nine miles, quite a feat, and quite a source of sore feet).

 

There are no hills. It is really, really flat. The only inclines are over the canal bridges.

 

 Everything you hear about the bicycles there is true and then some. Think trying to get across the street with the Tour de France coming at you from both directions. 

 

More coming. I'll start with these photos of den Haag and the Palace Het Loo, summer home to William and Mary (back in late 1800s, start of House of Orange).  

From top: a mural in a monastery in den Haag that seems now more known for brewing beer; three of Palace; one of the main old church in den Haag and the stork on the steeple; den Haag's version of the royal palace and the government house; more het Loo and me. A rare selfie. I am only in a few of my photos, as I was myself for four days. It was the flowers and canal I was more interested in.