Day two in Amsterdam

If you're ever in Amsterdam...

...you just might come across the tulip museum!
The tulip museum is across the street and down from the Anne Frank house...

and if the line's too long for the Anne Frank house and you didn't make reservations on line...
...you just might be inclined to learn a bit more about tulips!

For instance...
Did you know that in 1637 the price of tulips skyrocketed off the charts?
Futures were traded...some bulbs changed hands 10 times in a day.
Not literally...in much the same as today, futures were sold...
basing the prices on what was estimated the bulb could bring in when the season began.
By 1636 tulips became the fourth leading export of the Netherlands, after gin, herring and cheese.
The prices of tulips crashed when apparently no one showed up
at the bulb auctions in Haarlem...ostensibly because the Bubonic plague had reached
it's height in the area.

Enlarge the chart to see where the price of gold was in 1636 as compared to
the price of tulip bulbs!!!

One thing you'll notice when wandering the streets and canals of Amsterdam...
...there is a plethora of bicycles!!!
Apparently, bicycling is the primary mode of transportation!
Everywhere you go there are multitudes of bicycles chained to railings,
and if you're not careful walking, you just might get run over by a cyclist!!!

 

It makes you wonder though...

when you see one that obviously hasn't been ridden in awhile!!!

As you can see, tulips aren't the only flowers we saw!!! 

One of the "must sees" for me was Rembrandt at the Rijks Museum...
...and I couldn't pass up the pink hair!!!

TheChief, on the other hand, had other things in mind...
...apparently one of the guys we were meeting on the ship for our river cruise
went online before we got there and had found the oldest cigar shop in Amsterdam!!!

Since our friend wasn't arriving until the day we boarded the ship,
TheChief promised to search it out and pick up a few for the trip!!!
The Millers were game and we walked a fair amount looking for it!!!

One of the things you'll see walking through Amsterdam are the
shop signs above the doors...well...they're not really signs...
but they do tell you what kind of store is below!!!
If I remember correctly, this interesting gentleman was above a pharmacy!!!

Whew!!!
It's so nice to stop for a cup of coffee at one of the little sidewalk cafes
for a little pick-me-up!!!

Some store windows tell you what's in the store...
...and then...sometimes...you'll find words of wisdom!!!






For more scenic spots around the world...click on the image below!!!