Margaret & Ellie's Visit

With the clock ticking down on our departure from Holland I got one last opportunity to play tour guide when my nieces, Ellie & Margaret, visited for three days in May.  I asked Margaret what she wanted to see and she sent me back a list that would have required three weeks.  She had done some good research and managed to find several places previously unknown to me.

First day was Amsterdam, which started with taking the train to Amsterdam Station.   From there we walked all over the city, ending the tour with a visit to the Anne Frank Home at 9:00 pm.  We walked so much that I got a blister on my foot.

Margaret discovered the Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder or Our Lord in the Attic Church.  This is a Church built by Catholics in the 1600's that allowed them to worship in secret following the Reformation.  They connected the attics in three canal homes to provide the space.  As you can see, it's a decent sized church.

The museum put flowers on antique chairs to signify "Don't Sit on This".  

The Our Lord in the Attic Church.  

This is not the church in the attic.  This is the Oude Kerk, just down the street.  

Another first for me was the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, one of three palaces in use by the Royal Family.  

The interior rooms were nicely decorated, but not opulent.  Typical Dutch.  

Walking along the canals

Tulip bulbs at the flower market. 

The library at the Rijksmuseum

In yet another first for me, this is the bench from the movie, Fault in our Stars.  

Day two was windmills and bicycling.  We visited the 19 windmills of the Kinderdijk.  In the afternoon we cycled to the North Sea Beach.  

Day three began with an early morning visit to the Flower Auction.  In the afternoon it was down to Den Haag.

Margaret making a simulation movie of driving the flower cart on the floor. 

Lunch on the beach in Wassenaar

The Escher Musuem

The Binnenhof

My first visit to the Grote Kerk in Den Haag.  No longer used as a church, but a very impressive building.