The Red Pony is a bar in a series of books and a television show I really like.  It's called Longmire.  Henry answers the phone with that quote.  It popped into my head as I was starting to write this.  Amsterdam is beautiful, there arel it's of bars and places to have drinks and other such things that shall remain nameless.

We have been here about two days. We hopped the train, the Bahn, from Frankfurt to get here.  We were very happy with the process. We got a ticket online, with Karin's help and suggestion, that was much cheaper than day of. It was €168 each for one way. That reserved our seat and guaranteed it.  The Bahn is what I call a "bullet train".  At one point it was going 286 KPH! That translates to over 180 MPH!  No wonder photos out the window were blurry!

on the train


view from our seat, note the speed!

 

One strange thing that we saw were dead bird hanging on string off a pole in a cornfield. I'd never en such a thing, and I did we it several times. Of course, I needed to look it up. Apparently it's a type of scarecrow. Crows avoid effigies of dead crows (never the real thing). Halloween décor crows, hung upside down with the wings spread, usually work to scare birds out of a field.  I'm thinking it could scare people too!  How freaky!

not my photo, but you get the gist

On train to Amsterdam warned about pick pockets at the stop in Koln. We saw several horse statues and a giant cathedral. Isn't it impressive.

some gothic cathedral


a man on a horse

 

Once we crossed into the Netherlands, it was more countryside. I saw many cows,horses, and sheep. The country farm homes had little quaint barnyards that were well kept. Hedgerows seem to very common as fencing. We even saw several Dutch windmills. I didn't get a photo as it went by too quickly.


Horses were everywhere!

horses and more horses

Oberhausen is the last stop in Germany.  Again, there was no fanfare that we had entered another country.  The only reason I knew for sure was when I lost my cell phone signal ( we paid for Germany only).

Thee were several other observations made. As usual, we heard several languages on the train. At one point though one of the passengers in front of us was doing homework. The division of prime numbers! I knew because I could read her screen on her laptop. Someone did not get the correct tickets and had to buy them on the train. The purser was pretty cool, though, he didn't make them pay the penalty.

We made it to our destination and to the hotel without any hassles.  It was pretty smooth.  The canals were right there!

the train station in Amsterdam


canals!

 

My first impression of Amsterdam is of beauty.  My second is the ugliness of crowds and rudeness of some people.  Tourists, like us, are everywhere!  The language barrier hasn't been a big deal. I had figured out in Germany that still wasser (plain water. If not still its seltzer. Ugh). Bier (beer) and WC.  Most people in Amsterdam speak English.  The water closet, potty, bathroom is universal!  And we haven't had to pay for it here in Amsterdam.

the canals are very picturesque


water taxi and canal cruisers


a view of the train station


crowded streets

 

We immediately checked in and started to explore. In one of the first places we went, we met a man at a cafe. He was Dutch. He asked where we were from and when we said Ohio he quoted Neil Young and sang the line

bikes, bikes and more bikes

typical canal


 We set out to have a drink at Excalibur. It's a bar owned by Hells Angels. There was a member outside. At least that is what his jacket said. It's actually the quietest place we've been so far! It was certainly a 'metal' bar. They were playing heavy classic metal, had a skeleton riding a motorcycle and several sets of armor. They were also playing War Pigs by Black Sabbath. David was at home! The bartender was the friendliest as well. She gave me tap water with ice!

you can read his jacket through the window

Excalibur

 

We saw horses and carriages for tours, a man with crazy large bubbles and various mimes. They were on the Palace Square. Here is some info:

The Royal Palace in Amsterdam (Dutch: Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam or Paleis op de Dam) is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament.

The palace was built as a city hall during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. The building became the royal palace of King Louis Napoleon and later of the Dutch Royal House. It is situated on the west side of Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam, opposite the War Memorial and next to the Nieuwe Kerk.


The palace was built as the Town Hall of the City of Amsterdam[2] and was opened as such on 29 July 1655 by Cornelis de Graeff, the mayor of Amsterdam.[citation needed] It was built by Jacob van Campen, who took control of the construction project in 1648. It was built on 13,659  wooden piles and cost 8.5 million gulden. A yellowish sandstone from Bentheim in Germany was used for the entire building. The stone has darkened considerably in the course of time. Marble was the chosen material for the interior.

On top of the palace is a large domed cupola, topped by a weather vane in the form of a cog ship. This ship is a symbol of Amsterdam. Just underneath the dome there are a few windows. From here one could see the ships arrive and leave the harbour. In the cupola is the famous carillon by François and Pieter Hemony casted in 1664 in Amsterdam. It was renovated by Eijsbouts in 1965. Only 9 bells by François and Pieter Hemony remained. 38 new bells by Eijsbouts were made and tuned in meantone temperament. The old corroded Hemony bells are kept inside the palace.


We went by Anne Franks house. I did get a photo. We were warned about lines, but holy cow, they literally went around three blocks. We decided that it wasn't worth the wait.

the black house was Anne's


the lines wrapped around the block several times

 

We walked on. There were quite a few tulip stores. They did sell bulbs that are cleared for US customs so we got a bag. I'll have to be sure to remember where I plant them.

street art

Torture museum


It was a museum strictly about the various ways people used to torture each other.  Most of it was in the name of religion. There was the wrack, iron maidens and many other things I've never heard of.  The dives below was twisted into a person's neck until they recanted their religion or whatever it was that they wanted them to confess.


Canal boats

Monday we got up and hit the ground running. One issue we did run into is that no one opened before 10 AM. We found a place that we liked that opened at 9 and that suited us. They advertised "English breakfast" everywhere.  I decided that I'd try one.  It was bacon, sausage, eggs, and beans. Beans?  Yes, beans. you know, it wasn't too bad.

English breakfast

 A "coffee" was expressly.  Oh my, and the cream was not white…it was yellow.  Heaven!

blessed expresso, i may be spoiled for life

 

 Fueled properly, we walked on.

 Besides bikes, there were many Vespa type scooters.

Along the canal there were many interesting sites. One was this elephant statue. Apparently it was something done for charity.

I would be seriously remiss if I didn't talk about the wooden shoe!  They were everywhere.

klomp (plural klompen) is a clog from the Netherlands. Klompen are whole feet clogs. Again, as mentioned, italics are Wikipedia:

Approximately 3 million pairs of klompen are made each year.[1] They are sold throughout the Netherlands. A large part of the market is for tourist souvenirs. However some Dutch people, particularly farmers, market gardeners, and gardeners still wear them for everyday use. Outside the tourist industry, klompen can be found best in local tool shops and garden centers.

The traditional all-wooden Dutch clogs have been officially accredited as safety shoes with the CE mark and can withstand almost any penetration including sharp objects and concentrated acids. They are actually safer than steelcapped protective shoes in some circumstances, as the wood cracks rather than dents in extreme accidents, allowing easy removal of the clog and not continued pressure on the toes by the (edge of the) steel nose.


I never did try any one.  I thought about it, but did not.

Cat boat was something we saw next. We went by it but it wasn't open at that time.


They have a website that states: "The Cat Boat is the only animal sanctuary that literally floats. A refuge for stray and abandoned cats which, thanks to its unique location on a houseboat in Amsterdam's picturesque canal belt, has become a world-famous tourist attraction. The one and only Catboat."

We just walked everywhere   We saw all nationalities and thee were crazy people everywhere. I soon tired of my toes being trod on and personal space invaded. I threatened the hockey elbow.  It was so crowded by mid day. We continued on and by evening, it was really hopping.  Think crazy college town party.

There's a lot more to share, but I'll wrap this up for this edition. Stay tuned!

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