A day in Amsterdam

On my way back to Rwanda, I had a fourteen hour layover in Amsterdam, during which I decided to explore the city. I have to confess, all I knew of Amsterdam before this trip was that it was home to the Anne Frank house and "coffee houses" that sell marijuana, so I was curious to see what else there was to the city. After arriving at the airport around 7:20 a.m., I found my way through passport control and customs, stored my carry-on luggage in a locker and caught the 8:01 a.m. train to Central Station. With a twenty-minute train ride, I was hoping to be able to see a little of the area surrounding Amsterdam, but because the Netherlands is so far north, it was still dark for the entire ride, so instead I continued working on the crossword puzzle I'd started in Atlanta. Once at Central Station, armed with a small travel guide, one hundred euros and my warmest winter coat, scarf and mittens, I began my adventure.

I had decided to start my self-led tour at the Anne Frank house, which my book told me I could reach by taking one of the trams from the Central Station. I checked this plan with the information desk, where I was informed that the house was only ten minutes away on foot. Since there were still forty minutes before the house opened for tourists, I decided to walk. On the way, I passed through the Dam, which is the center of Amsterdam where the original dam was built across the Amstel river in the 13th century. On the square, I saw the Nieuwe Kerk (new church), which is beautiful on the outside, but unfortunately now used as a museum inside.
Next to the Nieuwe Kerk is the Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace), which is the official home of the reigning king or queen of the Netherlands.
As I continued my walk toward the Anne Frank house, I passed over several of Amsterdam's canals, all of which are lined with beautiful canal houses and old warehouses that have been converted into apartments.
Many of the canals were also lined with houseboats.
Soon I was at the house where Anne Frank and her family hid for two years during World War II. (I'll write more about this later.) From the Anne Frank house, I continued walking and passed by a house built by the Vanderbilts (yes, the American Vanderbilts of the Biltmore Estate). In this picture, I believe it's the third from the house.
Soon I arrived at Amsterdam's flower market, which was incredible
After spending some time in the flower market, I decided to take a canal cruise to tour the city.
Afterwards, I continued toward the Museumplein area, which is home to several museums. The largest and perhaps most impressive is the Rijksmuseum.
Nearby is the Van Gogh museum, which is home to the largest collection of Van Gogh's works. There are over 200 paintings, 580 drawings and 700 letters.
After the museum, I was exhausted, so I headed back to Central Station to take the train back to the airport. In front of the station, though, I couldn't help but laugh at the parking garage made especially for bicycles!