Amal arrived last night, much later than expected. Airplane problems before leaving Phoenix meant a missed connection in Philadelphia. Then the entire computer system was down in London for several hours but she finally got an evening flight out. We took a morning walk through the Museumplein – a small park near the Van Gogh Museum and our hotel –

and discovered a bakery that we will definitely visit again (if we can find it).

We decided to walk to our afternoon activity.

This is how you get big things into (or out of) houses. The workers were testing how the cart moved on the track, then leveled the container and opened the front part.

It was cold and raining today, especially waiting for our reserved time at the Anne Frank House and Museum.

The presentation before the tour was very good, then we toured the annex where Anne and her family hid for 2 years, followed by a narrated tour of the museum. The Anne Frank House is just around the corner from the modern museum entrance:

On the walk back:

We stopped for an early dinner at Hard Rock and got a table under this sign:

Anne was so excited to discover the flatware on the table was quite warm, a joy for her very cold hands.

On the way back to the hotel, we walked through a small section of Vondelpark:

Snow predicted for tonight!

Yesterday, very early in the morning, Kathy, Anne, and I flew from Sacramento to San Francisco to Houston to … Amsterdam.

Since a person can’t just whip out their phone to call the hotel to come pick them up, this kind gentleman loaned us his phone and dialed the number, but let me do the talking.

Tulips are blooming everywhere including in planters along the main streets of the fashion and museum district where our hotel is located.

“Red means dead” – a phrase I learned from my last visit. Stay OUT of the reddish areas, bicycles have the right-of-way. And sometimes (like in the above picture), the bike lane might not be shaded red, so pay attention.

Hotel Fita is very nice with gracious welcoming hosts, small rooms and some steep stairs This picture does not show the treacherous curves where you must stay to the wide outer side. I’m on the 4th floor!

Thankfully, there’s a “lift” (elevator) for a maximum of two people. It’s rather slow and works most of the time. I’ve been told to “just keep pressing the button”.

More fun ahead as the rest of our group arrives over the next 2 days.