Museumcity

After a much needed 10 hour sleep on my lovely hosts´ couch, I awoke feeling refreshed and ready to explore some more.  It was a great day spent riding all over the east side of the city and museum-hopping in the vicinity.  Eric, my de facto tour guide, was excited because he had an excuse to go to a number of museums he had never visited, and by starting at Rembrandt´s House, he could get a Museumkaart.  A Museumkaart is a great perk for a resident of Amsterdam- for 40 Euro you get a card that lets you into virtually every museum in the city, valid for a year.  Then we pretended I lost my voice and was Dutch, so I could get one too...  it worked! 

Rembrandt´s house was great-  it is the preserved inside of Rembrandt´s house, plus an exhibition of a number of his etchings and a few paintings from his studio.  It was a very managable size and came with an audio tour, always useful to actually learn something.

Another short ride later we came to the Hermitage- a former Catholic orphanage turned Museum.  The space was beautiful inside, and the courtyard was covered in crocus!  The exhibit was the life and influence of Alexander the Great... it was ok and very crowded. 

Next up on the Museum list- Nemo, the science museum!  This was fantastic, definitely aimed towards children and thus FUN.  We played with bubbles and electric currents, raced 10 year olds in hydroelectric efficiency, and learned about hormones.  From the roof deck you could see the cityscape of Amsterdam. 

After Thai food and a walk through the incredibly pretty yet totally seedy Red Light district, we biked over to Dam Square and used the Museumkaart once more to enter the Royal Palace... this also put our entry fees at 43 Euro, so we paid for the Kaart in one day.  More bike riding ensued, as did a quick beer.  I then rode over to Dani´s house, where I am staying until Sunday, and we rode to Chloe´s house on the west side of the city and had a yummy dinner... It is so nice to see all three of the sisters again and they are incredible hosts!