My last day in Amsterdam was busy but on my own schedule. I walked to the wonderful Maritime Museum as I love ships and their history. It is a fabulous museum with a wide variety of items and displays about the Dutch sea going history. They also have an old wooden sailing ship that one can go thru which I am always attracted to probably stemming from one of my earliest memories of vacation with family in California where we went aboard the Star of India which had sailed around the world. I was enchanted and still remember going aboard. The museum is not on a tram line so it was quite a hike but beautiful morning. I had hoped to stop and check out a few churches on the way but they were closed! The Dutch have an interesting relationship with churches lol...many have limited hours to be open or have actually been repurposed as art museums etc and many charge tourists fir entrance (and usually 10 euros which is not cheap). And then because they are Calvinist there is little in the church!! Lol
From the maritime I walked thru beautiful neighborhood to the Hermitage Amsterdam which is a branch of the famous museum in St Petersburg Russia. They had a fabulous exhibit on Catherine the Great with many artifacts and paintings! This was perfect and I savored this opportunity. I then walked a little more before hopping some trams thru other areas of the city so I could give my feet a break! Picked up last few souvenirs including 2 pieces of traditional design Dutch fabric as a quilt shop near my hotel I had seen. They are perfect size for a throw pillow cover. Got one for me and mom as something bright fir their new place and mine is a solid purple with subdued design.
I treated myself to dessert and dessert wine at hotel bar since I get a big duscount as Platinum Elite member. I had an inexpensive dinner of lasagne at little Italian place down the street that was delicious.
I was quite tired after a loong busy day and much walking. This morning the streets are full of trash after people partied last night but it is quiet overall as I walk to train station down the street to catch train to Cologne and my last sightseeing city on trip.
Update : train station was adventure as they did not give train numbers as all other stations do (even in Italy!) and then moved the platform without notification! Lots of folks frustrsted but we just kept asking the officials til found platform as train arrived. It was a packed train but I had my reserved seat and all was good. Lol
