Not Seeing the Red Light District

2 November 2022

I had a wake up call for 7:30, and Lesley came and got me and we went down to breakfast (which is included).

Breakfast restaurant

Mike had already eaten.

Breakfast menu

I had poached eggs on spinach

Eggs on spinach

(I asked them to hold the ham and the hollandaise sauce) and the eggs were good but the spinach tasted a little strange. Mike tasted it and said it was cooked in white wine.

After breakfast we were to have a walking tour like I did with J in 2018. It was June then and was warm and I was on a BIG scooter with big wheels and padding so I hardly felt the cobblestones. Walk with J in 2018.

2018 Scooter

But this time in November, it was cooler, my scooter had no padding or springs, and the streets were so rough that I did not last the whole two hours. I did get a lot of photos and Lesley took some of me on the walk.

Amsterdam Central Station

Canal boat - Lesley's photo

Guide walking beside me (Lesley's photo)

Station and Metro station entrance across from the hotel

Basilica of Saint Nicholas which was close to the hotel

Montelbaanstoren tower

Grand Hotel Amrâth

School crossing

Looking up at winches and possibly a camera over the street

Same from Lesley's viewpoint

canal

Decorated bike

Step gable with winch at the peak

Swoop gable

De Waag on Nieuwmarkt

a 15th-century building on Nieuwmarkt square in Amsterdam. It was originally a city gate and part of the walls of Amsterdam. The building has also served as a guildhall, museum, fire station and anatomical theatre, among other things

Red shutters of De Waag

Mike

Water company manhole

The view from Sint Antoniesluis / Bridge 287 in Amsterdam built in 1602

The street was originally a dike, the Sint Antoniesdijk, constructed during the Middle Ages. It protected the city and its surroundings from flooding. After 1585 this part of the city, called the Lastage, was developed.

Workers resting

These workers were doing something that I thought was unusual, but I can't remember now what it was.

My photo and Lesleys

Clock of the Zuiderkerk

Me taking a photo and the photo I took

Canal lock

Steeples

I was going around taking photos of the varrious steeples and I can't identify them now.

The walking tour started out at the hotel, and when I had enough it didn't take us long to get back to it. Mike and Lesley brought me back to the room and I charged the scooter and my camera batteries, and rested.

Mike and Lesley went out walking after they left me at the hotel. They surveyed the situation in the Red Light district and said that I wouldn't see anything there. But Lesley didn't understand - I didn't want to see the prostitutes in operation. I would have been happy just to see the street even if there was no one there but tourists. That's one for next time.

So instead in the afternoon we went to the Sex Museum.

Selfie in the Sex Museum in two mirrors

They let me in for free because I could not go upstairs to see the exhibits there.

Stairs to the red light district

There were some 'realistic' with sound effects dioramas including one of a flasher, and a little bit about Mata Hari.

Man in the Mata Hari exhibit

Mata Hari with scene behind her of execution

Second Man in the Mata Hari exhibit

There was also a lot of the pottery like we saw in Peru demonstrating various positions - some from South America, some from China and others. Lesley took photos upstairs and they showed them to me afterward.

We had a very early dinner/late lunch. At dinner, since I like and can usually eat soup, Lesley persuaded me to order

Chicken ramen with egg and nori.

I liked the egg, but the soup was too salty so I ate a couple of mushrooms and a little of the noodles, and then gave the soup to Lesley. Lesley ordered the Chef's selection

Chef's selection which included green olives,, tuna with chicory and chickpeas, and lowland cheese.

Plus we all got the bread which was dark bread this time. I liked the tuna and I took one of the cheese. Then I had the lemon tart for dessert, but I had eaten too much bread to finish it so I took it up to the room along with the half finished bottle of water.

Large bottle of water

Mike and Lesley went out again - they had a ticket for the Modern Art Museum and also one for the Anne Frank house. The Anne Frank tickets have to be ordered a month in advance for a specific time, and because of covid, there is no longer a line outside. She also had a trolley pass, but I think they defaulted to a cab. They got back late and ordered pizza to be delivered and since the hotel had mixed our names up on the reservations, they called me to come and get it. But Lesley was already there so I didn't have to go down. They brought up the pizza, but I couldn't eat much of it.