Frank & Stephanie in Portugal
Bonus: Amsterdam
Various logistical factors led us to first visit Amsterdam, stay for three days, and then continue on to Lisbon. We arrived in Amsterdam without incident on November 1.
They really like bikes in Amsterdam!
Fabrique des Lumieres
We wanted to visit the Ann Frank Museum and the Van Gogh Museum, but we found out that both if those are typically fully booked at least a week ahead of time, so we weren't able to get reservations for either.
So on our first full day in Amsterdam we attended a stunning display consisting of images of projected light and recorded music. It was at a place called Fabrique des Lumieres. It is a large building that at one time housed some kind if industrial facility, now repurposed to present digital art installations. The following videos capture a little of the immersive experience in light, color, and sound.
Cell phone video from Fabrique Lumieres
Cell phone video from Fabrique Lumieres
Moco Museum
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On our second day in Amsterdam we visited the Moco Museum, a small museum dedicated to contemporary art (Modern Contemporary). They had some really entertaining stuff in there, especially installations employing light and sound.
Cell phone video of a piece called "Moon" by someone called Vexx
They had a set of installations in rooms where all the walls, floor, and ceiling were lined with mirrors.
Installation using mirrors and protected light
Canals
The Amstel river runs through Amsterdam. In centuries past, they put a dam on the river and the name evolved from Amstel Dam to Amsterdam. They also created many canals that run through the center of the city—more canals than in Venice, we were told. We took a short cruise on the canals.
One of the many canals in Amsterdam
A tour boat on a canal
Architecture
Like many European cities, Amsterdam has many historic buildings. Our hotel (the Hotel Frank, no relation) was built in 1666. Here are a couple more of them.
The Rijksmuseum, built in 1885, houses the works of Rembrandt and other great masters
This great old house is across the canal from the Rijksmuseaum. It currently houses a tax law firm.
More little cars
Whenever we go to Europe, we see at least a few charming little cars, and we saw a few in Amsterdam. Our best collection can be found on our Italy Unguided Tour site from 2013.
An old Fiat branded for a clinic that provides cosmetic surgery
We saw lots of these tiny electric cars in Amsterdam
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