This was our last full day.
1/2 dozen Umami & 1/2 dozen Gillardeau (the best!)
BUT those raw oysters I had today were the best I have ever had, and the mixed grill seafood was pretty damn fabulous. I told Kade I would tell anybody just passing through Amsterdam to put The Seafood Bar on the agenda.
The Night Watch
Nothing exhausts me more than super-sized museums. They are amazing to explore, but can be very overwhelming.
If you go to Amsterdam, buy one of these cards. It gets you deals at museums and a free canal cruise. Unfortunately, we got it a little late were not able to utilize it fully. Research, and be smarter than we were.
The Anne Frank House
Seven Bridges
back of Spinoza statue
The Dutch East India Trading Company was the first multinational company in world history (early 1600s), and first publicly traded company in history. Saw it from the Amsterdam canal cruise today, then later saw a painting depicting its arrival in modern-day Indonesia, which the Dutch eventually colonized. The company traded in rubber, spices, sugarcane, porcelain, timber, etc., plus they built fine ships. Amsterdam was once the richest city in Europe, but after other countries eventually built strong navies and established their own maritime trading and exploration, the really good times ended. Costly wars with larger Spain forced the Netherlands to give up some control and markets it once had.
The Spanish conquered Portugal and brought them into their kingdom. When the Spanish barred the Dutch from getting spices from Lisbon, the Dutch set sail to Indonesia to colonize them and have access to their spice trade. - podcast
Central Station
The next morning we made our way to the train station and boarded a train for the airport. It was time to go home!
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