Amsterdam first impressions

Canals of Amsterdam - no gondolas but impressive as they actually have more bridges and canals then Venice.

I like it better than London ~ the people are smiling and don't seem to be constantly attached to their electronics (phones, ipods, kindles).  Of course that could be that Amsterdamites need both hands to drive their pedal bikes like maniacs.  I am developing a nervous twitch, pavlovian reflex, to the jangle of a bike bell as the rule is 'if you hear the bell JUMP' or be run down...and everyone (just about) gets around by bicycle.
The Uniworld River Empress is a beautiful ship, cozy with a passenger load of 138 (I think) if full but as this is the first run of the season we are running with just over 105 passengers.  A number of the passengers are travel agents on a fam tour, and the rest of us are a spectrum of ages, occupations and nationalities from Ecuador to Australia.
The room is sizeable, especially when compared to the big cruise ships cabin sizes (unless you're in a suite) and I have a very comfy queen bed, plenty of closet space, windows and shower in the bath.  So I am comfortably set for the next week.  The only negative is the SLOW internet here so photos will have to wait until I can access a high speed option.
The morning was spent on a tour to the Anne Frank museum, the office/house where the family hid for 25 months before an anonymous tip alerted the occupying Germans who sent the eight people hiding in the cramped rooms, plus two gentlemen working in the office below their hideout, to Aushwitz. Only the father Otto Frank survived and returned to Amsterdam. It was moving and somewhat depressing to think of the months of not knowing how long they would have to hide, not once leaving the hideaway in over two years ~ to see the family photos, actual pages of the written diary, the rooms ~ bare of furnishings but still showing the movie star photos pasted to the wall, pencil marks that marked the growth of the children in hiding.
The museum is a reminder for tolerance and understanding of all nationalities, religions, differences and to avoid prejudice of any kind.

It was a relief to get back out into the bright sunshine and breathe after the oppresive air, black out blinded rooms.  The canal cruise lightened the mood substantially, with an hour on the canals to enjoy the beauty of buildings, bridges and the ingenuity and adaptability of the Dutch through the centuries. Our tour guide teased that Amsterdam is sometimes called the Venice of the North, but with over 1200 bridges and over 100 plus kilometers of canals in the city it is much more impressive and Venice should actually be referred to as the Amsterdam of the South.
It is time for tea...a cuppa...

Photo at left of one of the homes on the Amsterdam canals...everything from houseboats to mansions and churches seen on the canal cruise...in the olden golden days the size of a man's house was a show of his wealth and power...size did matter.