A day in Amsterdam

Our flight to Tel Aviv included a 14 hour layover in Amsterdam. After waiting for the arrival of our travelling companions, Jon & Karen Westra, we ventured out to see some of the sites in the city.

We walked from Amsterdam Centraal Station to the Rijksmusem - a half hour walk we managed to stretch to an nour and a half, thanks to Mike misdirecting us and Nick saving the day to get us back on track! We spent a couple of hours in the Rijksmuseum marvelling at the paintings from the Dutch "golden age" - some of the portraits by Frans Hals, two Vermeer paintings, and the Rembrandt exhibit. Trudy, our resident Art Historian, guided us through the exhibits! Wow, is she a great guide! Everyone's favorite was the "Nightwatch" (what is its real name?). After the museum tour, we walked up the street for a rijstafel at the Sama Sebo Indonesian restaurant. It was great! There were about 25 different little dishes that we could enjoy with a bit of rice! What a wonderful day; the nighcap was our 9:00 PM departure to Tel Aviv.