I am staying in an area called De Pijp, about 1.5km south of the Centraal (that's the way the Dutch spell it - no wonder they sound funny) Station, and that's where the tourist information office is which was closed when I arrived last night, so I thought that I'd head there first; it was a good walk and the office was already busy by the time I got there.
The great thing about rising early is that you get to see the city as it comes to life, and it is often so much quieter before things are open; here are a few photos from the walk - often including 2 things synonymous with Amsterdam - canals and bikes.
After a bit of a wander to get my bearings around the central city area, I decided to join a walking tour - better to do these things on the first day where possible! It started at 11:15am, and lasted around 3 hours, covering the main areas and a short history of Amsterdam, a relatively young city - relative, that is, for Europe (not Australia). Essentially built on a marsh, most of the city, like much of the country, is actually below sea-level, which leads to some interesting problems - including flooding, and the sinking buildings. In fact, I often felt quite odd walking around, as many of the buildings have a strange lean on them - often towards the street, as well as sideways - quite disconcerting:
Our guide spent a fair bit of time on the Amsterdam "Coffee Shops", which of course everybody knows are marijuana-smoking establishments (I do wonder were you go if you actually want a coffee). Apparently the way that the locals (including the government) look at things is that if they meet 3 criteria, then they are OK - 1) they should be discreet; 2) they shouldn't harm anybody; and 3) they should generate income. So, on that basis, if you call a dope-smoking hangout a "coffee shop" it is OK - obviously choosing to ignore all of the evidence that marijuana is actually quite harmful. The other thing is that it's not just done in "coffee shops" - I could smell it on the streets - both leaking from the shops, and also some quite obvious (and early morning) dope-smoking on the streets. To be honest, a side of Amsterdam that isn't particularly pleasant.
We went into an area called Begijnhof, which sits behind a non-descript timber door on Spui Square. Of medieval origins and one of t he oldest inner courtyards in the city, it is a collection of small building, originally used by Beguines, which were lay sisterhood of the Roman Catholic Church , founded in the 13th century in the Low Countries , comprising religious women who sought to serve God without retiring from the world.
It is also home to Houten Huys (1528), one of only 2 remaining timber houses in the city centre - the rest burnt down in one of the numerous fires, so eventually the city council mandated brick or stone construction, with tile roofing.
Today the buildings are mostly private dwellings and the English Reformed Church; during the day it seems full with tourists, as group after group pass through.
And that was it for today.