The Euro Star train took us from St Pancras to Amsterdam stopping at Lille, Brussels and Rotterdam en route. The journey took about three and a half hours. The train was busy and the wifi didn’t work but it was comfortable.
Arriving into Centraal station we took a taxi to the beautiful Hilton Hotel, home for the next four nights. This hotel was where John Lennon and Yoko Ono staged a bed-in as a peace protest against the war in Vietnam in 1969.
We had two bedrooms on the same floor and we got access to the residents lounge with complimentary drinks and snacks each evening.
Sunset from the executive suite 
A twenty minute walk through the nearby Vogel Park and we were in the museum Quarter. The park was a hive of activity as people walked, ran and cycled along the various pathways. There was music and sport. We stop for a coffee in the Blauwe Theehuis. It proved a good place to shelter from the heavy rain shower that came upon us unexpectedly.
Hilton Hotel on the canal 
Blawue Theehuis
Next stop for today’s culture trip was the Rijksmuseum. Downstairs we saw some Italian Renaissance paintings and sculptures. Then we headed upstairs to see the main reason for the visit. The paining viewed by two and a half million people each year -The Night-watch by Rembrandt. There was a major research and restoration project underway – the frame was removed and it was encased in a protective glass case while a machine moved slowly across the painting assessing its condition. We also saw the Milkmaid by Vermeer and a self portrait by Van Gogh. We saw some relics from the 16th century when the Dutch travelled overseas and established trading routes from the spice islands.
The gardens outside the museum were very nice and there was a playground in the park which kept the boys entertained for a while. We took nice photos by the canals and got Chinese for dinner. There’s a sculpture exhibit based around the city for a few weeks which made the walk home interesting.
We took an Uber to the Anne Frank House for our 11.45 time slot. Tickets have to be booked online and are all timed. It was busy. The museum has been transformed since I last visited a long time ago. In an attempt to accommodate the crowds that visit each year the site has expanded and automatic audio guides introduced to enhance the tour. Photography is prohibited inside the centre. The museum sits on the beautiful Prinsengracht Canal.
We stopped for a coffee in Dam Square to rest the feet and watch the crowds go by. Then we did some shopping for warmer clothes, weather not quite as warm as hoped, and rain gear for the cruise, Primark helped out there! Then we went back to the playground near Rijksmuseum Museum. There were people playing basketball and skateboarding. Then we went to Sama Sebo for an interesting Rijstaffel dinner. We had lots of small dishes to share. We finished the evening with a drink in the executive lounge of the Hilton.
Hairylambthewanderyears 
Very interesting and informative. The boys, especially Eoin, must have loved seeing the Anne Frank house since he had read the book and knew so much about her already.
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Did I actually see Se smiling for a family photo, one of the days he was not fed up with the camera, he looks so cute when smiling.xxxx looks like Amsterdam was a good trip.
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