Amsterdam

Friday, September 20
Morning tea, cheese and rusks, plus oatmeal and orange juice. And, we washed some clothes. How nice to have a kitchen, washer and dryer.
We set out for a walking tour of the area called Jordaan, which was the first expansion of Amsterdam as it grew. This was a Rick Steves audio tour and was supposed to unfold in real time, but we couldn't stay in sync with each other, let alone stay out of the way of  all the vehicles whizzing past. I was nearly nailed by two guys on a Vespa - pulled  in my gut just enough for the hand grip to miss me.
Some bikes are extended and have boxes on the front for kids, groceries, dogs, some or all. Saw one father pedaling along with a toddler on the handlebars and another boy standing on the package platform over the rear wheel with his hands on the father's shoulders.
We walked by the Homomonument, a series of pink marble triangles in memory of Aids victims. Gays were made to wear pink triangles during the Nazi occupation, the way Jews were made to wear yellow Stars of David. 
In Westermarkt Square, we bought fries (ketchup extra) and fried cod - but passed on the pickled herring.
Saw lots of the narrow houses facing the canals (taxes were based on width - see the photo of the house only as wide as the door). Because Amsterdam was founded at the mouth and delta of the Amstell River, the land the city built on was marshy.
(Also the area was not part of any royal holdings, so as it grew, Amsterdam was an early democracy.)
Buildings rest on foundations of tree trunks driven into the sand. All were built with the facade slanting out slightly, to allow furniture and other goods to be hauled up and into upper windows. Over time the houses shift and lean, for a odd, disorienting look. Also saw house boats, the line to see the Anne Frank house, and ended in a courtyard of small residences for pensioners and widows subsidized by churches, charities and the city.
Then we found ourselves in front of the Cheese Museum, so we had to stop in for tastes and a top of the line slicer.
Then back home for wine, cheese and beer and later, a pasta dinner.