We visited the Tulip Museum.  The museum itself is quite small, but they have a lovely gift shop.  Barbara took some time to visit the Anne Frank House and took a day tour to Volendam, Marken, Edam, and back to Zaanse Schans.  One afternoon I took the train to Alkmaar, only to be disappointed as what had been a quaint town is now a huge shopping mall.

The Dutch take their bicycles very seriously.  I may be mistaken, but I believe bicycle riders have right-of-way over pedestrians.  The photo on the left was taken at the parking garage at Centraal Station.  The garage, partially enclosed, goes up about five levels with thousands of bikes on each tier.

One afternoon I stopped at the Begijnhof, an enclosed courtyard dating from the early 14th century.  The Begijnhof was originally built as a sanctuary for the Begijntjes, a Catholic sisterhood who lived like nuns, although they took no monastic vows.  It is in a busy area of Amsterdam, but it feels tranquil once inside the walls.