Amsterdam: I AMSTERDAM card (Canal boat ride and Rijkmuseum)

The moment we confirmed the Amsterdam trip, the next task was to look for places to visit. 

Since it will be a family trip, it has to be a wholesome trip. Honest to goodness. Any other 'diversion' will have to wait until the next trip. 

Flags of Amsterdam and the Netherlands

I came across the I AMSTERDAM city card - City pass for Amsterdam. According to the site "the pass that give you FREE admission to Museums and unlimited rides on public transport, a free canal cruise and discounts on attractions and restaurants." 

The card activates the first time you use. Validity depends on on your choice of 24, 48 or 72hours (49,59 and 69 euros respectively). We bought the 48hours pass online and pickup will be at the I AMSTERDAM counter just opposite the Amsterdam Centraal Train Station.

The brochure

Note the regular price and with the I AMSTERDAM card

For me and Madam

The card packet

44 attractions in total. 43 free and 1 discount.
42 Museums, 1 science centre and 1 Zoo, all in Amsterdam

With so many attraction we can cover in a day, we decided carefully where we would go first, next and so on so forth. BTW, we bought the card just for the both of us, and not the kids as Madam had calculated that the maximum savings would be on us using it, but not so for the children. She did calculate, OK. 

So, the list of place to visit on the first day would be:

1) Canal Cruise

2) Rijksmuseum

3) van Gogh Museum

...and on the second day is:

1) The Artis Royal Zoo

2) The Maritime Museum

3) NEMO Science Centre

and other attraction if time allows. Again, it depended on the children too! Come on kids...onwards! Lets go to museum.. and find the gold from Malacca!

The Canal Cruise

The canal cruise took about an hour from start to finish. We took the canal cruise not far from the Amsterdam Centraal. Walking distance only. We checked-in the I AMSTERDAM for the first time and bought 2 tickets for Ben and Fay too.  At the canal jetty, a boat was waiting for us but since we were early (first boat departs at 9am) it was less than half full. 

From the jetty, we passed into the Ij before going into the Prisengracht (Prince canal, named after Prince of Orange). One of the 3 main canals in Amsterdam dug in the 1700s.  From time to time, the boat captain would play a recorded message explaining the area we were passing.

The queue outside Anne Frank Museum

The Westchurch tower

Different type of gable. A small window on topmost floor with hook and pulley. The house is too narrow to carry things up the stairs. Easier to hoist them up and get in thru the windows.

I think this must be the river Amstel

Passing under one of the more historical bridge

Replica of the Batavia at Maritime Museum

The Rijksmuseum

The canal boat ride ended the same place it started, near the Amsterdam Centraal. We took a tram number 4 to the Rijksmuseum. A visit to this museum is a must as it exhibits Dutch arts and history from Middles Ages all the way to the 20th century. With the I AMSTERDAM card, a discount of 2.50euro from the entrance price 

Tram ride

The Rijksmuseum

The famous I amsterdam sign outside the museum

Trying their best to smile in the freezing temperature

Entrance to museum gallery

Vincent van Gogh self potrait

Painting of 5 palace court official of Java

A model of market in Java

The other master, Rembrandt - The Nightwatch
Do you know, these people paid the painter to have their picture painted? Most expensive spot was centre, front.  

Kris from Java...not Malacca apparently

The coat of arms of the United Kingdom on display

The ancient library in the museum

Replica of a waiting room during renaissance period

The Rijksmuseum

The collection of the museum is extensive. From the 1600s onwards. On the ground floor there was a huge room with thousands of collection ranging from armour, musical instruments, some relics, ship models, textiles...about a million pieces of exhibits, it boasted in the museums info brochure. Just that ground floor alone. 

The glass collection

The collector's cabinet

The two pagoda shape are tulip vase

Ceramic art

Dirk Hartog's Plate which were left at Dirk Hartog Island, Australia. A confirmed European sighting of Australia in 1616. A dinner plate actually. Nailed to a post and placed upright in a fissure on a cliff top

As usual, Madam and the children were gone with the wind. Got message from Madam that she and the children were at the cafe (so typical of them)...but my quest looking for any historical artefacts from Malacca came with empty handed. 

Cant find anything from Malacca or any drawing or notes mentioning about Malacca. It was Batavia this, Batavia that. Maybe I looked at the wrong section and was rushing through each gallery. 

Ship models (ship of the line)

Ship model 

Armour

The Van Gogh Museum's queue was too long and as usual, the children were either A) Tired B) Hungry. We took the tram back to Amsterdam Centraal, walk across the road, passed the Sex Museum and queue for the bestest fries in Amsterdam.

The Pissing Mannequin

Best in Holland. Holland ok! Not Netherlands

Of all the queue Madam and the children would brave storm, hurricane and most certainly rain...is the queue for the fries.. or my sister Zuhaira would say in French.. patat (potato). hahahaha.. They sell fries, curly fries and wedges with various topping. The best IMHO would be fries with tartar sauce or was it mayonnaise and chopped onions. Seriously! It was heaven munching the fries in cold weather. 

After had their fill, or in the case of the children..fill up their energy tank..Madam decided to go back to Zaandam to do some shopping...oh oh... anyway, she told me to carry on (seriously, on my own?) and that's what I did. I 'explored' Amsterdam and went to the RLD. Yahoo!