Amsterdam Bicycle Tour

After the canal cruise, we went to our cruise ship, checked in, ate lunch, and then headed back out to Amsterdam for one last adventure before leaving for our cruise. We had arranged to take a private bike tour of Amsterdam. We met our guide, Thijs (pronounced Dice), collected our bikes, and were off to join the thousands of locals who make their way around this city on 2 wheels. Thijs took us to places that the typical tourist wouldn't explore on their own. We saw really cool neighborhoods, secret gardens, nice courtyards, and hidden churches. He showed us things and told us stories about the buildings, culture, and history of Amsterdam. The hidden churches came into existence at a time when the government of Holland forced all churches to close. Those that wished to remain open had to go into hiding, and so the people would gather together in a building behind the facade of a factory or storefront, in a back room or an attic. Thijs showed us some courtyards of apartment buildings, and pointed out the city's coat of arms that was displayed prominently throughout the city. The coat of arms consists of 3 crosses (though shaped like an x rather than a t, like St. Andrew's cross) to represent the 3 dangers that the city of Amsterdam has faced in the past. When Amsterdam was first being settled, all the buildings were made of wood. That presented a fire danger. Because of its low-lying lands, there was always danger of flood. And the plague was the third danger. So the three crosses represented the people of Holland seeking the intercession of St. Andrew for protection from these three dangers. On our bicycle tour, Thijs also took us to Vondelpark, which is the largest park in the city of Amsterdam. It is similar to Central Park in New York. We rode through the park, stopped to take a few pictures, and then returned to the bike shop. The bike tour was a great way to get a local perspective of Amsterdam.