Bikes, boats, and bridges

Our last two days in this great city revolved around bikes (dodging them as they sped by), boats (snapping pictures of them as they glided below us and boarding one for a canal level tour), and bridges (stopping on their bowed backs to pause and take in the sites).

The painter, printer, and high priced home buyer!

Our next stop was the Rembrandt House-- a beautiful home-now-museum. A climb up the antique stairway to all the levels reveals the living and working quarters of the brilliant artist. Rembrandt may have been a genius when it came to his art, but his financial skill left a lot to be desired. He defaulted on his bank payments and had to declare bankruptcy and return his home to his creditors. It is because of the detailed inventory of the home required by the bank that modern renovators were able to know exactly how Rembrandt had decorated and furnished his home, even down to the the precise location of the easel in his painting studio.

OK, it's 32 degrees out and why hadn't we thought of soup before? The opportunity presents itself as the best darn soup shop in Amsterdam is smack down the street from Rembrandt's House. A hot cup of Tuscan tomato basil warms the tummy and fuels us for our last day in Amsterdam.

Hate to leave this beautiful city of Amsterdam