Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM 2017.

Our Tour director was Robert Riedijk, and our tour company partner was Explorica, Inc. Air travel courtesy of Delta Airlines. THANKS to Ellie, Andre, Gennevi, Maria, Jennelle, Nick, Skie, Amanda, Katrina, Fiona, Emily, Hailey and Mrs. Tova Black for a wonderful time! You were terrific travelers! Additional photos by Mrs. Tova Black and students.

Day One - LAX to Minneapolis to Amsterdam.

Required reading and packing for Amsterdam. Definitely plan to dress in layers.

The entire group at LAX, just before entering security.

Cruising altitude at 37,000 feet above Midwestern United States.

Andre, Gennevi, Katrina, Skie, Ellie and Nick in economy class.

Mrs. Tova Black, Maria and Jennelle ready to fly!

Fiona and Amanda settle in for a long flight.

Day Two - Hallo Amsterdam!

Meet the tour director and check into hotel, Amsterdam city walk, traditional Dutch pannenkoeken dinner.

Hotel Camnpanile, Loosdrechtdreef 3, 1108 AX Amsterdam-Zuidoost, Netherlands.

Amsterdam exhibits a wonderful blend the old and the modern.

The group assembled for our first city walk in Leidseplein square.

31 miles of canals in Amsterdam.

The Bloemenmarkt, the world's only floating flower market. Founded in 1862.

In front of The Hermitage, a branch museum of the Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg, Russia, located on the banks of the Amstel river.

The Rembrandt monument and The sculptures of "The Night Watch" in 3D at the Rembrandtplein.

Monument to Baruch Spinoza, a Dutch philosopher of Sephardi/Portuguese origin, he came to be considered one of the great rationalists of 17th-century philosophy.

Maria and Gennevi enjoy the local color.

Mr. Black sees inspiration at every turn.

Storybook gables of Amsterdam.

Courtyard outside the Law school at Amsterdam University. This area is known as the 'Oudemanhuispoort.'

Emily, Maria and Gennevi enjoy their first dinner in Amsterdam at Pannenkoeken Candela.

Strawberry pannekoek, or Dutch pancakes for dinner.

Day Three - Amsterdam Landmarks.

Amsterdam guided bike tour and a canal cruise. Dinner at the Hard Rock Café. Anne Frank House visit.

Beginning our bike tour through the heart of Amsterdam!

Every bridge is a postcard opportunity.

A fantastic group of brave and smart travelers.

One of many beautiful inner courtyards, or “Hofje” in the Jordaan neighborhood.

Katrina learns to ride a bike!

Classic Amsterdam: bikes, canals, gabled houses and charm.

View of Westerkerk, next to Amsterdam's Jordaan district, on the bank of the Prinsengracht canal.

Ellie, Maria and Mrs. Tova Black enjoy refreshments in Vondelpark.

Nick, Amanda, Mrs. Tova Black, Andre, Jennelle and Gennevi on Museumplein.

After our bike tour, taking a drawing break in Starbucks, at Oosterdokskade 4 (Ground Floor).

Mrs. Tova Black enjoys the canal cruise.

View of Ij river from canal cruise boat.

Jennelle, Nick and Andre on the Amsterdamse tram.

Outside the Hard Rock Café, Amsterdam.

Eating cheeseburgers at the Hard Rock Café.

Statue of Anne Frank by sculptor Mari Andriessen at the Westermarkt in Amsterdam. It is located a short distance from where she and her family hid during the occupation.

Outside the house where Anne Frank and her family hid for 2 years at 23 Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. The "Secret Annex" is located at the back of the house.

Behind this swinging staircase are the stairs to the "Secret Annex," or "The Achterhuis."

Day Four - Amsterdam Art Museums.

Van Gogh Museum visit, Rijksmuseum visit. Red Light District walk.

Outside the Van Gogh Museum.

Gennevi, Mr. Black and Andre with Vincent.

A large park for relaxation outside the Van Gogh Museum, established in 1973.

The group in front of "Iamsterdam" on the Museumplein, outside the Rijksmuseum. Photoshop by Gennevi G.

Outside the Rijksmuseum.

Students admire the technical details of the "Militia Company of District VII under the Command of Captain Roelof Bicker," 1639 - 43. By Bartholomeus van der Helst.

Detail of "Militia Company of District VII."

Rembrandt and Mr. Black exchange glances.

Section of "The Sampling Officials," also called "Syndics of the Drapers' Guild," 1662. Oil on canvas by Rembrandt.

Mr. Black discusses artistic choices with Emily and Fiona in the Rijksmuseum.

Hearty dinner: chicken breast with mushroom gravy, grilled vegetables and frites with a small jar of mayonnaise at Heffer Amsterdam.

Follow the bald men: Guide Robert and Mr. Black.

Ice cream and waffles in the red light district.

Ellie, Hailey and the group on the metro back to Gaasperplas station.

Day Five - Excursion to the Northeast.

Zaanse Schans open air museum village, City of Volendam; back in Amsterdam: drawing and painting near Westerdok, dinner in Leidseplein.

Outisde a wooden shoe factory in Zaanse Schans.

Wooden shoe making demonstration in Zaanse Schans.

Ellie, Gennevi, Mrs. Tova Black, Hailey, Fiona, Emily and Diedrich, our local guide.

Jennelle, Nick and Skie.

Learning "all about Gouda" in a cheese shop.

Beautiful windmills at Zaanse Schans.

Mechanisms inside a windmill. These grind spices such as cinnamon into a fine powder.

Inside our private coach, on the highway to Volendam, a Dutch town on the Markermeer Lake, northeast of Amsterdam.

Adorable Volendam, known for its colorful wooden houses and the old fishing boats in its harbor.

Smoked eel and herring, specialities of coastal Volendam.

Originally, Volendam was the location of the harbor of nearby Edam. In 1357, the inhabitants of Edam dug a shorter canal to the sea with its own separate harbor. The original harbor was then dammed and used for land reclamation.

Jennelle, Skie and the group sketching at Westerdok, near Central Station and the ferries across the Ij River.

Katrina sketching at Westerdok.

Ellie admires Maria's work at Westerdok.

Mr. Black paints at the Westerdok.

Mr. Black's quick study of the Westerdok area.

Tour director Robert and his dog, Dustin.

Mr. Black shares his work with Fiona and Hailey.

The BEST Pizza in Amsterdam! At Porto Carrara, located at Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 138.

Fiona, Maria, Emily and Hailey dance to disco grooves at "The Dok."

Skie and Nick blend in with the locals on the metro ride back to the hotel.

Emily, Fiona and Hailey have fun in the park adjacent our hotel.

Day Six - Excursion to the East.

Private coach to Otterlo to visit the Kröller-Müller Museum. Lunch and biking at Hoge Veluwe National Park; dinner back in Amsterdam.

Entrance to the Kröller-Müller Museum.

Mrs. Tova Black, Fiona and Emily impressed by the special exhibit on Jean Arp at the Kröller-Müller Museum.

Jean Arp retrospective at the Kröller-Müller Museum, installation view.

Gorgeous space, impressive collection: the Kröller-Müller Museum.

Unperturbed by crowds, we were able to get up close to many of van Gogh's works.

Mrs. Tova Black admires a van Gogh. The museum was founded by art collector Helene Kröller-Müller and opened in 1938. It has the second-largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh.

Helene Kröller-Müller was an art collector who was one of the first to recognize van Gogh's genius and collect his works. In 1935, she donated her entire collection to the state of the Netherlands.

In the sculpture garden, "Stairway to Heaven." photo by Gennevi G.

The garden reflects Helene Kröller-Müller's conception of a symbiosis between art, architecture and nature.

Vast open spaces at Hoge Veluwe National Park.

Hailey and Emily on the free bikes available to all at Hoge Veluwe National Park. Photo by Emily Z.

Miles of bike paths to explore at Hoge Veluwe National Park.

Gennevi, Andre, Ellie and Maria enjoy hot Chocomel in the café at Hoge Veluwe National Park.

Walking back in town.

Skie and Jennelle happily walk through backstreets of Amsterdam with bags of souvenirs.

Amanda, Andre and Hailey enjoy dinner at Restaurant Grand Café De Kroonprins, Amsterdam.

Day Seven - Amsterdam Noord.

Jordaan neighborhood walk, Begijnhof Court, art galleries. Ferry to the Nederlandsche Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij Warf, (NDSM) art & cultural center, art studios. Indonesian Rijsttafel dinner.