The Dutch are very upfront in their admission that their Golden Age was in the 1700s when their navy ruled the waves; their merchant marine was the most active in bringing the exotic spices, dyes, to Europe; their artists on the forefront of painting, and ceramics; their politicians divided church and state and they began the monumental task of re-forming their land. The Rijksmuseum is a fitting tribute. The display halls have been modernized and can accommodate the huge crowds, even in front of the most famous piece, Rembrandt's Nightwatch. And, thanks to a prosperous middle class, there are many articles from merchant homes -- dishes to doll houses.
Our hotel is on the southern edge of the central part of town, which makes for a little walk to get to the center for most of our activities, but also puts us on the edge of a lovely residential area and we get a taste for how the locals live. There are shops for children’s toys, butchers, wine and grocery stores without a single souvenir!
Today the picture loaded (seems that 2.3 megs is fine but not 2.5). This one is for Kieran -- one of the many models of boats!
And, speaking of boats, we topped off the evening with a candlelight cruise with wine and cheese through the canals after dark. Very interesting to be able to look into the houseboats and the houses much more than in the daytime. 
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