Yah! Have arrived in Amsterdam and are just off the Kloveniersburgwal, a canal running south from Nieuwmarkt (New Market) to the Amstel River. We are very near the Zuiderkerk (South Church) and so hear the churchbells ringing all the time. The canals of Amsterdam are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
We headed to Haarlemerstraat near the West-Indish Huis (the original West India Company building) where in 1625 the Governors ordered that a fort be built in New Amsterdam (now NYC). We then stopped for some yummy Belgium beer at one of the many fine bruin or brown cafes. They are called "brown" because of their interior being usually dark wood and/or due to years of patrons smoking indoors.
