Like many (most?) old European cities, we had some trouble at first understanding the maps and finding our way around. Some smaller streets were not marked on the map and streets would unexpectedly change names. Throw in the canals and, at least at first, we'd have to consult our map with relative frequency to get where we wanted to go.
A view of the houses alongside a canal:
This was one of our confusing periods. We could see the Weigh House, but were having trouble locating exactly where we were on the map. It took us about 20 minutes longer than it should have to get to our destination!
Which was the Church of Our Lord in the Attic. During the Reformation, Catholic worship was outlawed. A wealthy Catholic merchant transformed a canal-side mansion into a church. The family lived in the front rooms, and from the outside, it looked like a normal house.We purchased our Museumkaart here. This is an amazing value for anyone planning on visiting even just a few of the sights in Amsterdam. As an added bonus, it's valid at many museums in other cities in Holland.
Here I am, descending the stairs from the house-part to the church-part:
The church is in the process of renovation, so some parts were closed to visitors. However, other parts were still open, giving us a glimpse into the restoration process. On the bench, you can see paint chip samples and other restoration tools:
A view of the organ:
After leaving this church, we decided to head over to Oude Kerk (Old Church) nearby. It's currently located right in the middle of the red light district.
During the Reformation, most of the Catholic embellishments were destroyed, so it was a bit bare when compared to other churches we've visited in Europe. Brian was disappointed to not find any relics.
I'm not exactly sure where this staircase goes, but I'm happy I don't have to climb it!
After leaving the church, we went to the Allard Pierson Museum, which is the University of Amsterdam's archaeological museum. We didn't take any pictures, but we loved it here! There was a special exhibition on Alexander the Great, as well as the permanent collection of artifacts from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and elsewhere.Also, they had a funny sign for their bathroom:
We had a light lunch in their cafeteria. It's amazing how a simple cheese sandwich can be so delicious!
We then went back to the hotel as Brian had more conference things to do. I took the opportunity to read (and perhaps nap) a bit.He got back around 5 pm. We decided to go for a run. Amsterdam, at least the old part, is not conducive to running! We had to stop frequently for traffic, so it was more like interval training than a steady-state run, which is not necessarily a bad thing. We eventually found ourselves at a park where we saw some grey herons. We got a bit lost, but eventually made it back home, having completed about the distance we'd been hoping for.
We quickly showered and went out for dinner, choosing an Indian restaurant that was close by. I'm not sure why I have such a weird look on my face, but I suppose I should just be happy that my eyes were open in the picture.
The food was good, and we then pretty much returned to the hotel as Brian had another early day in front of him.
And eventually made our way to the 
Well, some artificial light:
The museum had a cafe, so we stopped for a snack:
Brian really didn't have two coffee drinks and two pieces of pie -- it just looks that way! Our next stop was the 
We also went to the very charming 
We walked back to the main area through ancient streets:
And stopped at a cafe for some lunch:
We visited a few more museums and a church, and then headed back to Amsterdam. The 
We took the train back to Amsterdam and had a pleasant rest of the evening.
We're not sure what this cat did to earn the medal he was wearing:
Me, in the interior:
After leaving the church, we walked around the area a bit and explored the city walls that once kept Istanbul safe.
I made it!
To try to give the idea of exactly how steep it was, here's a view looking down:
We were rewarded with views of the city, in my opinion superior to those we saw yesterday at the 
The walkway to reach the tower was treacherous; several feet wide, no handrail, and a steep drop down on both sides!
Standing on 5
Here's another view of the crossing to get back to the steep staircase that will lead us back to the ground:
Brian went down first, and then me. A bit more difficult than going up!
Near the city walls was an old 
We headed in the direction of our next destination with the intention of grabbing a cab. But, before we got there, we ran across some chickens in a park: 
This duck and chicken were following each other around, inseparable:
We sat down in the park to enjoy watching the chickens a bit, and to plan our next move:
We went to the Bulgarian church, which was constructed in Vienna out of metal and brought, prefabricated, to Istanbul.
The inside:
A scary tomb in the courtyard:
We then caught a cab that dropped us off at the 
This picture was taken in one of the smaller structures; the burial place of 
We ate lunch at an outdoor cafe popular with students (this is close to Istanbul University).
Our guidebook said not to miss their pumpkin dessert, so we tried it:
After lunch, we headed for a Turkish bath, known as 
As expected, it was ridiculously hot in the 
We did enjoy the 
Where to, next? 
We visited another mosque, of which we didn't take any pictures, and then went to a cafe for a beer.
We were given a tiny treasure chest into which we placed our payment:
While walking around and trying to decide where to eat dinner, we came across a barbershop and Brian decided to get a shave. In an effort to pack light, he hadn't brought a razor with him and was just planning on growing facial hair on the trip, but his plans suddenly changed.
During:
And after:
We ate dinner at a restaurant near our hotel. I just had water to drink; Brian had 
As usual, being the exciting night owls we are, we walked around a bit more and then headed back to our hotel.
