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In Amsterdam, Dam Square is the best central transportation hub. Our hotel, the RHO, is located just a few meters off Dam Square, so getting around town was very simple. The area of Amsterdam that is of interest to the tourist is relatively small. The canals form a series of concentric semicircles stretching outward from the center of the city, the land between the station and Dam Square. |
| The famous Red Light District lies just a few blocks from Dam Square. In this early morning photo, it looks just like any other canalside residential area. But at night, the windows come alive with the girls advertising their services. On the night of our visit, it was obvious that the area was filled with lots more gawking tourists than with potential clients. | 
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The Rijksmuseum is one of the must-see tourist highlights in Amsterdam. Rembrandt's famous Night Watch takes up one entire wall in its own room. But there's plenty more to see as well. At the time of our visit, the Van Gogh Museum was being rebuilt, so much of the collection had its own small wing here. |
| Volendam and Marken lie across the Zuider Zee from each other just a short bus ride from Amsterdam. When their access to the sea was blocked off, the people of these fishing villages turned to tourism as their main source of income. In summer, the residents are often dressed in the old costumes and the streets are filled with tourists. At the time of our visit, we had both towns mostly to ourselves. | 
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There are still a few fishing boats in the harbor at Volendam, but now most of the slips are taken up by the tourist boats that travel back and forth between Volendam and Marken. During the off season, the harbor is very quiet. From here, one can see Marken in the distance, but with the boats not running, the trip becomes more complicated, using the buses with a couple of connections involved. |
| In Marken, we once again had the town mostly to ourselves. There were a few of the tourist places open, but for the most part everything was quiet. We were lucky to happen upon this wedding procession, so we had chance to see many of the costumes that we otherwise would have missed. | 
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Introduction - Bruges and
Delft - Conclusion
Pack
Your Bags - Travel Albums Index
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