Amsterdam wanders part 2

There is very little in the way of tale to start of this second set of pictures from Amsterdam. Looking through them, they were mostly from the Thursday, when we had some unexpected blue skys. Back home I think they were being bombarded by some of the windiest weather for a long time and our landing back in Liverpool in the evening was less than smooth - a little hairy even - but let's not worry about that just now when there's delightful canals to wander along.

A boat shaped like a clog - unless some big fellow out there's lost a shoe in which case, it's in the canal.

We passed a building on one street which was being held up by three wooden struts on the pavement. As a little bit of decoration, they had attached the metal mushrooms to the struts.

This bell tower belongs to the Zuiderkerk or Southern Church. It was painted by Monet when he visited the city in 1874 - he must have been short of a few bob if he was having to do a bit of decorating to make ends meet. The internet says that the carillon plays on Sundays between 4 and 5pm but when we passed at 1pm on Thursday the bells were have a good run through a few tunes. We never saw the church itself but from the pictures on the net, the best bit is the bit you see sticking above the rooftops.

No curious camera settings here but this pictures seems to have turned out black and white (there is actually a tiny bit of colour in the dutch flag but I'm not sure you can see it on this shrunk to fit the internet picture)

 

The other direction, perfect technicolour?

Just outside the zoo (we only passed by) are a pair of golden eagles.

A tastefully decorated pillar......

....and a decorated pillar.

Oh, I think it must be time for a beer.

Refreshed and on our way to find a final bite to eat before we went to the airport, we passed the Fo Guang Shan He Hua Chinese Buddhist Temple. Completed in 2000 it's the largest Buddhist temple built in the Chinese style in Europe.

Not really a major stop but still time for a quick snap of the interior.

And finally, just before a large plate of lasagne, this rather creapy old doorway. Spes altera vitae translates as another hope of life. This is an entrance to Sint Olofskapel which was a church originally built between 1440 and 1450 - now it's used as a conference centre by the NH Barbizon Palace hotel.