Amsterdam take two

We had another day's outing in Amsterdam.  We walked around the city mainly around Zeedijk Street, Nieuwmarkt and Waterlooplein.  Our fist port of call was the Oude Kirk (Old Church) which dates back to the 14th century.

The church building is gigantic and it is far too large to encompass in one photo.  This is just one small angle of it.  Below is a glimpse from the street.

Just outside the church as we were passing we almost did not notice in each of these windows two scantily clad ladies of a dark hue.  One was young and rather nice looking, the other was quite rotund and not very young anymore.  I did not notice the "no photo" sign and attempted to take a shot but I was briskly waved away and the curtains were immediately drawn.  So, bloggers, I can only show you the curtained windows and leave the rest to your imagination.

The FGS Hua Temple in Zeedijk Street is the largest Buddhist temple in Europe.  The street is a sort of mini Chinatown with Asian restaurants and cafes.  It was not fantastically busy when we were there and I imagine like Kings Cross in Sydney it comes alive at night.

The Portugese Synagogue in Amsterdam was at one time the largest synagogue in Europe.  In the 17th century when it was built, the Amsterdam Sephardic community was one of the largest and richest in Europe during the Dutch Golden Age.  The large synagogue reflected this.  It is once again very difficult to capture on camera, my small camera at least, the sheer size of this lovely old building.

    Inside the synagogue.  There is no electricity and the inside is lit up by 1,000 candles.

Our next stop was at the Waag in Nieuwmarkt.  This absolutely wonderful medieval building dating from the 17th century was at one time a marker as part of the city wall.  After the city wall was dismantled it was a weighing station and then a center of the town market.  It now houses several museums and it is being refurbished as it is sinking, a fate common with many buildings in the Netherlands.

A pictorial depiction of the Waag as a market place.

Our last visit was to Rembrandt's house.  He lived and painted in this house from 1639-1650.  In 1650 he failed to pay the mortgage and he went bankrupt and was evicted,  

The doorman is dressed in the garb of the period.  The house is furnished in the style as in Rembrandt's time and a great deal of effort has been made for it to be as authentic as possible.

In one room there is a demonstration of how Rembrandt's etchings were printed as well as a demonstration on how he mixed his paints.  He was as famous for his etchings as he was for his paintings.  He also had many pupils and sold many of their works from the house - this was a practice of the day.  Rembrandt was famous in his own time unlike many other artists in history.