Kinderdijk, Then Two Days Post-Cruise in Amsterdam

Kinderdijk means 'children's dike,' after an infant's cradle said to have washed up here in a deadly 1421 flood.

Dug starting in 1612 and named for Prince William of Orange, it's the outermost of Amsterdam's three Golden Age canals.

Built in 1650 by Daniel Stalpaert, who also helped design the Royal Palace, as housing for widows of sailors.

Anne Frank's family hid here from 1942 until 1944; the museum today shares her story through her original diary pages.

Sculptor Artus Quellinus carved allegorical reliefs above the doorways, each one symbolizing good governance.

Commissioners here settled small financial disputes; a statue of Apollo, god of harmony, guards the entrance.

This private chamber belonged to Amsterdam's four mayors, separate from the full city council's meeting hall.

Death sentences were pronounced in this marble tribunal before condemned prisoners exited straight to a public scaffold.

Credited to Gouda baker Gerard Kamphuisen around 1810, made from leftover dough scraps sweetened with syrup.

Built around 1740, these are part of 19 windmills forming the largest windmill network in the Netherlands.

Known as the 'Gentlemen's Canal,' its wealthiest stretch is nicknamed the 'Golden Bend' for its grand mansions.

A view looking down a nice Amsterdam residential street with Westertoren's steeple in the distance.

Built 1648-1665 as Amsterdam's city hall, it rests on nearly 13,700 wooden piles driven into the soft ground.

The marble floor here is inlaid with three world maps, literally placing Amsterdam at the center of the world.

This was the office of the city secretary, responsible for Amsterdam's official correspondence and records.

Once appointed, members of Amsterdam's governing council served for life, a rare privilege in the era.

Its central relief depicts the Judgment of Solomon, meant to inspire judges toward wisdom and fairness.

For our visit to Amsterdam, we stayed at this hotel. It was founded by the grandson of Joseph Pulitzer.

Inside, wooden gears connect the rotating sails to a scoop wheel that lifts water into a drainage reservoir.

This image shows typical apartment buildings without elevators. Beams near the roof are used with ropes to lift furniture.

Its houseboats mostly date to after WWII, when Amsterdam's housing shortage turned old cargo ships into homes.

In the 17th century these galleries' doors stayed open all day, letting merchants gather here for business.

Amsterdam's aldermen administered justice in this hall, decorated with statues of Justice, Time, and War.

Amsterdam's 36-member city council, the Vroedschap, met in this hall to govern the city's affairs.

This office protected orphaned children's inheritances; its painting depicts the Greek lawmaker Lycurgus.

A stroopwafel is two thin waffles sandwiching a caramel syrup made from brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon.