Our little family in the great big state of Texas

Tuesday morning we set out for the Maritime Museum. We had decided that it would be a real time saver to make use of the extensive tram/bus system in Amsterdam, and that is what we did. We had gotten a 24 hour ticket so were able to hop on and off wherever we needed to go. The Maritime Museum was easy to find, and not too crowded so we were able to go through at a leisurely pace. There were some amazing models of ships, but the highlight for Jacob was the "pirate ship". Not really a pirate ship, but the Indian Trading Ship Amsterdam (pictured above). Very interesting to go on board and check it all out, from living quarters to the top deck. Jacob got a pirate flag at the gift shop and we were on our way to our next stop.
We rode the tram again, and while on the tram one of us was always carrying Jacob. The trams would really jostle you around and it was just easier to hang on to him that way. I have to share that some guys were nice enough to stand up and offer their seats so Jacob, Toni and I could sit - what a nice gesture. And we had a bit of a ride so it was appreciated! We got off at the stop by the Rijksmuseum, and the Speigelgracht canal. We saw a cafe on the corner and decided it was time for lunch. The Dutch eat pancakes at other times of the day besides breakfast, so we decided that would make a good lunch. Jacob loves pancakes so he was very enthusiastic about the pancakes. After we were rested and fed, we started to explore the many antique shops in this area, known as the Spiegelkwartier. This area has shops that range from the very high priced art works to shops full of small antiques. Everything is more expensive than 6 years ago, but still just as fun to browse around. We spent a while checking in on some of our favorite shops that we remembered from previous visits. And found a couple new ones that were pretty cool. Then we wandered on back to the boat so Jacob could have his daily nap, it just makes things a lot more pleasant if he is able to take a nap!

After he had his nap we went back out for dinner, and some last minute souvenir purchases. We wandered down the Bloemenmarkt (Flower market) as they were finishing up for the day, more tulip bulbs for sale than you could imagine. Then back to the boat for our last night on the canal!