In today’s second part of my visit to Amsterdam we’ll tour the city as I saw it through the course of one day, from early morning to evening. Let’s start with a hop on the tram…

for a scenic ride to the city center:

I recommend using the central station as a starting point for the day’s walk:

From here I lose myself in the crowds, wandering from shopping streets…

to side streets…

to museum square (museumplein)…

During my visit there at Christmas time, near the beloved IAmsterdam outdoors sculpture (right by the above Rijks Museum)

there was an ice skating rink

with wonderful mosaic spheres:

This tribute to Belgian surrealist René Magritte was my favorite:

As the sun began to set, I made my way to the tony Hooftstraat for some retail therapy…

then Indonesian food (rijsttafel) before capping off the night tracking down the various art installments throughout the city for the Amsterdam Light Festival:

Amsterdam is a great host, whether you have a few rushed days or many weeks to visit. It photographs beautifully and entices you to come back. While the first part of that last sentence holds true for many places I’ve been to, the latter is not always the case. Luckily, the next place I’m taking you wins high marks for both points. See you on another continent!