Amsterdam: Behind the Scenes

As if spending a day in Amsterdam, sans kiddos, with a friend wouldn't be fun  enough, this summer I managed some time off for good behavior and got to go to one of Amsterdam's Open Garden Days.  Each June, 30-40 of Amsterdam's canal side homes open their doors to allow you to walk through their first floors and sneak a peek at their gardens out back.  Some of the homes are private residences, some are businesses (law firms and such) and others are smaller, lesser known museums.  I had no idea Amsterdam had so many specialty museums.  Because the neighboring buildings often cast deep shadows into the gardens, there aren't a lot of flowering plants.  The gardens are mostly green, well planned and nicely manicured with fountains and statues for added interest. Because there's a limited number of shade-loving plants out there, after visiting 8-10 homes, the gardens  started to feel derivitive, but it was beyond awesome to get a quick glimpse into the inside of some of the canal homes and short peeks into museums that otherwise I'd never visit.   So, without further ado, onto the pictures.

a private home; the most colorful of the gardens

a private home; there's a WW2 bunker in the back corner

given the relative narrowness of the homes, often surprised at the amount of space out back

Garden at Museum Geelvinck Hinlopen Huis

The old "Waloon Orphanage for Boys and Girls" The ladder is a sculpture. The garden was once divided: one side for the boys. One side for the girls.

see the open door, had to walk right through the house to get to the garden

leaning canal side homes

My favorite gardens were the boys/girl orphanage and the Bijbels (Bible) Museum. The Bible Museum has stocked its  garden with plants mentioned in the Bible and then displayed them with corresponding Bible verses.  I still can't figure how the climate in Northern Europe and ancient Mesopotamia is similar enough to make such a garden practical, but now I know what a Acacia and a Judas tree looks like (among others).  Oh, and it was also kind of funny to catch the neighbors of one home on the tour walking around in their PJs and robes --at 3pm-- looking out their window, almost surprised at all the gawkers in the garden next door looking back.
(**All photos courtesy of RB, my camera-toting partner in crime for the day)