In 1578 the city council of Amsterdam was all Catholic and was then replaced by an all Protestant one. This is called the "Alteration". The Catholic churches were converted to Protestant ones and while Catholicism was tolerated, services could not be held in public spaces. So, those in the city who chose not to convert away from the Catholic Church were forced to find private venues to hold their services. The answer was the "Hidden Churches", churches that from the outside did not look like churches at all but on the inside were full blown Catholic houses of worship. These Catholic churches were not well kept secrets. While the city's official religion was Protestant how one worshipped behind one's front door was not questioned.
Today Sandy and I visited several of these hidden Catholic churches. The first and perhaps most interesting was the church "Ons Lieve Heer op Solder" (Our Lord in the Attic). This is a seventeenth-century canal house dating back to the Dutch Golden Age, that has a Catholic church in the attic. From the outside it just looks like another merchant establishment on a canal. On the inside, above the residence and shop is a three story Catholic church.
In the afternoon we walked from the railway terminal to Dam Square following Damrak Street and then beyond the square on Kalverstraat. In doing this we were following the tourist trail through Amsterdam. There are interesting buildings and sights along the way but one has to be aware that this is the main shopping drag for tourists in this city, with wall to wall gift shops and frites (french fry) counters. Other than a few of the people manning the stores (whom may or may not have been natives) Dutchmen were rare to be seen. Still this is something that while in Amsterdam we must do. The kitchey stores, the crowded streets, the street performers (good and awful) and the thousands of pigeons in Dam Square, it is something indeed that we must do ... once!
During one of the rain showers, Sandy and I took refuge in a little restaurant off the beaten path. I had a beer and some fries, note: I did take the mayonnaise, but that doesn't mean it's right.
At night we went to a improv comedy show "Boom Chicago". This is an English comedy troupe, mostly from the United States, doing improv in English. This show has been going on for twenty years with an ever evolving cast. They were funny, smart, and clever. Oddly enough through a show of hands there were only a few people from English speaking countries. By far the majority were Dutch, not surprising because I have not met the Dutchman who does not speak better English than me. Sandy and I stood out as two of the older attendees of the show, this became more clear as one of the comedians started referring to me as his Dad.
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