Tales from Amsterdam

Are you thinking what I am thinking?

Is she (she meaning me) really still talking about this darn European trip?  I mean, the trip was months ago.

Yes, I am... these things take time and I have none lately so you can zip it.

Here is the Amsterdam story:

The 5 of us hooligans took a super duper early flight from Berlin and landed in wonderful Amsterdam.  Life seemed perfect immediately because we had a trendy and cute hotel (with an Alice in Wonderland theme) situated in the hip area of Prinsengracht.  We are hip so it only made sense. 

Let me give you a quick overview of what I learned and observed here immediately:

 On paper, the map of Amsterdam is super simple.  There is a City Center and a series of canals and streets that branch out from there. Well, let me tell you... once we got there I was completely confused and lost!  Every street name sounds the same (Rozenstraat, Rozengracht, Laurierstraat, Lauriergracht, etc- do you see what I mean?)  
 The streets are all angled and they curve around the canals so nothing makes sense.  I lost my sense of direction quickly.  

Confusion with a Capital C. 

Prinsengracht

Oh well. Who needs to know where they are going?  Screw the map... we set out on foot and explored the typical sites.  

Of course we learned right away that the bikes rule the road here.  If you are on a bike, you win! 

By day two we were happy we did not get killed from walking in front of a biker.  So we got brave and decided to utilize the free extra-large and extra heavy bikes our fun hotel had.  These super sized bikes were cute, but not easy to handle!  

The Mega Bikes

We hit a few highlights of the city including the Anne Frank House.  A trip to Amsterdam would not be complete without mentioning this place.  Margaret and I have both been here before, but even for  a second visit, this place does not disappoint.  Walking through the museum and secret annex allows visitors to really get a grasp of daily life for this family during world war II.  

typical bike parking

Dutch pancakes

Dam Square

After spending the morning at the museum, we tested our skills on the big bikes.  We stayed on the outer canals to avoid the traffic.  We almost died about three times but somehow we UN-safely made it to an outdoor restaurant where we enjoyed some cocktails and lunch on the water.  

canal lunch

windmill brewery

blending in

If you thought biking was hard before lunch, try doing it with a few beers in your system!  We did it and we once again survived.  I am not sure if we were just getting used to the bikes or if the booze gave us some extra confidence, but the cycling seemed to get easier.

Locking the bikes takes skill

At some point we decided to ditch the bikes and hit the canals!  We booked a private canal tour with a funny company called "Those Dam Boat Guys".  This is a group of casual dudes with small boats that navigate their way around the city on the canals. The entire experience was especially fun cuz it was BYOB and they gave us an informative historical tour while we relaxed sipping on champagne and eating cheese.  
That is my kind of tour

Chad and the boat guide

Dam Boat Guide (his straws say so)

canal pose

She spilled wine on this sweater

canal tour

Dutch homes on the canal

After a few days of canals and city life, we got a wild hair and ended up on a "Country Bike Tour".  We had no idea what this really was, but it proved to be one of my favorite experiences here.  It was an all day adventure in which we started with regular, user friendly bikes.   We had a fun guide who took us along the Amstel River and into the countryside.  We stopped at a windmill where we got a brief history of the city and then continued into the country.  Ultimately we ended up on a farm where there was a man there who makes wooden clogs and Gouda cheese.  We spent a while there learning about the shoes and the cheese and had picnic lunches with the fresh cheese.  Life was good and we were all happy.

biking with the squad

windmill pose

same pose

this guy makes clogs and cheese

clogs

clog machine

Gouda cheese

They seem like happy cows

Country bikers

They moo'd at us

With another great day under our belt, we ended up back in the city where we navigated our way through the bars, restaurants, red light district, and coffee shops.  

fake clogs

same fake clogs

more of the same

cocktail hour

The old man in front of The Old Man

Cheers from Holland

One of many "coffee shops"

That just about covers three nights in Amsterdam... we headed to bed early cuz we had an early train to catch to Paris!

train terminal

Things I learned in Amsterdam:
1. Things seem busy and everything is moving fast, but the people are chill
2. Anything goes, beer is cheap, and the food is yummy
3. Its not "all about that bass" here, its all about the bikes


Next report will be stories from Paris :)