Amsterdam, Netherlands
We packed our bags (plus one extra large suitcase Brian provided for all the souvenirs we bought) and made our way to the train station to take the roughly two hour ride to Amsterdam, where we planned to stay a night in a nice hotel a few blocks from the Central Station and fly back to the states the following evening. Brian was flying out the following day as well, only on an earlier flight and to a different destination, so Neal and I made our way to the city on our own, tugging our luggage along. Ironically, Den Bosch had just shut down all trains leaving the city JUST THAT MORNING for repairs, so a bus ride to a neighboring city was added to our trip. What I can tell you about train travel (at least in our brief experience) is that it is very confusing if you don't know the language. We had to ask numerous times where our stop was, and where to get to the next train. To add to the confusion, there was a subway system that runs alongside the trains and each had a different ticketing system. Thankfully, an extra stop to ask questions prevented us from both getting on the subway, and from boarding the wrong track to Paris (although I'm sure that would have been fun in its own right). Other than accidently placing ourselves in the 1st class car (who knew??!!?), we were able to make our way.
In a nutshell, we made it safely to the beautiful Amsterdam Central Station (luckily it's a big enough place where eventually it seems all trains arrive there) and made our way to the hotel. Excited about what the city had to offer, we dropped our bags and made our way through the city. Using the hotel map as a guide, we found the sites to be found easily and all well within walking distance (by European standards, not Iowan).
Arriving in Amsterdam. Grand Central is in the background.
The first place we decided to visit was the Royal Palace. It was free admission that day, otherwise the entry fee is 10 euro per person. We were given personal devices to listen to the self-guided tour in our language, and we found it to be dry and over-rated. The history is interesting and the square outside is neat, but I wouldn't pay admission to go there.
Next, we walked through the Red Light district (sorry everyone, no photos are allowed at the red-curtained windows. :-), China Town, and along the busy shopping district. We came upon numerous cheese shops offering multiple samples, and the one below was our favorite. Had we stayed another day, we would have taken advantage of their tours through their cheese factory, which is located a few kilometers from Amsterdam. Maybe next time....
Gouda is good, no?!?
We later came upon a hole-in-the-wall bar with wonderful atmosphere and sampled a few beers on tap (beer on tap is limited here).
I mentioned in a previous post that bikes are prevalent. This bike garage holds 2500 bikes for commuters.
Brian joined us later in the evening, where we had a delicious dinner together and walked the city a bit more before heading back to out lovely hotel. The next day, we said a very tearful goodbye to Brian and took a one hour canal tour before leaving for the states.
Amsterdam has 1200 bridges. From this shot, it is possible to see seven.
Neal was particularly astounded on how much buildings lean so much. It seems nothing is plumb, and it's due to Amsterdam being under sea level, with unstable sub-ground.
We had noticed the previous day that most buildings had joist beams at the top of each roof, seen above. We learned on the tour that they are still used to this day to move furniture and large items into top floors, due to the narrow staircases.
Thousands of house boats line the canals, and the city has limited its 2500 permits to those who are currently floating there, so that no more boats may clog its waterways. Most of these boats are permanent residences.
We took a quick float out to the harbor.
One last shot of Amsterdam.
We were anxious to return home and greet our children with the numerous gifts of chocolate, gingerbread, bike bells, and stuffed animals we gathered along the way. It truly was a trip we will never forget, and hope to return someday soon, possibly with the kids in tow.
Thanks for reading.
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