February 17-19, 2007 – I AMSTERDAM
No matter how you shake it, 8 weeks without your personal furniture is a long time. With the exception to the week we stayed with friends in Houston, we have been living with just a few basic items: air bed, TV, card table / chairs (Houston), IKEA chairs (Holland), and some basic cooking and eating utensils.
To say the least, we were ready for a good night sleep. Here comes Amsterdam. One of our main goals during our stay here is to travel. Take every advantage to see Europe; we don’t know when my company will pull me back, it will help with the transition, and it will be fun. So, in the interest of achieving our primary goal (early) and sleeping in a good bed, here comes Amsterdam.
At this point we still had our rental car, but we had to turn it in that weekend. So, the general plan was to leave from Voorburg, drive to the airport and drop the car, and then use public transportation for everything else. This was our first time to really be 100% reliant on the PT system, so it was a little nerve wracking. Nonetheless, the three of us left with one suitcase, the diaper bag, and a stroller.
Remember, I still had my cast on, so I was hobbling with the stroller while Amanda was dragging an oversized / loud suitcase. To put it simply, Europe was not made for the Graco Travel System. It does not fit through the turn styles, in the train (at least not in the main cabin), or on most cobblestone sidewalks. Your first impression is probably right; we stuck out like a sore thumb.
Throughout the weekend we had a difficult time working Jacob’s schedule into ours. Simple things like bathrooms big enough to change Jacob were difficult to find. So, we had to improvise.
To say the least, we were ready for a good night sleep. Here comes Amsterdam. One of our main goals during our stay here is to travel. Take every advantage to see Europe; we don’t know when my company will pull me back, it will help with the transition, and it will be fun. So, in the interest of achieving our primary goal (early) and sleeping in a good bed, here comes Amsterdam.
At this point we still had our rental car, but we had to turn it in that weekend. So, the general plan was to leave from Voorburg, drive to the airport and drop the car, and then use public transportation for everything else. This was our first time to really be 100% reliant on the PT system, so it was a little nerve wracking. Nonetheless, the three of us left with one suitcase, the diaper bag, and a stroller.
Remember, I still had my cast on, so I was hobbling with the stroller while Amanda was dragging an oversized / loud suitcase. To put it simply, Europe was not made for the Graco Travel System. It does not fit through the turn styles, in the train (at least not in the main cabin), or on most cobblestone sidewalks. Your first impression is probably right; we stuck out like a sore thumb.
Throughout the weekend we had a difficult time working Jacob’s schedule into ours. Simple things like bathrooms big enough to change Jacob were difficult to find. So, we had to improvise.
We did arrive at the Bilderberg Hotel at a decent time without injury or scare. After a little room service (there aren’t McDonald’s at every corner) and after Jacob was sleeping, we hit the sack and had the best night’s sleep in weeks…For Saturday, we had four main items for the agenda: (1) Visit Anne Frank’s House, (2) Eat at the Pancake Bakery, (3) Take a canal cruise, and (4) visit the Rijksmuseum. We think pictures describe Saturday best – here is the slide show…
Anne Frank’s House – It was a small house, surreal environment, and disturbing memories of WW II. It is thoroughly amazing that she was such a good writer at her young age.
The famous Pancake Bakery – They supposedly serve the best pancakes in Holland. Neat environment, friendly service-minded staff (good service is unusual for Holland), and great food.
Canal Cruise – A little less cool than it seems. We did get a few good pictures and Jacob slept for most of it.
Rijksmuseum – As mind numbing as museums can be, when you do the audio tour it is actually quite good. There is just something exciting about being around famous artists’ paintings. It is equally cool to learn about the history behind the paintings and the artists.
At the end of the day we found a quiet little café and ate dinner. It was a good end to a long and exhausting day.
Sunday was a much slower pace; we needed a little more recovery from Saturday. We woke early (8am – early by European standard), ate a bit of breakfast, and started walking to meet Van Gogh. The museum is located near the Rijksmuseum, about a 20 minute walk from our hotel.Big Takeaways for Van Gogh – (1) Great artists are seldom recognized while living – normally because what they are doing is new / unique, (2) Most act crazier / more eccentric than the general public, and (3) many other artists were inspired by his style.
The rest of Sunday was spent walking, talking, and looking around. The temperature was near freezing, so the walks were necessarily broken by chocoladamelk met slagroom (hot chocolate with cream) breaks.
In general, Amsterdam is a beautiful city. The architecture is beautiful, the canals are romantic, the food is good, and the people are friendly. It is too bad that its international reputation focuses on the marijuana and red light district.
We did manage to find our way back home around 6pm via public transportation (i.e. 2 trains and 1 tram later). We considered the weekend a success.
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