Amsterdam pictures

Well, we're back from Amsterdam.  It was a whirlwind trip and I didn't see half of what I wanted to, but I had an INCREDIBLE time.  What a fantastic birthday present.

         

At the bottom, find a link to some more pictures we took.

Our hotel was a few doors down from Dam Square so we couldn't have asked for a better location.  From the airport we took the hotel shuttle (operated by Connexxions) but it cost way too much (€25/both) and we got stuck in traffic.  On the way home we took the train and it was extremely affordable (€7/both) and took no time at all.

We went to the Anne Frank House and about a million churches, etc.  Obviously the main purpose was to see Cirque Du Soleil, which was spectacular as always.

We went to the Red Light district at 11:30 on a Friday night.  What a nut house!!  ...And so entertaining!  We didn't feel unsafe at ANY point, but people kept coming up and tried to sell us drugs... and not just pot like you'd get in a coffee shop... oh no.  They were offering X and cocaine!  It was totally fine though...

"Wanna buy some cocaine?"
"No thanks"
"Ok, cool."

The ladies in the windows were a bit disconcerting... I made eye contact with one of them and she did that little "come here" motion with her finger.  I freaked out and ran away.  

We ate a very nice meal at a place called Luden, which I would absolutely recommend.

And as a special bonus, the guy at Amsterdam immigrations stamped my passport even though he wasn't meant to... just so I could have an Amsterdam stamp!  What a nice guy!

Everyone speaks very good English, so don't let the language barrier stop you from going.  I highly recommend a trip there!  We were only there for about 52 hours but I wish we'd gone for about 5 days.  As affordable as it is we will DEFINATELY go back.

If we could somehow move there, I would in a heartbeat.  I loved the city that much.

Some interesting points:

• Amsterdam has more canals than Venice.
  
• The canals are all freshwater and also aren't subject to tides.
  
• Napoleon's brother was made king of Amsterdam, hence it being the capital even though the government isn't based there nowadays.
  
• You can buy up to 5 grams of marijuana although the police turn a blind eye up to 30 grams.
  
• They don't really have any skyscrapers.  I'm not saying they don't exist... we stayed in a very limited area... but I didn't see any.  They did have some tall buildings that were much more modern, but even then they weren't gigantic structures that dwarfed all the amazing architecture.
  

Pictures as promised.  Once you get into in, I recommend clicking on "View as Slideshow" on the right.

Thank you for sharing those Lisa, it looks like yout wo had a great time, and now I want to go!!! I especially loved all the canal pictures, I had no idea there were so many (well, any really) there! Maybe some time this summer I can ship le bebe to nearby grandmother's house for 2 days whilst David & I play there. How fun!!!

Great pics Lisa! I too loved Amsterdam and would highly recommend that trip to everyone! Did you go to the Heineken Museum? Oh - and what about ALL of the bikes    

 Sounds like a very cool place,and I would love to visit there some day  :)Great pics! Ta for sharing hon.

Great pics Lisa...thanks for sharing them. I'll have to add Amsterdam to my list of places I want to go.

I highly recommend a trip -- especially when you consider how cheap it can be if you book in advance.

We never made it to the Heineken museum.  I don't drink beer at all so it didn't really interest me.  

The bike thing blew my mind!  I couldn't believe how many people rode them.  It was so neat!

Great pics Lisa.  Its unanimous.  It's great that you had such a good time.  I'm going to see Cirque du Soleil one of these days!  

Hey Lisa,

Just had a quick look at your pictures and stopped dead on the self-portrait of you and hubby.  I think you look like a brunette version of Dawn from The Office.  

Great photos! How fun!

norahI've never seen the office, but I did find this picture and I guess I can see the resemblence.

 

Of course, she's much skinnier than me.  I eat larger things than her for breakfast.  

As for the picture of the guy walking over the bridge, I LOVE that photo... except for the stupid green houseboat thing.  Ugly blot on the landscape.  I'm going to try to remove it.  I'll post the revised photo here when/if I do it.

I can't say it enough -- GO GO GO... good times to be had by all...  (Well, "all" being anyone over the age of 18, but under the age of 65-ish... depending on how "young" you are.)