Amsterdam was a pretty cool place to see. After talking with other friends I think we were probably the only ones our age who actually saw the city rather than getting high off the 'baked' goods.
Here is Eric attempting to climb the 'd'.
ooohhhh...
uuummmm.....
'Yay! I made it!'
'Um. Okay. Now how do I get back down?'
After working up that appetite he needed a snack.
Amsterdam is known for the pickled herring sandwiches which for some reason sounded really good to Eric.
Oh gross. He smelled like fish the rest of the day. Forget about any kisses from me buddy - no matter how sweet your climbing skills are.
The city has some pretty funky art galleries. Here's Ben - trying to keep himself entertained.
Yee Haw!
k - so as we were walking along the streets during our gallery stroll we came across this gem of a store. It's filled with toy collectables and figures. These two went mad.
We were there for quite some time while they fondly reminisced of the 'good 'ol days' of their childhood. Their faces and excitement were the best part about it. You never would have thought they were nearing their 30's.
Of course we had to buy something. Can you guess where these three gems are from? They became our mascots for the rest of the trip.
Seriously. They were so excited about their find. The looks on their faces were absolutely priceless.
These are the traditional Dutch pancakes. They're HUGE.
Each table had a pail of molasses which looked like it had been sitting out for a very long time.
We toured the famous Red Light District. No one is allowed to take photos - and rightly so. We saw some pretty skanky girls. Wait. I mean - we didn't pay to see anything - they were just hanging out in the windows scandalously dressed in their undies waiting for someone to hire a peep show. Um. That still probably sounds bad.
We worked up a good appetite seeing all those nudies and headed to this hole for fondue. But the hole was seriously the best place ever.
I also had to try the famous apple pie. It was a good as it looks.
Ben opted for the more girly creation. He was equally as impressed.
The lovely streets are so charming!
We stayed at the Qbic Hotel. It is located in the heart of the World Trade Center area. It was a killer deal and absolutely perfect.
Biking everywhere is extremely popular. There are more bike lots than anything else in the city. For example:
What I loved about Amsterdam were the canals interlacing through the city streets.
Photo op!
Our first day we planned to see Keukenhof Gardens but had to take a bus/train trip from the city to see it. We stopped in the little town of Leiden to pick up the bus and decided to visit the lovely place.
It is home to Rembrandt.
We went to visit De Valk windmill which is one of the two remaining windmills in the town.
It is now a museum where you can see the inner-workings of a windmill. This particular one ground flour back in it's time.
It's hard to see, but there were a lot of ladder-stairs to climb.
Next, we made our way to Keukenhof Gardens which was just a short bus ride from Lieden.
Facts:
Keukenhof is the largest bulb flower park in the world.
It covers an area of 32 hectares with 4.5 million tulips in 100 different varieties.
It's the most photographed place in the world (but I might argue that fact).
I'm not much for words right now so I'll just let the photos do most of the talking. I do have to say they were mighty spectacular but Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival does come a close second - just minus the fields of tulips.
There was a proper hedge maze - but it was fairly easy. A lot easier than the maze at Leeds Castle!
The boys were starting to get bored (bless them for putting up with so many flowers - and being the only men in the entire place!) and started harassing the local fowl.
But then they discovered this Flintstones car! Sheer enjoyment for these two.
Eric: 'How do you steer this thing?'
Ben: 'I don't know - just get us out of this place!'
After the Flintstone's adventure they were a bit more keen and pretending to enjoy the experience. That and they new we were getting lunch soon.
One of my 'buck list' wishes was to see these tuplip fields blooming in the spring and it was perfect. Thanks boys for indulging me and being good sports through it all!
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