It had been over a month since I got some quality time with my long-distance beau of mine, so imagine my excitement when the Amsterdam weekend finally came! In addition to seeing him for the first time in the '09, I was also thrilled about seeing the historic sights and finally, FINALLY fulfilling my life-long dream of going to the Anne Frank House. The weekend was fantastic and I have decided that the 'dam is definitely up there on the list of "My Favorite European Cities!" :)
They park so close to the edge! Eeek!!
On Friday, Eason and I met at the Amsterdam airport and hopped a train into the city. The first thing I noticed was American accents -- everywhere I looked! I think there are more Americans there than are in London! Definitely more than where I currently live. I guess it's a popular tourist destination, and I think I know why...it's amazing! We headed straight to a great little tapas restaurant that Eason had researched, and despite the misleading (summer only) margarita disappointment, I cannot complain. It was some good eating! Then we celebrated "New Year's" together, seeing as how we didn't spend the real New Year's Eve together this year. Eas even brought champagne -- it was great!
In front of the Anne Frank House
Saturday morning, early, the real fun began! We hit the Anne Frank House first, as I was chomping at the bit! Having taught the Holocaust and read the diary with my students for years, it really was a dream for me to actually get to visit the house. It was amazing how real it all seemed once I was walking through the bookcase door, up those steep steps, through their rooms and into their lives. What a special girl -- I'm so glad I got to finally experience seeing the secret annex.
Me and Eason on the boat
Then we walked around the canals a bit more, me getting lost, but him apparently having a plan. It's nice to have a tour guide when visiting all of these places! :) The weather was overcast but at least it didn't rain. We found a cute little restaurant/bar near the museums and "I Amsterdam" sign. My mom kept asking me if it was true that she needed change to go to the restrooms in Switzerland (that is what she had heard), and after laughing at her silliness, wouldn't you know...I had to pay to pee in the 'dam! :) This first place was worth it though. You walk in, put your money in a slot, the doors open automatically and in you go. Voila! Once in the bathroom I thought, well...this is odd. These stalls have glass doors. Are you telling me I just paid money to go to the bathroom in front of all of Amsterdam?! But, the $.50 was worth it, because when you lock the stall door, the see-through glass suddenly becomes opaque! It was magically awesome! I'd pay $1.00 for that (but don't tell Europe)! :)
I Amsterdam sign
After taking our "I Amsterdam shots," (attempting to get some shots w/out ppl, but that was impossible)...off we went to the Van Gogh Museum. Talk about a great museum full of good art. It wasn't too big, but definitely showed a great representation of Van Gogh's life. My favorite was a piece called "Almond Branches in Bloom" which he did for his nephew who was named after him. Very lovely. After that we enjoyed a leisurely walk around the center of town, looking in the famous diamond shops. All I got to say about that is the diamonds in Texas are bigger! :) I have decided the real diamond museums should be located in Highland Park! After that we popped into a nice Thai restaurant and had some yummy lunch. That night we decided to brave the streets and walk down to the Red Light district. Wow. That's all I will say about that. Definitely an experience, but all of the sudden I had this feeling to never let my future hypothetical children come to Amsterdam at night. :)
Bike Lot full of bikes!
On Sunday we decided to spend some time just eating bagels, drinking coffee and talking politics. My kind of American Sunday! I was itching to read American magazines, so Eason brought one of the latest Newsweeks about the inauguration. My friend Lauren suggested Bagels and Beans as a great place to go, and she did not disappoint! Thanks, Lauren!
Yum...Bagels and Beans!
After that we decided to take advantage of a nice sunny day in the 'dam and hop on a canal boat tour. It was really neat to hear all about the history of the city while exploring the city via the canals. After that we hopped into the first pub we saw to have our last Heineken of the trip only to realize we were basically at Amsterdam's version of Hooters, haha. I knew Eason didn't mind staying, and I wouldn't have minded...if those girls could dance! I was really close to showing them how keep a beat and count to eight, but instead I paid my .50 to use the bathroom, had a drink and left at the first sight of a bachelor party entrance. :)
Boat in the Harbor
Dinner was at an Argentinean place (are you seeing a theme here? lots of eating!) which was really yummy! Amsterdam has a lot of different international food choices, which is a change from all of the Italian I get here! I saw a Tex-Mex spot, but I couldn't bring myself to try it. OH how I miss queso! Luckily we had late flights out, so we got to spend the whole day Sunday together without feeling stressed for time. I was sad to leave, but seeing as how I have 4 more weekends (in a row) of traveling, I decided I couldn't feel sorry for myself anymore!
View from Hotel
Overall, I loved the 'dam and would definitely recommend it! Can't wait to go back! Ciao for now. :)
