Amsterdam

Continuing on our marathon streak of weekend trips to Continental Europe, we hit Amsterdam. We've both always wanted to visit here as the people are notoriously laid-back and have an anything goes mentality. I couldn't help thinking how much trouble I would have caused if I had visited here with my buddies or brothers, but as I was here with Kel, we stayed fairly well behaved.

We stayed at a really cool and funky B&B complete with the token Buddha statue that I attempted to imitate because, well, I'm an idiot. The place was a great deal as it was near one of the main canals and super convenient to many of the museums and the Heineken Brewery.



We set off from there on Saturday morning after sleeping in and went on a guided 5 hour bike tour that headed through the city and into the countryside. Along the way were some of the iconic symbols of the Netherlands - windmills, canals, cheese and klogs.










Kel loved the cheese, so much so that she decided to share a Kodak moment with the cow that produced it...


After the bike tour we wandered through town and checked out the local pubs and cafes. For those of you wondering, the hippy lettuce is definitely prevalent and freely enjoyed, although only by the visitors for the most part as the locals don't tend to partake.


As night approached we made our way to a nice Italian place and then went off to see what Amsterdam's nightlife was like.
Along the way Kelly, in true inebriated Kelly form, found a waffle stand and proceeded to act as if she found an oasis in a barren desert. Good times.
Sunday we only had half a day to work with before our flight (weekend trips are too short!) so we made out way to the museums, which were actually far more impressive from the outside than in. Regardless, some of Rembrandt's best stuff was on display which was cool to see.



Our final stop was the Heineken Brewery, which was pretty similar to the Guinness version in Dublin, loaded with so much corporate propoganda that you emerge wondering why you suddenly crave a fresh, smooth, dry-hopped beverage in a green can.




After that it was off to the airport, with an ever-so-brief glimpse of the red light district along the way. I can't say that this upset me too much, however, as the girls that I managed to see in the window looked like a cross between Rosie O'Donnel and RuPaul (no pictures to support this, but trust me that's a good thing).

All in all it was another great, if brief, trip and another stamp in our passport. We'll prob be back for a longer stay at some point, but for now we've got plenty of travel ahead of us - next stop TUSCANY!