No, no need to put the kids to bed; my Amsterdam blog is very G-rated.
There's a bit of my family history associated with Amsterdam in that my parents spent a fair amount of time leading tours there in the 70s. Yes, my parents...Amsterdam...the 70s...I'm fairly certain the course of humanity was somehow affected by this combination. In fact, in one of the great moments in the history of Chutzpah, my dad took his future in-laws on a tour of the Red Light district.
Yeah, it's true, the Red Light district is eye-opening. And yes, if you go into a coffee shop in Amsterdam in the evening you're bound to be greeted by enough pot smoke to bake an elephant. But the city is also incredibly charming. The rest of Amsterdam is pretty much a collage of canals, houseboats, cafes, flowers, wooden shutters, and Dutch people riding bicycles. And believe me, these are some serious bikes, people. The most popular model seems to be one with a huge basket on the front that can be loaded with groceries, a decent-sized dog, or several small children.
My favorite "sites" were the two art museums that I visted (one full of Dutch masters and the other full of Vincent Van Gogh), and the Anne Frank house. But I could probably have spent an entire day sitting next to one of the canals and just watching things go by.
Pictures: Flower Market, Family Car, Canals (day and night)
2 comments:
Hey Monica ~ First love following your blog! Second love the pictures from Amsterdam. After living there for 3 months I miss it at times here and wish I was back there. There is just something about the canals and flowers that are so relaxing and peaceful to me. It's like you can escape from reality for a breif moment. :) Glad you are having such a great time over there! I'm jealous! :) Jenny W.
Thanks Jenny! I know, aren't the canals great? And all the bikes! Craziness! Loved it!
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