Vee are in Nederland!

We rolled into the Amsterdam Centraal Station just as the sun was setting.
The lights began to illuminate the many canals that weaved in and out of the streets everywhere we walked. Jumping on a cable car, we easily found our hostel, Annemarie located in the Museum Square. We had to be constantly aware while walking, because cyclists were coming at us from every which way. They were everywhere! Tired, we had a fairly uneventful night, eager to wake up the next day and begin our tour of this beautiful city.

We began by meeting up with a free walking tour in the central square opposite the Palace. (Which unfortunately was under renovations) Our guide brought us through the Red Light District (definitely the weirdest place I have ever been, so curious!) to Rembrandt's house, the Jewish Quarter,  the main fish Market, and to the old Dutch East India Trading Company buildings. It was a great way to get everything in! On our own, we wandered to Anne Frank's house (the line however, was really long, so we decided to skip going in, and leave it for another time!) Seeing the house was enough for me.
This extremely tolerant world class city is definitely unlike any other place on earth. If you cannot be free to do whatever you want here, then you cannot do it anywhere!
The contrast of the more modern legal prostitution and marijuana with the old and historic canals, architecture, and museums is mind boggling. With coffee shops on every street corner, the aroma of thrill and rebellion is constantly permeating the air. It is easy to see why this city is a favorite of many!
For our second and final night, we joined up with a pub crawl. We ended up meeting some crazy Brits and Australians (Canadians, Brits, the Irish, and Aussies always seem to bond, wherever you go!) and we saw some really interesting parts of Amsterdam under the lights.

Our next stop is back over the German border to a small city outside of Cologne.
Bring on the weiner schnitzel and beer!