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We have braved the winds and rain of theNetherlands for two days. It has rained and gusted off and on.....mostly on and we forgot our Wooden Shoes! By the way.....May is not Spring in Amsterdam. We did bring layers and rain coats but had to invest in another umbrella ! We are not talking showers...... We are talking Poo's "Really blustery Day"!
Yesterday we rode the Hop on Hop off bus around Amsterdam to see the main sights and beautiful canals and homes of the city. It is a great way to get introduced to an area.... We finally hopped off in old Town in the center of the city. There is a square there "Dam Square"and the Main Street is called "Dam Straat". We walked old town , through the red light district .....can't come to Amsterdam and not see it. We also visited New Church and Old Church.... Equals things out .
We stopped for a delicious hot Dutch chocolate to warm ourselves and did a little shopping at the square souviner shops. Hopped back onto bus to ride to the local market street but everyone was packing it up for this blustery day so we did
too. Back to hotel for a rest and warm up then out for a dinner bite.
We had a late lunch of local Pea soup with sausage and bread and a glass of wine so we opted for crepes for dinner. First a savory one with fried eggs then a sweet one with hot cherry sauce on top! Good choice.... Then home to warm beds .
Today we had reservations at the Anne Frank house and Museum at 9:00am. Ate breakfast at hotel and caught city bus for trip to Museum. Arrived early to find a long line already formed outside the Museum. Stood in the rain for 30 minutes until doors opened and we went in quickly due to our reservations. It was very moving to tour the rooms and read her thoughts about what was happening to them for those two years they were in hiding. Well worth the rainy wait .
After leaving Anne Frank home ( still raining) we opted to do the Hop on Hop off canal boat. A good way to get around, as well as see the city from another angle. It was slow going .... Everyone was wet and
it was hard to see out the foggy windows but we rode back to Dam Square departed and slogged to a nice warm little Italian Restaurant where we celebrated Grami Sharon's 70ish birthday eating pasta with meat sauce, good bread, and wine ! Creme Brûlée was in order as well as a chocolate sunday for King.
Our plan was to return to Rijks Museum for a few hours but the boat was slow going ....the museum line was a mile long and it was only open until 5:00. We opted to visit the W/C and bookstore and say we did! Home through hard rain to rest, warm up and snooze until dinner.
The rain stopped but it was very cold, windy and damp when we went back out for dinner. We returned to the crepe place ..... Had nice crepes and are back at hotel packing for journey home tomorrow.
It has been a great Adventure! We are now seasoned ( if weary) travelers . This adventure was not for sissies, there have been moments of extreme weariness , but more of great wonder and joy at the sights we were seeing and the wonders of the
world that are there to be seen. We were very fortunate to have an ulterior motive to travel to Turkey to make our journey all the more wonderful and so, so, so, much easier.
The adventures we have had with Peter, Shannon, Abby and Luke were the greatest, and our memories priceless. ( That is one fine hose! ) We can't thank them enough for sharing their home and hearts with us ..... Not to mention what excellent tour guides and transportation providers they were. We like to think of ourselves as seasoned travelers but truth is they have made our journeys possible! If not for the great adventure their lives have been, our bucket lists would not have included such exotic places as Cairo, Egypt, a Nile Cruise to Aswan and Luxor, Alexandria, Egypt......Istanbul, Turkey......Cappadocia, Turkey....the ancient city of Ephesus and a rest stop in Amsterdam .
We two traveling Grami 's are sister " river rats" from southern Indiana who grew up together ( despite the odds) to go different directions in our lives but to hang onto each other through the years ..... And are now reaping the rewards of our love for each other
and each other's families . We are blessed.... And have enjoyed sharing this adventure with all of you.
Keep an eye on us .......who knows what adventures are still ahead!
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