Amsterdam and Brugge

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We decided we are moving to Amsterdam someday. It really is the most livable city either of us has been to on this trip. Amsterdam is a very traditional and modern city. The city is surrounded by canals and bridges, deciduous trees, and hot Dutch people! Who could want anything more? Each street has unique, and creative lounges and restaurants with chandeliers and ornate wallpaper. The food was all fresh and healthy. The sandwiches had fresh goat cheese, walnut pesto, sliced granny smith apples on fresh nut bread. For breakfast we ate huge crepes with bananas and powdered sugar. The people in Amsterdam were the best thing about the town. They were genuinely happy, would whistle as they walked down the street, and always were up for a conversation. Our hotel was a small privately owned place near a large gorgeous park. The bartender, Martin, was an amazing bartender in that he made you want to come have a drink with him. He would make eye contact as you came in from sightseeing and you were drawn to his corner. Every evening a good handful of guests from the hotel sat and chat with him at his helm of the hotel. Did we mention the theme of the hotel was a Dutch pirate boat? Rent car, drive to Brugge.
Brugge is beautiful and somewhat of a mini version of Amsterdam. The buildings are old and ornate. There are small canals with mini doors leading into cute little buildings. The food is very traditional with lots of steak with béarnaise sauce. Of yeah, and the best waffles I have ever had. (Sorry Grandma.) Seriously though… huge, light, crispy, fluffy goodness. The beer isn’t so bad either. Michael is in heaven with the Belgium beer options. Every beer has its own glass and has been made in local towns for hundreds of years. The pace here is slower than Amsterdam but it still has been a lovely place to walk around. We are staying in a Hitchcock hotel. Everything, including the brochures, has not changed since 1964. There are definitely ghosts here and we are hoping the killer is one of them. Our bathroom looks like a sanitarium where you might accidently get a pre-frontal lobotomy while taking a bath. The whole hotel is just generally freaky. We are happy to leave tomorrow for Brussels.

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Photos

The Rijke Museum in Amsterdam
I amsterdam