Advertisement
Published: August 1st 2013
Edit Blog Post
Next stop, Amsterdam...just below three hours of train from Brussels...and a serious dose of culture! Crazy enough, this is only my second visit to Amsterdam in my adulthood, the last one was 15 years ago...not yesterday! It is also the first venture into the Netherlands for Leslie and Tiffany...one more place!
This is probably the year of Amsterdam. After being closed for nearly 10 years, the Rijksmuseum has re-opened in April...and after a renovation of seven months, the Van Gogh museum reopened in...May. So trust me, I was ready for some serious crowds for this week-end. We stay 48 hours in Amsterdam, and I think our six feet did hurt properly at the end of each day. That is, even after having purchased a 48 hours pass on all the local trams...pretty useful...and a not so bad deal to get you around. Specially as our hotel was 15 minutes from downtown on one of these trams.
After dropping our bags into our hotel, and a fast lunch...we were ready for the Rijksmuseum. That place is impressive, and we stay there for a good three hours...could have been way more...but don't forget, Leslie is impressive when
it comes to art...and we still have some work to do with Tiffany to get on with all those paintings. We "only" had to queue around 30 minutes to get in...which was not that bad, considering the fact that we could have bought our tickets on internet, but that queue would just have been five minutes shorter. So now Leslie and Tiffany do know a little more about Rembrandt!
Next, let's get lost between those amazing canals on the way to Anne Frank's House. Leslie has read the book, Tiffany not yet...and me, well, I did read it, something like at least 25 years ago. There the queue was a good 90 minutes...and I was happy I had organized this on the internet first...to reduce the queue to a mere five minutes, and that's just before 7pm! The visit is pretty well organized, specially to be informative to children. A place not to miss!
It was already time to head to bed after dinner, all this...after a beautiful...but long day...as next day was another marathon!
Early Sunday, I had booked the Van Gogh Museum for 9am. The place was already packed
when we arrived. But that museum is simply impressive. Another great moment...even if this time, the feet of Tiffany were already hurting...right in the middle of the morning! But... the sun was still there, so lets keep smiling!
Next, we stopped by one of the "diamond museums". I didn't learn much...but it was a great experience for the children. These two have seen few proper stones around in their Dad's life...so a little education about the "material" is never a bad thing.
We spent our afternoon getting around and actually letting ourselves getting lost on purpose. And yes, while walking around with an ice cream, I thought to myself...well, it's not this time that I will enjoy the nightlife of Amsterdam...and the kids will not even see the Red District...not for them yet! Well, I was wrong. At the turn of a small street, I spotted two nice swans on a canal...showed them to the kids...and Leslie replied to me...Papa, look behind the swans on the right...it's more fun there. We had landed in the Red District...right in it...well done Papa for getting lost. Now the disclaimer...having lived long enough in Bangkok, it's not
ladies in windows, dressed in proper underwears that are going to scared two young world travelers...specially not a young "nearly" 13 years old teenager boy. I first went back few meters...before realizing it would be a huge detour just to circle the area, when we could crossed it...in less than 200 meters. So that's done....Leslie had a big smile...Tiffany didn't really realize what was going on...as honestly, nothing was really going on...it was for you info, just after 4pm!
Next funny question from the kids...Papa...why do they have so many coffee shops around? I'm not kidding! It was a beautiful, and hot day...so at one point I stopped in the street to tell them...you know what a cigarette smell like? Answer what...yes...obvious...so now...stop here right in the middle of the street and smell...guys...this is dope...or whatever you want to call it. For your info, Papa has never touch a single cigarette...or a single joint in is life...there are way too many other ways to have great fun....but for you info, I know exactly what does it smell like. Let's hope this little advise can buy me few more years of...I hope I know what my kids are
doing...even if I don't.
Leslie and Tiffany have now visited Amsterdam...and those two get a little more out of it than what I first planned....but they had fun. And after the Red district...we went straight on...to the flowers...than to the candy shops...was time to make sure they went to dinner...and to bed...with other images than...hey look what just behind the swans!
Amsterdam....we just had a great time, even if I was in bed way too early! Oh, and you want to know something....the Netherlands have some pretty serious universities teaching their cursus in English...who do you think may land here in just five years?!?
Advertisement
Tot: 0.047s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 15; qc: 25; dbt: 0.0258s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Synnott
Nicolas Synnott
amsterdam
Are we blogging on the same city the same day loll