Tomorrow train to Berlin

This is our last night in Amsterdam; tomorrow is a 6 hour train ride to Berlin. It was great to have a few days here in Amsterdam since there is so much to see. Amsterdam looked small on the map, and the sights seemed to be more than manageable in three days. We are using the Rick Steve's guidebooks, and he has an outline for seeing Amsterdam in two days. We are so glad we added an extra day to make it three. It would probably take many more trips like this in order to see it all because the streets are packed with shops, restaurants, stores, and cafes. Not only that, but there are several squares and parks that host planned events, free music and theater and spontaneous street performances. More than once we have been sidetracked by the random event that caught our attention. All this and we haven't even mentioned that there are over 300 museums, bus tours, bike rentals, and canal cruises!

The first day we walked to the Museum Plein which is a public space between the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. We were hungry from the morning travels and the food at the Cobra Cafe looked awesome. Jason had a hamburger and fries; Jason had to eat his without ketchup! The locals eat their fries with mayo here. Jason kept his tomato on his burger because it was as close to ketchup has he could get. I had a Swedish wrap with smoked salmon, cucumbers, mixed greens and veggies. Then we both had some delicious soft serve vanilla ice cream afterward and wondered through Vondalpark. In Vondalpark we found a stage with free bands, cabaret, and music performances. The park was so beautiful with lots of trees, ponds, and grassy spaces. After a brief rest back at our hotel, we wandered around the rest of the night, taking pictures of the canals and watching the local wildlife. One of our favorite discoveries was the Albert Heijn grocery store where we had fun looking for Amsterdam snacks. Jason had his first Kinder Egg Surprise, which is a hollow chocolate egg with a small toy inside that you have to put together. Jason got a kangaroo, and I got Bruno the Pirate.

The next day we had a Dutch breakfast at the hotel. Hanneke made us cheese and herb omlettes, along with yogurt, granola, bread, cheese, apple pie, fruit, coffee, orange juice...and mysterious chocolate sprinkles. (We would learn the next that that for breakfast, the Dutch will eat white bread with butter and chocolate sprinkles!) During breakfast, our gracious hostess asked us about our plans for the day and with her help we came up with the perfect plan for the next few days. She encouraged us to take more time enjoying the sunny day and just relax...because we were on vacation after all! After breakfast we were fueled for the Van Gogh Museum. I think we both have a greater appreciation for the vision and talent of Van Gogh after seeing his works up close. We also toured a section of avant garde art through the 1920s to the 1960s that included artists like Picasso, Mondrian, and Andy Warhol. This took us 2-3 hours, and then we rested at the Museumplein. We decided to walk through the shops on Kalverstraat. We were drawn into Dam Square by the sounds of thumping dance music and found a soccer match in small stadium. The guys were playing soccer on a small sand field, and there were lots of street performers including break dancers and a marching drum band. On our way to the Anne Frank House were excited to find the recommended Sara's Pancake house. We both had a savory pancake on one of the largest plates we had seen! Jason had his with bacon, onion, and cheese. I had the Canadian pancake with Canadian bacon, bacon, onion, cheese, and curry sauce. Then we visited the very moving and sobering Anne Frank House. After 10 hours of walking, we decided to call it a day and chilled out at our hotel.

Today we are staying at the StayOkay hostel since we couldn't get a third night at our other hotel. I think it kind of looks like a prison room with grey sheets and a metal bunk bed, but it's a clean and quiet place to sleep! Today was another busy day of walking. We walked through Rembrandtplein and toured the Rembrandt House Museum. Then we wandered through the Waterlooplein Flea Market in the Jewish Quarter before a stroll through the Flower Market. We walked along one of the main shopping and restaurant areas, Leidsestraat, on our way to the Rijksmuseum. Since we bought our tickets early we were able to pass up the line of people who were waiting to get tickets. The Rijksmuseum is home to the most extensive art collection in the Netherlands, with works of Rembrandt, Vermeer and other Dutch masters. It gave us a good overview of Dutch history with objects such as doll houses, porcelain, clothes and furniture. To understand why Vermeer's Milkmaid is so famous, you just have to see it in person. It is a fairly small painting, but it dominates the room.

Then it was dinner time for us so we went to a restaurant called Indrapura located in the Rembrandtplein. It was really great spicy Indonesian food served in a whole bunch of little tiny dishes. One meat dish accompanied the rice seasoned with 'sambal' or chilipeper. In colonial days a simple meal like this symply did not satisfy the appetite of the Dutch planters, so a greater variety of dishes, from all over the islands, was added. It is this large amount of tasty dishes that as a whole forms the elaborate 'rijsttafel' of today.

We are going to rest tonight and get up early tomorrow. Once we get to Berlin the place we are going to stay will have internet so that is when our next entry should be.