After a five hour train ride with a transfer in Brussels, we arrived in Amsterdam to find that the temperature was about 25 degrees cooler than Paris. We donned our jackets and waited for Travis to make an entire wardrobe change since he was the only person in Holland in shorts. We then purchased train tickets for the next part of our trip from Amsterdam to London and rode the tram to our hotel, Hotel Aspen. Even though it has extremely steep stairs and no elevator, we found Hotel Aspen to be comfortable and centrally located with a very friendly and helpful owner. We were extremely hungry after checking in, so our first stop was Sara's Pancake House located just a few feet from our hotel. Sara's has a wide selection of large crepe-like pancakes made to order with almost any ingredient we could imagine. We loved the pancakes so much and we were so impressed by Sara (who is in her 20's and runs the business alone) that we ate here three times in our two days in Amsterdam. After eating, we walked around the city admiring the canals and trying not to get run over by the many bicyclists. Next, we walked over to the Anne Frank House and respectfully toured the home where the Frank family hid from the Nazis during World War II. That evening we explored some of the unique aspects of Amsterdam - we ate french fries with mayonnaise like the locals and walked through the red light district. The next morning we went to Sara's again for breakfast, then we sampled picked herring (a local specialty) from Stubbe's. The herring was surprisingly tasty, especially when eaten with pickles. Our next stop was the Heineken Experience, the tourist attraction Travis was most excited about. We learned about the history of Heineken and how beer is made before doing a beer tasting. That evening we went to Sara's again for dinner before heading to the Leidseplein area where many clubs are located. Overall, we loved the slower pace of Amsterdam and the fact that almost everything was in walking (or biking) distance. Amsterdam is a very charming city with friendly people and we enjoyed it much more than we expected.
Lorenzo making his way up the super steep stairs
Kim in front of Sara's Pancake House
Lorenzo's Belgian pancake from Sara's
Lorenzo and Travis on one of the many bridges
There are so many bikes in Amsterdam!
Travis wasn't so sure about the mayonnaise
Kim in a very large shoe
Lorenzo and Travis tasting pickled herring
A close up of the pickled herring
Travis and Lorenzo at the Heineken Experience
You're not supposed to taste the hops!
Travis did a little shopping at Heineken
Kim posing at a canal
The smallest car in Amsterdam
Travis ready to eat another pancake!
Kim and Lorenzo with Sara
A canal at night
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