Amsterdam

I really like Amsterdam. Most people think of the red-light district, and a certain green-leafy substance, but that is really only one side of this amazing city. We are staying at a bed and breakfast near Vondlepark, (Amsterdam’s Central Park), away from the train station and tourist traps. Our inn-keeper is a charming woman, Monique, who spent ten minutes training us on how to use the key for the front door.


Getting around the city and communicating is fairly easy, since the majority of people speak beautiful English. (This is what happens when an educational systems values other languages.) If someone starts speaking Dutch, just smile with a polite, “Hello” or “Sorry” and they’ll switch right to English. I joked with DH, it’s like finding a button on a remote control, and the language changes.

This is the second time we’re visiting this city, so our “to-do” list of sites is much less taxing. We’ve already hit the Rijksmuseum (which is still being renovated), the Van Gogh Museum, Rembrandt’s House; even the Anne Frank House. Our agenda – to relax and get into vacation mode; so we took a nap.