On Tuesday afternoon, it was finally go time! All the planning and thinking and packing has finally gotten us to here. We arrived at the airport nice and early (thank you Aunt Cathy and Uncle Joe) and had absolutely no lines or trouble getting to our gate. We had a slight delay on departure, but we were able to watch the end of the US Women's World Cup semifinal game while we waited (we won!). Flight was great with lots of space, but we still couldn't sleep. I guess we were too excited. As we approached the Netherlands, we were struck by how green everything was and how many fields are everywhere. I guess that is where all our flowers come from.
We had our pick up car waiting through Welcome Pickups and Gerry got us to our AirBNB in no time. We have a great room on the 4th floor of a traditional Amsterdam home, meaning crazy steep stairs. Fortunately our host, Harm, carried my bag up for me. Austin wasn't so lucky and carried his own. This neighborhood is perfect for us and very close to the Vondelpark and the Rijksmuseum.
We arrived at our room around 10am and were completely exhausted, but too excited to nap. Around 11:30 we gave in and headed out to explore. Amsterdam is a very easy town to walk, but you really have to watch for the bikes. We first decided to check out Vondelpark. It was so much more than I expected. The trees were amazing and all kinds of birds were everywhere, even green parakeets! It was a place for all kinds of people: families, teens, tourists, locals. We wandered until we found an outdoor cafe that had Groot in the name, so how good we not stop! We have since learned that groot means large, so it shows up a lot. We had a great cup of coffee and a pastry to keep us going for a bit more walking.
Next we headed to the Rijksmuseum. It was HUGE! And crowded! I was glad we pre-purchased our tickets. We got to see the Night Watch from Rembrandt and the beautiful Vermeer's. However before too long, we were totally walked out.
We hobbled out and made our way to the De Pijp food market. It was so cool! All kinds of food: fish, produce, cafes, food stands. It was perfect for us! We ended up at a stand selling traditional Dutch snacks. We had french fries with mayo and some bitterballen. So good! I think my tongue is still blistered from the lava like interior of the bitterballen. Next we found the very busy stroopwafel stand. Just the smell of the cinnamon stops you in your tracks.
After that feast, it was about 5pm and we were done for the day. We caught and Uber and headed back to our home away from home. We did find out that the Netherlands women's World Cup team also won their semifinal game, so US will be playing them for the finals. That is pretty exciting! We crashed out to rest up for a big day Thursday and more adventures to come.
We had our pick up car waiting through Welcome Pickups and Gerry got us to our AirBNB in no time. We have a great room on the 4th floor of a traditional Amsterdam home, meaning crazy steep stairs. Fortunately our host, Harm, carried my bag up for me. Austin wasn't so lucky and carried his own. This neighborhood is perfect for us and very close to the Vondelpark and the Rijksmuseum.
We arrived at our room around 10am and were completely exhausted, but too excited to nap. Around 11:30 we gave in and headed out to explore. Amsterdam is a very easy town to walk, but you really have to watch for the bikes. We first decided to check out Vondelpark. It was so much more than I expected. The trees were amazing and all kinds of birds were everywhere, even green parakeets! It was a place for all kinds of people: families, teens, tourists, locals. We wandered until we found an outdoor cafe that had Groot in the name, so how good we not stop! We have since learned that groot means large, so it shows up a lot. We had a great cup of coffee and a pastry to keep us going for a bit more walking.
Next we headed to the Rijksmuseum. It was HUGE! And crowded! I was glad we pre-purchased our tickets. We got to see the Night Watch from Rembrandt and the beautiful Vermeer's. However before too long, we were totally walked out.
We hobbled out and made our way to the De Pijp food market. It was so cool! All kinds of food: fish, produce, cafes, food stands. It was perfect for us! We ended up at a stand selling traditional Dutch snacks. We had french fries with mayo and some bitterballen. So good! I think my tongue is still blistered from the lava like interior of the bitterballen. Next we found the very busy stroopwafel stand. Just the smell of the cinnamon stops you in your tracks.
After that feast, it was about 5pm and we were done for the day. We caught and Uber and headed back to our home away from home. We did find out that the Netherlands women's World Cup team also won their semifinal game, so US will be playing them for the finals. That is pretty exciting! We crashed out to rest up for a big day Thursday and more adventures to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment