Canal tour of Amsterdam

Traveling before family was always full of missteps and adventure. Happy ones, regrettable ones, but always an adventure.

Traveling with Dennis is different. He wants to know where he's going (fancy that) and when the train will arrive. Me? I'm more of, "that platform looks good, and it looks like it says Amsterdam, and how do you do military time again?"

After an amazing breakfast- best coffee ever- in a room with chandeliers, cloth napkins and an option for omelets with bilini caviar (€125). The girls were sold on coming back "every day".

We found the terminal from our hotel well marked. Walking in there are 20 or so platforms all with Dutch cities listed. I remember hopping trains and buying the tickets on board, apparently the ticket taker told us now you'll pay the fare plus a penalty fare. So tickets in hand off we went to the platform, on the train. Double decker train with sweeping views of the county side. Cows, horses, sheeps and what looked to be goats.

We arrived in Amsterdam Central and headed out to the tourist office (again, I'd hop a tram and explore as I got lost). We found a hop on hop off canal tour that was in a beautiful long boat where the girls proceeded to fight about who sat where and 'my window isn't as big as P's." We got off at the Riejksmusuem where we saw some beautiful silversmith work, rembrandts, Monets and more Dutch masters that were amazing. There were two huge doll houses filled with porcelain dolls that had survived over 400 years. I'd hesitate to say they'd last 15 minutes before one was lost or broken at our house, and that's a generous estimate.

Outside the museum we had American hotdogs that we ate on the curb before heading towards the Van Gogh museum. Between the two is a huge open space with a fountain a 8' tall art piece "I amsterdam" the girls had a great time climbing all over it before running off to the play structure. I lone that there weren't stairs directly up to the slide, there were logs that you had to shimmy up and hang on to to reach it. Brilliant.

After a bit we headed off to the Van Gogh. O had her heart on seeing the "starry night". We traversed 3 floors of color and movement. I have to admit he's one of my favorite artists. FAME docents be proud (Elizabeth & Amy) P recognized the "Potato eaters" to quote "I've seen this before at Niles". No big deal, she'd see it all before.

O was majorly bummed 'starry night' wasn't displayed. But a t-shirt of the work seemed to ease the trajectory of her lower lip. P of course wanted one too but not before she told her sister "I get yours when you grow out of it" ...annnnnd there was the lip back again.

We found our way back to the canal, hopped the boat back to the cental station and back to Utrecht we trekked.

As I've said before, my Dutch lies in the realm of nonexistent. We thought we'd pick up dinner some where quick.. well lack of language skills, it took us (and by us, i mean Dennis) an hour to order pizza from the Internet and the fact that our outside line was blocked. We're in the 'differently abled' suite, so I guess we weren't to be trusted. Or maybe they knew we'd use the phone to order pizza.

The girls fell asleep at 10ish, Dennis and I seconds after.