Amsterdam, Netherlands

Today we rented bikes and headed to the Dutch countryside. Altogether we biked about 28 miles along the dikes and through the farmland. Our bikes were a little more “advanced” than the ones from the other day and that was a good thing.

Going to Amsterdam North

We took a ferry across to Amsterdam North and then biked to Marken and Volendam, which are both old fishing villages and now big tourist traps. In Volendam we dodged big tour buses and felt good that we were on two wheels rather than eight or ten. We burned enough calories to earn our beer tonight. On the way we saw windmills, cows, sheep, hay fields, and lots of water. This is a really beautiful country.

We made it back just in time to get a prime seat at a bar in Amsterdam to watch the Netherlands kick the butts of the Slovakians in the World Cup. We are not football experts but it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement.

Steve’s seat for the World Cup

Steve even wore a new bright orange shirt that led everyone to believe that we were Dutch. He fit right in today! Netherlands won 2-1 but it should have been 2-0. Since the USA and Mexico are both out of the tournament, we have a new “home” team.

Tomorrow we head south to Belgium and the medieval city of Brugge.

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

Last night we watched the USA fall to Ghana in the World Cup and today we met a family from Ghana. They were so nice, it was hard to be upset about the loss. They were buying their two small boys Netherlands jerseys to wear tomorrow during the Netherlands vs. Slovakia. Of course, they were wearing the Ghana colors proudly today!

On the way to our viewing location in Rembrandtplein we again passed through the Red Light District and couldn’t pass up a quick photo of the condomerie. Note the little Sun Devil condoms in the photo below. Go Devils!

Painted condoms?

Today we toured the Anne Frank House. Our visit to the Secret Annex was moving and a reminder that prejudice, discrimination, and violations of human rights have been a continuing battle for mankind for centuries. Anne was a prety enlightened little girl. No photos are allowed on the tour but you can learn more at www.annefrank.org.

From there we walked along the canals to the museum district and endured a short wait to enter the Van Gogh Museum. While we’re not normally big museum fans, that Vincent Van Gogh painted some cool stuff. In the space of just 10 years he cranked out over 800 paintings, more than 1000 drawings, and other sketches and water colours. The museum included most of his classic pieces including Sunflowers and Wheatfield with Crows. Too bad he ended his life at the age of 37, but not before he cut off his own ear.

I AmSterdam

Following our museum morning we enjoyed pizza, beer, a good workfout and a good nap. Tonight we plan to stroll through the Jordann area and soak up the atmosphere.

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