Back to Amsterdam! July 20th

Tuesday, Puppy had to work, so we decided to go back to Amsterdam because Mrs. Puppy had never been there and none of us (except Mr. Puppy) had been on the walking tour yet. This time, just to show us how diverse it could be, Amsterdam was really hot and humid with not so much as a breeze.

We made it in plenty of time for the 1:15pm walking tour and followed our guide, an Aussie named Julian, through the town. We learned many interesting things on the walking tour, all of which I had planned on relating to you, and most of which I forgot immediately. I can tell you that Amsterdam's color of choice is orange because that is the color of their royal family, which makes me wonder if their royal family is color blind or if all the other colors had already been taken. I can also tell you that I was not exaggerating about the traffic in Amsterdam last time, whenever Julian stopped to gather us around for some fascinating information, he would always have to say, "Please come up on the sidewalk, do not stand in the street, if you stand in the street you will DIE." I do highly recommend the walking tour, however, while the walking tour of Amsterdam is free, the guides work for tips only, so keep this in mind if you're planning on joining one.

So, our plan for the day had been to eat lunch, take the 2 hour walking tour, go to the Rijksmuseum, find some cheese for Puppy, possibly go to a coffee shop, eat dinner, and head back at a reasonable hour.

~SuperNova says, "Plans are like dreams; they are nice to have but don't always come true."

Julian's tour was well over 3 hours. It was 4:30pm when it was finished. I asked him if it would still be worth it to go to the Rijksmuseum, since it closed at 6pm. He said that the Rijksmuseum was undergoing renovations, and recommended we see the Van Gogh museum instead. I am proud to say that with Nancy D's amazing map reading skills, we found the museum and tackled all 4 floors AND made it to the gift shop before it closed. We found an Indonesian restaurant for dinner (Amsterdam is known for its diversity, so you can find any type of food; however, Indonesian food is recommended since Amsterdam has had such a long history with Indonesia, what with sea trade and all) which was lovely, particularly because we finally were able to sit down. (With the tour and the museum, we were up walking in the heat from 1:15pm to 6:30pm.) The cheese shop was closed, but we found a tiny one on the main drag to the Central Station and still were able to get some aged gouda for Puppy. We made it home at a more reasonable hour at least, 12:30am.

Some notes about Amsterdam:

*It is a diverse city that welcomes all races, religions, and sexualities and shows equality for all by not, in any way, discriminating against who gets run over by a bicycle.

*It is a lovely city that I would highly recommend you to visit. However, DO NOT bring your grandparents or children. Here is an excellent test - if you can sit through 9 1/2 Weeks with a particular person without experiencing any discomfort (besides the usual discomfort that comes when you realize she has some serious man-hands), then you can travel with that person to Amsterdam.

*Do not limit yourself to looking both ways when you cross the street; your head should be in a constant swivel back and forth as you cross. Many times I would look to the right and see that it was safe to cross and 1 second later I would look again and be nearly taken down by a tram that was hiding behind a little girl.

*Do not wear your best shoes. In an effort to discourage hard drug use in bathroom stalls, Amsterdam had the brilliant idea of having men pee in public. There are these little stalls right on the side of the street, shaped like half a yin-yang or a spiral, put on a concrete slab, where men can step in and pee against the side. No, no drain, just onto the wall, then onto the slab, then into the street. Yes, eewwwwww.

*Do NOT take pictures of the ladies in the windows of the red light district. It's not allowed and they are not afraid to take you down. People will believe you when you tell them about it, you do not need photographic evidence. Let that shot go.

*DO take the walking tour, try some coffee, go to the museums, try the food, and ask questions (they speak great English)! It's wonderful place to visit.