Friday through Sunday 20-22 July 2007

If there is any other place on Earth where culture, history and decadence (or as they like to refer to it, “tolerance”) can co-exist as seamless as it does in Amsterdam, I’m not sure where it is.

I'm really not sure if it was an omen or not, but our flight made it out of London’s Heathrow airport just before the rains began causing cancellations and flooding. This, of course, was after we had to deal with the suspension of tube service from Victoria Station and right before our plane was struck by lightning on take-off.

Amsterdam has it all.

We saw renown works of art from the likes of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Monet and Picasso as we visited the Rijksmusem and The Van Gogh Museum.

We sampled the local culinary specialty, pannenkoeken (pancakes, not what you think…) at what is considered the area’s best place to do so at The Pancake Bakery, and we meandered our way through what seemed every street, alleyway, public square and canal path.

We accidentally stumbled through the Red Light District and were absolutely STUNNED (what ARE those coiled fire hoses for anyway?) at what we saw there. So much so we had to go back a second time just to make sure we didn’t imagine it, but not before we visited the campy Torture Museum.

With so much to do and see, we were running short of time and had to make a tough decision. One of our options was to visit the somber surroundings of The Anne Frank House and recognize the plight of those persecuted during the atrocious holocaust of World War II.

Either that or…
The Heineken Experience. Oh, come on!! Can't we have some fun, too?

Oh... and we did have fun, and didn't even get run over by a bicycle... or a bus... or a car... or a tram...