Amsterdam

I am not going to spend much time discussing Amsterdam, because what happens here, should stay here.  But seriously there isn't much to do or see within the city and 2 days is about all you need for a complete visit.  The architecture is very interesting, with very narrow and tall houses.  Residents were taxed by the width of their homes so they are all only a couple metres wide but 3-5 stories tall.  There is an old part of town where there is even more interesting architecture, but unfortunately it is also the red-light district, where women stand in the windows and wait for men to walk in.

We got into town, and went immediately to Anne Frank's House.  It always has a long line so you need to be prepared for that.  It is a nice 4 story home that was used as a store and living quarters on top in the ecret annexe while Otto Frank's family was hiding there.  It was amazing to see the rooms and places in that side Anne wrote about in her diary, and see a visualization of everything.  There were also stories of people that they knew on video screens, and explanations of what happened in Amsterdam during the war.  It was very moving and well done.  Unfortunately they don't have the real diary or notebooks still on display but everything is a facsimile.

We stayed away from the center of town again in a hostel, so we had to get acquainted with the tram system.  It is extremely difficult to understand because all the names are in Dutch and things run in circles so you are often confused by what direction it is going!

Tall, unique architecture

Ok so most of what i did here in Amsterdam can be summed up with Van Gogh Museum (the bedroom, ), Anne Frank, Picnics in the Park, and a lot of walking.  Some good restaurants are around Dam Sqaure (Wok 2 Wok), and I recommend going to as many of the markets as you can.  They are all open every day until 5 pm.  Don't go to the Tulip market expecting to see much in the way of flowers.  Instead you can buy bulbs and seedlings to plant in your own garden.  Van Gogh is a must see as well as the city park down the street.  And of course, you have to plank the I AMsterdam sign....  Make sure you know the difference between a coffee shop and a cafe....