We spent 2 days in Amsterdam as we needed a rest and the forecast was for rain. We stayed at an overpriced hotel near the station, but it was an excellent location being so central.

Amsterdam is a great city just to wander around, chill out in a coffee shop or visit museums.

We went to the Van Gogh museum. There is always a queue a mile long here, with people queuing around two corners. We bought our tickets in advance from a ticket office just up the road a bit and walked straight in. We still can’t figure out why the people were queueing.

Walking around Amsterdam you have to constantly watch out for bike riders. They are everywhere and come at you from all directions. Their skill amazes me. They appear so relaxed as they duck and weave their way through the maze of cyclists, never quite touching, never swearing, just having a good weave.

We accidentally found ourselves in the red light district. I noticed Mike had his GPS out at the time so am unsure whether it was an accident. In the red light district you can window shop and there are many choices. Black ones, white ones, skinny ones or fat ones. They don’t advertise the prices though.

The young American tourists are funny too. You see them wandering around the streets with their backpacks (having just got off the train) saying “OMG, we’ve only just arrived and I can smell weed”, or “How cool is this city, I can smell weed everywhere”.

It was fun.

Canal in amsterdam

Rained in at Amsterdam