Amsterdam or Bust(s)

Ok...let's get it out in the open - Amsterdam is full of woman prostituting themselves and cafes full of marijuana smoke BUT we had no part of either!! When I first walked through the Red Light District I commented on how grateful I was the kids weren't with me. Eventually, all the unusual became usual and we actually found ourselves enjoying the oddness of it all. How funny is it to see families with young kids, strolling grandparents and multitudes of young people all hanging out in the same, weird place. Yes, we absolutely peeked at all the woman in their little booths under a red light, but so did the grandparents - which really made me giggle. Let me tell you the prostitution market has no physical standards. Fat, skinny, old (scary but true) and far too young we saw it all. We could wander for hours just people watching. Definitely a great town for that!

What I wasn't really expecting was the absolute beauty of Amsterdam. The buildings are incredible and walking along the canals a pure joy. What I didn't know is that the vehicle of choice in Amsterdam is bicycles! They are EVERYWHERE! Cars stop for bikes and pedestrians better get out of their way. It is almost scary how they maneuver through crowds of people without incident. Apparently the biggest problems are caused by tourists renting bikes. Evidently they are not as adept at dodging traffic! Craig and I opted for two-legged, versus two-wheeled transportation for just that reason!

Not being too keen on visiting museums (unless we can read signage) we decided to visit the Van Gogh museum (we had to escape the rain you know). It was pretty cool to see works from an artist we actually recognized! The other must-see museum in Amsterdam is the Anne Frank house. Wow...definitely mind-blowing! It freaked me out to think I was standing in the house where Anne Frank and her family hid out. The experience was moving beyond words and stayed with me throughout our visit. We definitely take way too much for granted and should be thankful for every day we are given. How a 12-year old girl could be so insightful in her words is truly amazing! I am in the process of re-reading her diary to bring the experience full circle. Knowing we were going to visit Auschwitz a week later made it even more surreal an experience. Definitely worth waiting in the pouring rain for an hour to buy a ticket (NOTE: to avoid long lines buy your ticket on-line and scoot right to the front of the line).

Did I forget to mention the weather sucked the whole visit? I had planned on packing some adorable sun dresses but ended up with jeans, long sleeve shirts and jean jackets. I guess hiding under umbrellas we all look the same anyway! We did have some sun and cherished those fleeting moments when they cropped up.

Weird moment of the trip:

I am collecting wine glasses from each of the cities we visit as souvenirs of our stay. On paper that sounds like an incredibly cool way to remember a city but it is harder than you might think (unless you are in Prague which is known for crystal)! After coming up empty-handed on the first two days we managed to find a little glass shop the last day of our visit. Noting the "open" sign on the door we were surprised to find the door locked. Dang...now what??? Just as we started to leave we were greeted by the shop-owner, dressed in nothing but a towel and wet hair! Evidently business was a little slow that day so she decided to take a shower! She was quite a character. She was getting ready for "holiday" but didn't want to miss out on a sale. Seems her home and business are one in the same. She started glass collecting as a hobby but decided to start selling it when her home became overrun with glassware. I guess that is better than all those little, old ladies with 100's of cats!!! We ended up purchasing two glasses that were manufactured in Amsterdam in 1910. They are quite lovely and come with a great story!

No adventure is complete without some travel problems. We were notified via e-mail that our flight from Amsterdam to Munich was cancelled the morning of our departure (evidently pilot strikes happen worldwide). We hurriedly packed and hustled off to the airport to see if we could find another flight. For those of you who have searched for flights to Wroclaw (still haven't gotten the Polish keyboard figured out so sorry about the missing "doo dad" on the L) there are not many attractive options. Thankfully, we were able to catch a flight through Frankfurt; unfortunately, we would have a six hour lay-over! I'm now two-for-two on travel delays in Frankfurt. We had to stay overnight in Frankfurt after missing our return flight in January. At least we wouldn't need a change of underwear this time. With no Euros to our name we scrounged up enough change to buy a little food and beverage to sustain us!

The best part about getting home??? Michael was arriving in less than 24 hours!

Next up: Michael does Poland!