Amsterdam

Amsterdam is absolutely charming. I was concerned about going alone, only because I've never done it, not for safety reasons or anything. It was great! I was able to spend all the time I wanted in museums, stop in any shop I wanted for as long as I wanted, roam the streets and take all the pictures I wanted, go back to my hotel whenever I wanted. Of course it would have been more fun with someone else, but I made the best of it. The highlights were:

Walking the tree lined streets along the canal

Seeing The Starry Night at the VanGogh museum

Seeing original Rembrandts and Vermeers at the Rijkmuseum

Eating a Dutch Waffle with a hot chocolate in the park

Seeing the Anne Frank House (the annexe where she and her family hid for 2 years)

Everything was so incredible. I especially loved the Anne Frank House. Can you believe I've never read her diary before? I bought a copy at a bookstore in Amsterdam on Sunday night and read about 100 pages. That way, when I went, it was meaningful. It was a spiritual experience to be there. I'm still finishing the book, and can't put it down.

I thought this was a great canal shot. It wasn't planned...it just turned out cool.










The Anne Frank House. This is the front of the building. The annexe is behind the office.






I had a waffle and hot chocolate at this cute stand in the park.


So...bottom line. Amsterdam is sweet. I wish it had been warmer and less rainy, but I was able to spend time in museums, which was absolutely lovely!

I'm now in beautiful, charming Brugge! This city is a wow! I have chilled today because Amsterdam wore me out. I'm also hoping the weather gets warmer tomorrow. I went out for a few hours today, but will do Brugge big time tomorrow. Here is a teaser for my upcoming post on Brugge: