Mercure Amsterdam Frommer 3m

... of rush hour. Needless to say, this really detered Eric & I from really exploring to much in the afternoon. We had a soda at a small cafe then had some beers at another before going back onboard for dinner.

After dinner, we headed into the less crowded part of town for a few more drinks before calling it a night.

... was based on the square footage of the first floor, so builders would make the top floors larger to cheat the system. Oh, you sneaky Dutch!

After the booze cruise, we went to a show in the Red Light District. The walk to the show was probably about 40 minutes, as our Tour Manager kept stopping to find any tour mates that had wandered off. This walk was the worst 40 minutes ...

... night. Plus I had a salmon pesto wrap, which isn't really Mexican. (These justifications help me sleep at night.)

After supper, we walked around our hotel. We had been in the car all day and needed to stretch our legs. I love the residental areas around here. All the houses are so little and cute with their flower boxes in the windows and flowers neatly placed all over the front and backyards. I also love all the cobble stone streets and the many charming bridges ...

... We wandered around the canals for a while, soaking up the atmosphere and smelling wafts of a certain substance that the city is known for :) One thing we could not get over was the amount of bicycles - there were literally HUNDREDS of them, as it is basically the main form of transport for locals to get around the city. Every spare corner is filled with racks of bikes, and you really have to keep your wits about you - you can be run over at any ...

... I didn't have anything planned for my last day in Amsterdam, I got chatting with the English people in my dorm room, a couple and a sister. We decided to check out the other brewery in Amsterdam, the Windmill – Brouwerij 'tIJ. After a dodgy breakfast, we caught the tram down to the Windmill, which was near the Zoo, and discovered that it didn't open until 3pm, so we went for a walk around the area. It was a little dodgy, but we found our way to the harbour. Found one of Jamie ...

... right. Anyway, we started the evening off at the Grasshopper, which is a pub and coffee shop on the edge of the red light district. In case you're not aware, in Amsterdam there are two kinds of places. There are coffee shops, which sell marijuana, and there are cafes, which do coffee. There are also quick marts that sell mushrooms. One of the girls later showed me a menu that you get in these marts with all the doses and kinds. Amsterdam is a really weird place ...

It is the first time in europe. With our flight in KLM, we was landing at Schipool Airport in Holland from Jakarta, Indonesia with transit ini Changi International Airport in Singapore. But in Holland we just transit for take off again by Alitalia Plane to the Rome.

So we flew into Amsterdam to stay with Ryan's friends for a week. They took us back to their home in Friesland via train. A very clean train at that. The week was a blast, but I was a bit tired and broke, so I didn't do too much. Did love their Aldi though!

... nice meal (macaroni dish + a salad), followed by a Dutch dessert called a fla (sp.?). John Oostdyk then gave us rundown on the upcoming schedule, after which the kids were given some free time to explore the town (together!). It's a very pretty town. -- Jeff

... in the front where the best view was plus we got to hear Matt and Hans mess with each other and act like a married couple lol. Anyways we passed through London and Matt would give us a history of London and all of the places that we passed by like the Waterloo bridge and how it was built by all women while the men were at war, or about these patches of green land called Black Heath, where no one was aloud to build on because that is where they barried ...