Amsterdam

Left Paris on a train bound for Amsterdam, a place that has a fair reputation for its liberal ways so we were keen to check it out. The weather here is notably a lot cooler than in Greece and Paris, finding ourselves wearing jumpers most of the time. After dropping off our bags to the hotel we stepped into one the many renowned coffee shops which definitely was a different experience and we were all out of our depth. Can't believe how many people on push bikes here, between them and the trams, you do well not get knocked on your arse, so caution is on high when walking the streets. As mentioned in previous blogs, the road rules over here in Europe are next to non existent and the drivers are all mad but they always seem to work and we are yet to see a prang. The canals and flora are a real treat and if we had more time, a boat ride through the city would have been great. Our first day we toured the Heineken brewery where the beer originated and from there attempted to visit the house that Anne Frank penned the diary of her experiences being Jewish in Nazi occupied Amsterdam during World War II however, the length of the line and time we would have to wait meant unfortunately we were not able to. Our second day we went out of the city into the village of Zaanse Schans, a stunning living and working community that dates back to the 18th and 19th century. Typically built in Dutch wooden architectural style it's packed with wooden windmills, barns and houses. Walked through the infamous red light district which was again a weird experience but kept in mind that this is their culture and accepting we're a long way from Australia. It felt like we were the youngest in the area, a lot of middle aged blokes and one guy we spotted bargaining with 'a lady of the night' no younger than seventy years old we reckoned so as you can imagine it's quite seedy. Managed to meet up with a few blokes from Melbourne we had met on our Contiki, they are flying home today which made us aware of our own travelling mortality so really keen to soak more in given that we are at the halfway point of our trip. Once again the food has been awesome and we have all been in good paddock, all you can eat spare ribs on our last night a definite highlight. Currently on a train to Berlin, was delayed and is overcrowded so sitting on the floor for the next few hours. Until the next blog, Auf Wiedersehen! DS