Europe in November Part I - Amsterdam

after having so much fun in europe this past may, nanci and i decided to take advantage of the long thanksgiving weekend and go back for round 2! our first stop was amsterdam, where we coordinated to meet up with george and kim doratt on part of their honeymoon, and the sherman family who were stopping by between germany and belgium. hanging out with them in amsterdam definitely made the stay more fun! despite the airline losing our stroller the first day, which was a huge pain, we still had an awesome time in this beautiful city!

without a stroller for the first day, we werent able to cover much ground. we basically spent the day walking around and getting to know the city





trams run throughout the city and are very convenient for getting around



but the most popular way to get around amsterdam is by bike... there are TONS of bikes EVERYWHERE!




i saw a mom biking in the morning with THREE kids in one of these things!



canals run all throughout amsterdam, really beautiful






aiden enjoying our walk, hes probably glad we lost the stroller he would always rather walk... sloooowly.... cmon man daddy has an itinerary to complete!!!



strolling through the bloemenmarkt (flower market)




turns out they sell more than just flowers here





acting cheesy while tasting cheese



starting to get tired of walking!



heineken brewery, didnt go in though. sorry heineken is nasty =)



we stopped by our hotel and met with newlyweds kim and george. nanci took aiden up to the room for a nap, and george kim and i took a stroll through vondel park



the newlyweds!







the next day we visited the van gogh museum, where we met with sri, colleen, and nikhil. no pics allowed inside so here are just a few





after the museum, we just wandered around a bit




the guys



the girls



stopped in this pretty park to take a few pics




the barreras



the shermans



the doratts



we walked over to the albert cuyp market, the largest daytime market in europe. we walked through the market, browsed the goods, and tasted lots of food!








know whats better than some delicious chocolate?



delicious chocolate shaped like penises of course! i wanted to buy one and film george eating it but he wouldnt.... booooring!



sri had to try this raw haring, then made all of us try it. not so good...



stopped by for some beer and coffee on our way to the "i amsterdam" sign






aiden and nikhil had a blast here



the whole gang



let the kids feed the ducks while we waited for our canal cruise






first time having indonesian food... rude service but great food!



that night we went to go check out the infamous red light district. i was amazed at how integrated it is into the normal nightlife. you see a bar, then red lit windows, then a cafe, then a coffee shop, then more windows... pretty interesting. i snapped a few pics but not many... really didnt feel like getting pimp-slapped by an actual pimp!



who is this crazy lady with a stroller in the red light district?!?! actually there were quite a few kids around!




last stop of the trip was the anne frank house. you dont get to go into the actual house, but the museum has recreations of all the rooms. i was surprised at how big it was, considering it was a hidden space



this is the church next to the house that anne would always hear the bells from



the actual house anne frank lived in



last meal in amsterdam, dutch pancakes!




a short but great stay in amsterdam! thanks to the doratts and the shermans for meeting with us and making our visit so much more memorable! stay tuned for some pics of our stay in london, and eventually a video!