Day 15 - Amsterdam

Sorry we didnt post yesterday, we were having internet troubles and I (Kate) wanted to watch the soccer game.  So...We flew to Amsterdam yesterday morning and arrived around 1:15 or so, just in time to grab a quick bite to eat and meet our tour guide Bernie at 2:00.

Bernie drove us around the city which was quite crowded today because it was a Saturday.  He showed us some points of interest, the canals, and Ann Frank's house (middle building with the green door in the picture to the left).   The line for that was so long, we realized we should have made online reservations in advance.  We did get to take a picture of the front, however. Bernie explained to us that there aren't any really old buildings because there have been many fires that have destroyed most of the oldest parts of the city because the houses were all made of wood, most notably in the middle ages nearly the entire city burned to the ground.  We also saw a Catholic church that was hidden behind a facade because the Catholic church was banned here for 300 years.

In Amsterdam, everyone rides bicycles.  And I mean EVERYONE.  Right by our hotel there was this parking garage just for bicycles that was 4 stories tall.  It was completely full of bikes.  In a way it is really nice because it is environmentally conscious, but it is really annoying for the drivers in the city.  Then Bernie drove us out into the country where the Windmill farms used to be.  There are still some working windmills there, but not nearly as many as there used to be.  We visited one that makes paints, using the windmill to turn the stones that grind up the base into a powder.  There is a little village that depicts what life was like in the 18th century there.

We also visited a wooden shoe (or clog) maker and watched a demonstration showing how they make the shoes today, which is mostly by machine, with the finish out being by hand.  There was a display of some really elaborate clogs, some for "Sunday best" wear and even a pair of wedding clogs.  Driving back, we saw more historic sites and canals.  Some canals having people living in barges on them.

We found a sidewalk cafe to have some dinner and then went to a bar to watch the USA soccer match.  At half-time we returned to the hotel to watch the rest here.  Unfortunately, we lost, but it was a fun and exciting match to watch with some fellow american fans.