Amsterdam

Amsterdam, here we come. Weather forecast says it's going to be a rainy day, but we've been pretty lucky so far. It took 2 1/2 to 3 hours to get there. We found a parking spot easily and headed to the center of the city to take a canal tour. We arrived at our pier and waited for our boat. It was just beginning to rain. Luckily, the boat was covered. The tour would last an hour and a half and we were hoping it would be done raining by then. The canal ride was nice and relaxing and out of the rain but we could hardly hear the tour guide. We managed to hear Anne Frank House which was on our list of things to do. The ride was nearly over and the rain continued to fall. Instead of getting off at the same pier we got on, we stayed on until the pier closest to the Anne Frank House. This way, we didn't have to walk as far. The line was long and there was a steady rain but we only had to wait half an hour. The tour was very detail oriented and very interesting. I had heard the story before, but to actually be in the place Anne and her family and four others hid for two years was a very moving experience. When I go home, I plan on re-reading the Diary of Anne Frank.

Anne Frank House

After that, we walked around and saw a few shady characters and speculated on some deals happening in the local coffee shops and alleys. We never really saw anything "Amsterdamish" except some signs and smells of marijuana and signs in stores that advertised "free HIV testing". Definitely not a place I'd want to live in or hang out in after dark, but that's just me.

The rain put a damper on some of our touring but we were very happy we made the trip. We looked like drowned rats, but overall it was a good day.

When we arrived back in Witten, we stopped at a Turkish restaurant for a kebab. It was very good, of course. Then time for bed and tomorrow, Cologne.