Ahhhh Amsterdam!!!

My husband and I took a quickie long weekend trip to Amsterdam with our dear friends (Kay and Steve) this past weekend.  This was our 2nd trip to Amsterdam, but it's been 5 years since our last visit.  On our first visit all four of us just fell in love with how quaint Amsterdam is, and how easy it is to travel there because English is fluently spoken and understood... so you get all the charm of "Old Europe", and the bonus of easy communication.  The four of us, once again had such a wonderful time on this recent trip to Amsterdam, and there will be a return visit in the future.

Last visit we were only in Amsterdam for 2 days... but we did walking tours all over the city, we visited the Anne Frank house (my personal favorite), we accidently... but... literally... participated in a "Race For The Cure" walkathon, we enjoyed "ploughman lunches" with fresh fruit, cheeses, bread, and a bottle of wine all bought from the Farmers Market in the town square, and... as always... we sat in outdoor cafes drinking beverages and people watching.  By the way... there are no obese people living in Europe... Europeans walk everywhere, and they eat fresh foods in small portions.

This visit we were in Amsterdam for 4 days, but really... that's all you need to enjoy a taste of Europe in a relaxing atmosphere, especially when you have limited time.  This trip we did a walking tour in Amsterdam, visited the Heineken Factory, took the train into Delft and spent the day on a walking tour of Delft, shopped, ate "ploughman lunches", and of course... we sat in many cafes on the street drinking beverages and people watching.

The fashion you see walking by as you sit and chat is mind boggling... everyone from the old to the young... and from the rich to the poor are dressed in style.  Heels are worn by most women, scarfs are worn by all, short skirts with leggings/tights are worn on both girls and women... older women wear longer skirts and blouses, but... my point is... you don't see any fellas wearing their pants belted around their knees, you see a population of confident people of all ages going about their daily lives dressed in complete style.  Young girls are dressed as young girls, and young adults are dressed as young adults...  you don't see young girls trying to dress as young adult women, nor do you see young adult women trying to dress like young girls.

When in Amsterdam you must be VERY aware of the bicycles at all times!!!  SERIOUSLY!!! You can get run over by a bicycle in the blink of an eye!  And again I must say in complete admiration that... more often than not, the women (of all ages) on bicycles were wearing mini skirts, leggings/tights, and high heels!  We even saw several women with baby seats on the front of the bicycle and a child seat on the back fender... or a child seat on the back fender and a baby tied to the front of the Mother in a moby wrap!  The bicyclists are always at the ready to ring their bells if you should stray in their path... basically... in Amsterdam bicycles rule!!!

So glad we were able to squeeze in this long weekend trip to Amsterdam with our buddies before the holiday hecticness begins... which... I hate to remind anyone who might be reading this... but... Thanksgiving is ONLY 7 weeks away!!!!  EEGADS!!!!

If anyone ever gets the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam, I can guarantee you will enjoy your visit.  The people (The Dutch) are very welcoming, the food was wonderful, the history is overwhelming, there are several things to do in Amsterdam, and the atmosphere is so relaxing!