We set out to explore as much as we could on our second day in Amsterdam. Jordan and I began by walking down the street to an interesting cafe for breakfast. Seems that most places here are quite quirky; you really have to pay attention to all the little details. Note the artwork and the ceiling (felt kinda like a bat cave).
After breakfast, we continued to walk around and explore the many canals and streets of the city, until eventually we met up with Joanie at the Anne Frank House. It was a fascinating place to visit, and to gain some further understanding of what it must've been like for Jews like Anne to live in Europe during WW2. I really enjoyed this site visit.
After thoroughly exploring the Anne Frank House, we walked across the canal to a fantastic cafe, where I ate the best Reuben I've ever had. Just seemed to be exactly what my tastebuds wanted at that moment! Couldn't complain about the picturesque view either.
Afterwards, we hopped on a canal cruise that offered us a unique view of the city and informed us of several of the buildings around town. We also learned that most of the city's businesses are based on the north side of the main river, and that a large portion of the businesses in the city proper are more geared to tourists. And as we guessed, the city is dominated by bikes.
Upon departing our cruise, we walked across town to the Rijksmuseum (an art museum on the south side of the city center). Though we didn't make it before they closed (at 6pm) we continued exploring that part of the city, walking through Vondelpark and back to our hostel through the main plazas, most notably Dam Square.
The city is truly enchanting with all its canals and tightly packed streets; very European! And the park offered more of a local glimpse of everyday life for people that call this gorgeous city home.
We got ready for our last night out and then walked through the Red Light District before settling on a tapas style restaurant for a late dinner (seems like this is becoming the norm for us, to eat after 10). We walked around a bit more, through the Red Light and around our hostel before coming back and hanging out, shooting pool and just relaxing before getting some rest for Bruges.
All in all, Amsterdam did not disappoint, and was just about all it's cracked up to be, and more. Another city's visit comes to a close, but I suspect I'll be back again someday.
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