Pedal Power!

So only two days after I landed back in Germany after my trip to the States I was off on another European adventure.  This time our five hour car ride took us right to the heart of the Netherlands (aka Holland….same country…who knew right?), to Amsterdam.

Those of you who know anything about what Amsterdam is famous for might be questioning the choice of our vacation destination.  However, in an attempt to visit 20 counties in the three years that we are here (our count so far this year is 8 by the way)…Amsterdam was a must!

Not to disappoint you but I must admit that our tour of Amsterdam had little to do with drugs or “ladies of the night.” 

Instead…

We visited the house where Anne Frank and her family hid during world war II- not to mention the site where she wrote her famous diary!  It is interesting how as you read the diary as a kid (which I am sure most of you were required to do at some point in your educational career) you picture in your mind what those 3 small rooms guarded by a secret staircase must have looked like.  And let me tell you, what I pictured and what I actually saw were pretty similar- TINY rooms crowded with just enough furniture to meet their needs blacked out by curtains.  It is hard to imagine living 2+ years in the same small rooms with the same people trying to remain as still and quiet as possible.  It was definitely something that I will take with me and the next time I read or teach the Diary of Anne Frank I will have a much stronger appreciation of what it must have taken to be in her shoes. 

Toured the canals- ironically Amsterdam has more canals the Venice (the city known for its many canals)

Visited the Heineken museum….that’s right ladies and gentlemen…the actual place where this drink of choice began.  Well if you read my last post you are probably thinking that going to a beer factory 4 months pregnant doesn’t sound like much fun, but in efforts to amuse my husband I tagged along and ended up having a really good time.  Besides the beer tasking (of which Nate was more than willing to take in my share), we crawled into pods and watched decades worth of commercials…. rode along with the famous green bottles on a “be the beer” adventure…. Created our own custom labels… mastered the art of the beer tap…. and traveled through the history of this world famous brand.    

Chatted with some famous (wax) people

And walked through the old city streets!

Although all of these things provided fun and entertainment the thing that I will remember most about our trip to Amsterdam is….

Bikes, Bikes, and More Bikes- I have never seen so many bikes in one place in my life.  EVERYONE- bank managers, Students, pizza delivery boys, and police use bikes as there preferred method of transportation.  Lets just say that any city with a 4 story bike garage should be commended for their pedaling power.