Hello from Oberhausen, Germany! This week has flown by for us and I can’t believe it is already the weekend again!

As I previously mentioned, our destination this past weekend was Amsterdam.

Loved it.

We got into the city a little later than we were expecting on Friday night, so we had dinner and hit a couple bars in the the Leidseplein area.  A bit different nightlife atmosphere than we are used to, but we had a good time people watching and having a few drinks.

We actually had one of Dan’s co-workers with us, so I was out numbered 2 to 1 when it came to the things I had researched to do. We didn’t make it to any museums, but we did indeed make time to visit Heineken Brewery Tour…..hmm….

It was actually kind of interesting, I must admit, learning about the whole process of the beer making and  history of Heineken…oh, and the two “free” beers you receive with your admission fee.

The brewery tour was really the highlight of our day on Saturday. We did a lot of walking around and exploring the city at our own pace. It was kind of nice not being on a schedule and just appreciating the scenery.

On Sunday we had to check out of our hotel and prepare to go back to Germany, but we had a little  time to explore the city. As I mentioned in my previous post, I was really looking forward to visiting  the Anne Frank House. I didn’t win the vote to go on Saturday, but I had my heart set on it so Dan and I went on Sunday, while his co-worker wanted to do his own thing.

And this is as far as I made it….

…..right outside the front door. We got there way too late in the afternoon and the line was atrocious.  Leave it to me to think that we would be able to just walk right in.

It’s okay though, I got to see the home from the outside which was pretty cool in itself, and just knowing that I was in the exact same area where so much history took place was a pretty humbling feeling.

Dan knows that this is the FIRST place ( no excuses) we will visit on our next trip to Amsterdam, and we will be in line 20 minutes before opening. 🙂

So… what does one do as a tourist in Amsterdam when you can’t visit the Anne Frank House? You go on a  boat tour through the city, of course.

This is a boat similar to the one we were on. It was a relaxing, gentle ride through the city and the tour guide pointed out all the important  architecture and facts about the city. It was definitely worth the 13 euro per person.

We also learned that there are over 90 islands and more than 1000 bridges in the city! The canals are actually used as transportation by many locals, in addition to bikes. Bikes, bikes, bikes. Everywhere. You feel like the minority just simply walking as a pedestrian in the streets. The bikers run the town.

So this pretty much sums up our weekend in Amsterdam, but I forgot to mention one thing….

This is a Coffeeshop.There are LOTS of these, and keep in mind this is not where you get a cup of espresso and  an a decadent homemade Dutch pastry. Well,I take that back, there are some pastries for sale I suppose, like brownies….but it is like no brownie you have ever eaten before, so beware!

If you have no idea what I am talking about, then you need to Google “Amsterdam” and do a little research. And yes,the  people do it EVERYWHERE! Hilarious.

Have an awesome weekend guys!!! Can’t wait to share my next adventure with you!