Beautiful Amsterdam

As we arrived in Amsterdam, I knew we were going to have a great time! I was able to cash in some Starwood points and got a great deal at the Hotel Pulitzer on the Prinsengracht Canal. They must have known this was a special trip because they upgraded us to a King room with a lovely view of the canal in front of us.


Our hotel was perfectly situated in the center of everything and we quickly made our way out to explore the city. Again, it was a blazing hot day, so we decided to take a canal tour. I can't say it was the best idea with the heat, but the tour itself was wonderful giving a unique view of the city. I hope in future trips to take another tour...maybe at night!

The first "site" we visited was the Rembrandt House. It was a wonderful place to explore...Rembrandt's actual house! Because he was bankrupt at the end of his life, he had to auction off all of his belongings. He provided a detailed list of his pieces from each room which the museum has used to restock his home exactly as it was left! Beautiful.



I really enjoyed just looking at all of the classic canal houses. They have such a unique look...I could have taken hundreds of photos!






I love the look of these red shutters...


This one was our favorite. Hey, what is that guy doing on our balcony? Stein and I couldn't help but see the gorgeous interior of this place one night through the backlit window. Fantastic beams, modern furniture...perfect!


I really don't have words to describe the area. Ancient foot bridges, homes and buildings slightly crooked and full of character and beautiful accents. I love it!




We didn't just see houses. We of course visited many museums and landmarks.


The Rijks Museum was fantastic, but my favorite had to be the van Gogh Museum. He is my favorite artist of all time. Walking through this fabulous place was almost life changing. The paintings are superb and evoke such emotion. I wish I could have taken pictures of my favorite pieces, but I came home with a lot of postcards and the gallery book.


We rounded out our historical visit with a trip to the Anne Frank House. Now that truly was emotional. Honestly, I barely made it through the house before I broke down. It has a huge impact and although it is obviously upsetting, I definitely recommend seeing it if you are ever in town. What a hero Anne is.





On a much, much, much lighter note Stein and I had a wonderful snack one afternoon...poffertjes! We had them at the Pancake Bakery and I highly recommend them! YUM! Mini, puffy pancakes with lots of butter and sugar. Can you tell I am hungry now?


We finished off our evening with a trip to the Red Light District. Kind of crazy...quite an experience. Not for the faint hearted. Cover your children's eyes!


To round out the fun, the last day we were in Amsterdam was a massive gay pride festival and canal parade. You wouldn't believe how many people were out partying! Of course the parade was right in front of our hotel so we had a fantastic view. The canal was completely packed with boats filled with people dancing, huge speakers producing very loud music and lots of pink! What a fun time. Stein and I even got a little dancing in to super hip Dutch pop music. I see now why David Hasselhoff is so popular internationally for his music. Not quite my taste, but really quite fun!



Overall our trip was absolutely spectacular. It was an absolute pleasure to meet all of Stein's family members. They were truly warm and hospitable and really spoiled us. Holland is like a dream and Spain is enchanting. Our time in Amsterdam was a blast and I can't wait to go back for more!

Our flight home was uneventful, except for the fact that our entertainment system was broken. That's right...NO movies. Ugh. But we did get a spectacular fly over view of Greenland. Pretty cool!