Amsterdam!

Seems to be our first real breakfast since we started the trip

So many bicycles!

Every house in Amsterdam is actually leaning out towards the street. It was done on purpose. If you look at the house to the left with red shutters, there's a hook on the top. Because houses were taxed by how wide they are people would build them really skinny. So they could move furniture in and out through the windows the hooks are used to create a pulley system and the houses lean forward so they can pull the furniture up without hitting the building. Those clever Dutch!

Sex show.

Kids playing on the canal after it iced over.

'English breakfast'

Found a random statue of Rembrandt with lots of little soldiers around him. No idea what it means. Kinda interesting.

YES!

Concert hall with the best acoustics in the world. It would be great to see a show here.

I Am Amsterdam!

Dam Square with the National Monument built in remembrance of those who died in WWII

In front of the Royal Palace.

Royal Palace. It wasn't originally, but Louie Bonaparte was made King and decided he wanted to live here. He also wanted to make his first speech in Dutch, which he didn't speak, but he did it anyways. His first sentence was supposed to be "I am your King." It came out "I am your Rabbit!" He then became known as the Rabbit King. 

I got a heart biscotti with my coffee at the coffeeshop!

Doughnuts and pizza together!

Wok to Walk. Best take away ever.

I myself am ridiculously sick. What a bummer since we're in Amsterdam, the older and more experienced big brother of Las Vegas. We're trying to take it easy. I got some sleep on the train. Our first night in though we hit up a burger place. That's right folks we went all the way to Amsterdam not for the pot or prostitutes but the worlds best burger and fries! And it seriously was. It's a place called the Burger Bar. I think you're supposed to cut them with a fork and knife cause that's what all the locals were doing but I'm sorry I haven't had a burger in two weeks and I don't have time for all that. Randall got his first look at the red light girls. While I on the other hand had my head stuck to a map and missed everything. We woke up early the next morning and grabbed some breakfast across the street from a tiny cafe called The King. It was absolutely great! Then we headed out to meet up with a tour that took us around the city. We had a great guide. It just happened to be the coldest day of winter they have had so far this year. Not good for me. I stuck it out somehow though. It might have been the coffee break in the middle that helped. We went from Dam Square through the Red Light District and past coffee houses (those are the places that sell weed) and stopped at the Anne Frank House and a nice little cheese place. We saw the city's widest and slimmest buildings. In Amsterdam homes are taxed by how wide they are not how tall or long. The smallest house was literally only one window length long. Our guide said the guy that lives there must sleep length ways cause he's over six foot haha. We had a nice snack and some coffee at a cool cafe after the tour. Randall had the traditional Stammpot. It's potatoes and gravy and just all around yummy. After the tour we went back to the hostel for a bit. We decided we were going to do a tour of the Red Light District that night. All the scandalous things Amsterdam has to offer. We grabbed some great pastries before hand and then spent about 2 hours walking past prostitutes and talking about sex. Great times. Found out that the one place that does sex shows puts out swan food every night to attract the swans of Amsterdam because they think it's funny to have monogamous and pure birds in front of a place that does sex shows. What funny people. The oldest prostitute in town is about 82 years old. She apparently still gets great business. You have to be at least 21 to rent out a window, but you only have to be 16 to visit a prostitute. We ended the night at a bar of course. We got a free shot and Randall tried the Dutch version of Natty Light called Jupiter. Our second day in Amsterdam was rather uneventful. We walked to the I Amsterdam sign and walked through the parks. We had breakfast at a pancake house. We went to a coffee shop. Neither of us smoked. Just trying to warm up is all! That pretty much does it. I wish I wasn't feeling sick and the weather wasn't so crappy. Oh well, maybe next time!