It was goodbye to the UK and English speaking soil as we again took to the skies and headed to Amsterdam. Thanks to the astute bargain hunting of Julie B-W we spent the first two nights in the luxury of a 4 star hotel right in the centre of town.

We spent the first day and evening just exploring the various areas including Vondelpark, Chinatown and, obviously, the red light district.

With a good plan in place for the remainder of our time in the ´Dam, Barry threw a spanner in the works by, as his Nanna put it, having a bit too much of a good time one evening. After going down a steep spiral staircase the hard way, it was off to the hospital and, two days later, the dentist for some repairs.

This was also timed with unfortunately having to change accommodation back to the world of hostels, which while a nice hostel, was located smack in the middle of the red light district, making sleeping a bit of a challenge.

We made the necessary tour of the Heineken brewery, albeit with Barry not drinking due to the sensitivity when one is sporting half a tooth and the nerve ending is exposed, damn. While on the tourist scene, we also took a walk to Anne Frank house, and promptly kept moving as we didn´t really consider lining up for two hours worthy of seeing the inside of anyone´s house.

While the 'Fall of Amsterdam' cancelled our hopes of doing a bike tour to see some of the countryside, we still left Amsterdam fairly in awe of it´s scenery. While it´s probably better known for it´s extra-curricular activities it definitely proved to have much more to offer.