After a short drive we arrived in Amsterdam. Julie is still extolling
the virtues of the Dutch - wide streets, courteous drivers, well ordered
layout, wide footpaths to walk on. Her well defined sense of order is
placated. Not that we didn't enjoy the chaos and free for all attitude
that dominates France and Italy - but the Netherlands seems a bit
calmer, a bit more relaxing.

Found the apartment we are staying in, phoned the owner but were told it wasn't ready yet. So
we killed an hour or two just walking around the area to get our bearings. Seems to be well catered for with plenty of cafes and restaurants, as well as small supermarkets, butchers and fruit and veg stores. Parking may be a problem though. We already have one parking
ticket (Brussels), as well as a couple of speeding tickets (catch us if you can), so may have to investigate a more permanent solution.

News Flash: Too late!! The parking inspector has already been. Woke up this
morning to find the dreaded piece of paper stuck under the wiper blade.
55 euros!!! $70!! (must remember to pay that before we leave Amsterdam,
wink wink).

Went to the Van Gogh Museum for the day. Never seen so many Van Gogh paintings in one place. Apparently its the largest single collection of Van Gogh's works, with a
few Gauguins, Monets, Manets, and Toulouse-Lautrecs thrown in for good
measure. Spent a good couple of hours doing the rounds of the museum/gallery.

Tonight we go to the airport to pick up Sam and Callan who are flying in from Barcelona. They're spending Xmas with us before they head off to their next destination. Should be good having them here for a few days and Xmas.

23/12/2011 - Day 3 in Amsterdam. Picked up the boys last night from the airport
(seems like they're not very impressed with Easyjet). Good to catch up
with with Sam and Callan. Spent the evening swapping travel stories.

Today we want to do a canal cruise. Yeah I know, how touristy can you get?
But it really is the best way to see the sights of Amsterdam. Plus you can hop on/hop off anytime to explore the back streets or the various museums dotted around the city. The main one we wanted to see was the Ann Frank House museum which was about halfway around the canal system.

Hopped off near a flea market for a bit of a look. Not much there, flea
markets seem to be the same the world over. Found a small bar/cafe to
have some lunch. Had the best pea & ham soup ever - thick and rich
with large chunks of smoked port through it, perfectly partnered with a
pint of the local brew.

Lunch done, on to Ann Frank Museum. Really interesting. Lots of preserved items, including photos, and letters written by various family members. Makes you wonder how they
stayed hidden for so long (1942 -1944). Finished the museum tour and headed for the canal to wait for the canal bus to take us back to Central Station.

Spent the next hour trying to decipher where to catch the tram back to the
apartment (in the freezing rain as well). After watching every other tram trundle through the station except ours we finally spotted the one we needed to be on, and watched it as it sailed right on through the station. At this stage a taxi is starting to look good. Still, good old
Dutch efficiency came through, and another #25 arrived at once. Grabbed a pizza on the way to the apartment. Decided to call it a day. Most satisfying.

24/12/2011 - So, its almost Xmas, and what have we done? Lasty couple of days have
been great. Once we worked out how the tram system worked we made good use of it to see various parts of the city. Even if you don't actually visit a particular museum/sight, riding the trams gives a great overview and feel for the city. Amsterdam is a fascinating place, full of
history and culture.

Yesterday Julie and I went to see the Resistance Museum while the boys went off and did their thing. Well, by going off snd doing their own thing, I mean that Sam managed to
not get onto the tram when we did (damn those automatic doors!!). Then he managed to not get on the next tram to where we were. Then his phone went flat so we couldn't find out where he was. So, we went off anyway to do out museum thing. A real eye opener it is too. What comes across from the various exhibits is that Amsterdam, and the Netherlands itself,
was very much a city in conflict with itself during the German occupation. Following the timeline you can see how the Dutch went from feeling ambivalent towards the German occupiers, to realising that they were well and truly being subjugated by them.

Today was bright and sunny, although quite cold. The first sun we've had for a few days so we opted for a drive in the country. Headed for Edam first. Its a small fishing village about 20km north of Amsterdam. Found a small patisserie/bakery there, so Julie went in to
see if she could get a Xmas cake for tomorrow.

Pushed on up to Hoorn, a quite large city further north. Found a great little
cafe there for some lunch and coffee (perfect weather for bowls of delicious soup).

By the time we got back, the bright sunny day had disappeared, to be replaced by grey skies and a bit of rain. Good timing.

Tonight we're going out for dinner for Sam's birthday. Not sure where yet, but
no doubt we'll find something (hopefully not as extravagant as last year).

So, Merry Xmas to all. Hope everyone has a great day.

25/12/2011 - Merry Xmas to all. Hope you all had a great day with your families and
friends. Had quite a lazy start to the day. Woke about 8am (still dark outside). No snow this year which is a shame because we quite enjoyed the white Christmas we had in Paris last year. Still, its a nice day, overcast but dry and cold.

After a quick breakfast we went for a walk around the neighborhood. Hard to believe its the same vibrant bustling place it was yesterday. Everything is closed, no cars about, don't have to worry about being run down by bicycles. It was so quiet, very eerie.

10.30am: Time to start lunch. Roast chickens, roast pork and all the trimmings (veges, gravy and apple sauce). Thankfully the kitchen in the apartment is quite well equipped,
including a huge cooking range, so shouldn't take too long.

1.15pm: The natives are getting restless. Taking a bit longer than planned.
Almost there. A bit of a flurry with pots and pans and carving knives and we're ready.

1.30pm: Doesn't look too bad at all if I may say so myself. The pork doesn't appear to be overcooked, chicken looks succulent, gravy has just the right amount of red wine
through it. Almost looks too good to eat. The hungry hordes have spoken though, and I'm almost trampled in the rush.

Good time was had by all. Good food, good company, fine wine. Isn't that what Xmas is all about?