Amsterdam was a pretty awesome experience! And not for the reasons you're thinking! The night we arrived in Amsterdam we had a bite to eat, settled into our hotel and headed into Amsterdam for some eye-opening (or popping) experiences. We did a little walking tour around the Red Light District. Unfortunately no photos as we weren't allowed. Sorry! But it was nothing like I imagined! Of course there were plenty of girls, sex shows, sex shops, pub, clubs etc but it's set in the oldest part of town. The cobbled streets, canals and old buildings actually made for a nice walk if you put your blinkers on. Something that was a little random is that the oldest Church in Amsterdam is situated right in the middle of the Red Light District. Not sure what happened there! Anyway after that we caught the bus home to get some rest for our big day of exploring. The next day we hit a clog and cheese factory. We had a quick and I mean very quick talk about how to make cheese and then into the next room to see how clogs are made. People apparently still wear clogs quite commonly and the man who demonstrated how to make them also showed us how they are worn and different uses for them. He was very entertaining that's for sure. Then while looking at the gift shop we had cheese tasting and wine. Some very delicious cheeses! Wine - not so much! After that we were dropped into town for our free time to explore Amsterdam on our own. Jacqui and I headed off to Anne Frank House and wandered through the museum there. It was truly a somboring moment to walk through the places she talked about in her diary and see how they hid for that time. We then walked the streets of Amsterdam just taking in the beautiful scenery and buildings that surrounded it.
We had lunch at this lovely little cafe. Naturally it wouldn't be a blog without the toilet story....at this cafe we both used the loo before heading off to do more exploring. Oh boy! The lady tells us that the doors are transparent but when you lock them the glass changes and no one can see you. So in we go and I go first. The ladies behind us thought it was hilarious as I kept locking and unlocking the door and waving at Jacqui. The weird part was that when you lock the door you can still see out! So I says to Jacqui, Can you see me? And she says, No! So I go ahead and do my business. Jacqui goes in and locks the door and it does change but you can still see somewhat!!!! I was like OMG I can still see you!!!! Why didn't you tell me?! And she goes, you wouldn't have gone if I'd said anything! Forehead slap for Jacqui that time!
Our last night on tour started with a canal cruise through the canals and then of course....a pub crawl. Reflecting on the tour I think my ultimate favourite places were Paris, Venice, Berlin, Prague and Amsterdam. Jacqui's favourite five were Lucerne, Venice, Vienna, Prague and Barcelona. It was a huge 24 days with lots of new experiences but definitely a great time!