We have arrived in absolutely BEAUTIFUL Amsterdam.

Once again, we completely misjudged our ability to catch any amount of shut-eye on planes. 29 straight hours awake and counting.

Not that it stopped us from hitting the ground running as soon as we got here! In true Sheppard fashion, within an hour we had already sampled local cheeses, stumbled upon a Bloemen (flower) market, taken over 50 pictures (mostly of canals, bridges and stunning architecture!) and even bought a pair of shoes. We may have set a new personal best record.

After a full day of walking and gawking - we are about ready to collapse!

Amsterdam is truly a gem - not only did we find the shopping district (almost instinctively), we have marveled at the bicycle-culture, the expansive public parklands and the jaw-dropping rows upon rows of incredible architecture.

Tomorrow, we take an official city tour of palaces, landmarks and museums, but we did pretty well getting the 'grand tour' just by hitting the streets.

We'll check in again with brand new stories to tell in a few days...

-Chrissi and Judi