A Weekend in Amsterdam

Nate is back. I know you've missed me. Busy season is winding down, so now I have some more free time to blog. Yes, I know what you're thinking. You're excited, but also confused. Nate is back, but it's also that time of year where everyone prepares their taxes. Fortunately for you, I don't do taxes.

So, long, long ago in a far-away land, Maria and I made a quick weekend trip to Amsterdam. We left Basel at 8 in the morning on a Saturday, hopped on a quick flight, and were in Amsterdam by 10:30...pretty crazy.

Upon our arrival in the city, we strolled around town enjoying the many canals and the narrow, tall houses that line the canals.

For some reason, Maria has a fascination with doors wherever we visit...

After checking into our narrow, tall hotel, we strolled over to the Anne Frank House. Most of you are probably familiar with her famous diary, which documented her family's two-year attempt to hide from the Nazis in a "Secret Annex" hidden at the top of her father's business. It was overwhelming to stand in the very same Annex that you read about in her diary. The Annex is much smaller than you'd think and I can only imagine how claustrophobic it must have been to quietly share it with seven other people, with no hope to see daylight or feel the wind upon your face.

It was colder than we had anticipated, but we're smarter travelers now, so we came prepared...at least I did.

After walking around all afternoon, we decided to eat a fantastic meal...at Hard Rock Cafe. Yes, we realize that this is stereotypical American tourist food. However, we felt justified, since you can't find a comparable burger in Switzerland. Plus, our guidebook recommends Indonesian food, which didn't really sound too appetizing when visiting the Netherlands.

If you haven't heard, Amsterdam is famous for its nightlife. We didn't do anything crazy, but we were intrigued by the Magic Mexican Mushrooms.

If you can't hold it, there are urinals conveniently located in the middle of the street.

There's nothing like a glimmering canal on a quiet evening.

The sun decided to make an appearance on day 2, but it was still quite cold. This picture really captures the classic Amsterdam view.

Just in case you forget where you are...maybe it's for people who took too many Magic Mexican Mushrooms.

No, this is not Maria's mood, these are her initials.

Amsterdam's most famous museum is the Rijksmuseum. This museum houses the most impressive collection of Dutch Masters around, at least that's what it says in our guidebook. The most famous painting in the museum is probably Rembrandt's Night Watch. Here's a sample of a few of my favorite paintings:

Here's some more typical Amsterdam scenery...

From far-away, the building on the corner looks really crooked...

It also looks crooked from close-up. Not sure I'd want to be the owner of this home.

During our walk, out of the corner of our eye, we thought we saw heaven. We were wrong. It was just a store full of American junk food that we can't buy in Switzerland.

Maria's mother's father's side of the family was originally from the Netherlands. Can't you tell?

After a long, exciting day, we flew back home on Sunday evening. It was a whirlwind, but a fun trip...and it had nothing to do the Magic Mexican Mushrooms.