the journey to amsterdam

kev and i were seated in the middle section of the plane, and i was lucky enough to have no one directly beside me :) i watched a movie, had some version of dinner, and then cuddled up for what i had hoped would be a 4 hour nap. unfortunately, some young child was annoyingly awake and vocal THE ENTIRE TIME!!! one small infant slept and we never heard a peep from her. the adorable little guy in front of us was a bit of a monkey, but barely made any noise, and he eventually crashed. but not the little $hit behind us. and i really couldn't believe that the parent(s) let it carry on is they did. i half wondered if they were peacefully asleep amidst the madness. in my pre-peanut days i would have downed a bunch of wine (it's free on international flights - HOLLA!) and passed out, though that wasn't exactly an option this time.

aside from barely getting any sleep, the flight was pretty good. from the airport we took the train to amsterdam central station (3.80 euro each plus a .50 cent charge for using the ticket counter), and then the tram to downtown (2.60 euro each for a one hour pass) and found our hotel. we were lucky enough to be able to check-in early (about noon or so). then we ventured out FOR FOOD!!! found a great little pancake house where we enjoyed omelets (i fought the urge to get delicious crepe-like pancakes doused in sugary goodness). we decided to tour the anne frank house. i found the experience to be both depressing and inspiring. the treatment of jews was abhorrent and intolerable, but the will of the people to live was incredible, and is truly a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
(picture borrowed from wiki)

the city is adorable, the architecture is beautiful, and i love that it's so pedestrian oriented. while there are cars, the city is dominated by trams, buses, bicycles and people on foot. it's a very small city, and overall it's very clean and neat. there doesn't seem to be any crime, other than, perhaps, some bike or car tipping into the canals! everyone is very thin (typical of my other european experiences as well), but the food is very rich and delicious! fries are very popular here - in fact there is one little vendor nestled in an ally amongst restaurants and shops where we saw an impressive line of people, it's called vleminckx sausmeesters! mayo is the topping of choice, and when i got fries at a restaurant i had to pay 50 cents for my ketchup!
(photo borrowed from amsterdamlogue.com)