Amsterdam

We left Maun, Botswana and flew to Johanesburg, SA bwhere we spent 1 day and night. We mostly
shopped for souveniers but had no more flash cards for the camera so didn't get any pictures. It was nice
to settle down in a nice hotel in Amsterdam after our 12 hour flight from Johanesburg. The 1st thing we did
was to find a camera store and the a computer cafe so we could let everyone know that we hadn't been
eaten by any wildlife (at least not yet :-) and would be home soon. Then we went shopping :-(

Amsterdam is small, old and big on canals. It sits 3M (close to 10') below sea level and is surrounded by
dikes. House boat living is popular as well as bicycle riding. we were told that there are more bicycles
in Amsterdam than people. And there's another on of those MB Smart Cars!

We visited Anne Frak's House and the Rembrandt Museum. And the National Sex Museum :-0
We spent a lot of time just walking around seeing the sights before deciding to take a guided bike tour.

Our first stop on the tour was the Rijksmuseum which was a pretty amazing complex.
Especially the gardens.

Then it was off to out of town areas to see the countryside. First stop a traditional Dutch Windmill.

Then of course we were obliged to purchase some fresh made (and aged) Ghouda cheese which I was
obliged to carry on MY bike for the rest of the ride. Then how could we pass the sign to purchase clogs?
Of course if you call the clogs in the presence of a Hollander you're in trouble. They are Klompens

As Maura usually does with younger men she bacame the best of friends with our bike tour guide Andrew.
The it was back to town where we checked out the Wax Museum and hung around with a few of our friends

OK, so now you want to hear about the Coffe shops and the Red Light District, right? Wel,l I wasn't
permitted to bring my camera to the red light district (by Maura), but it's everything you heard it is.
As for the coffee shops, Cannaibis and other types of US contraband are neither legal or illegal in
Amsterdam as long as they're fresh and natural. For example, you can get a Magic Mushroom Pizza
delivered to your hotel room until 2AM. And the coffee houses cannot advertise nor sell bulk quanities.

Above left is a picture of a typical Coffee Shop menu, and above right is something that someone must
have accidently left in our hotel room 8-)). Interestingly enough Amsterdam has a lot of Pastry shops
that are open just as late as the Coffe shops and usually situated in close proximity to them. After our late
night tour of the Red Light District we notice loooong lines at the pastry shops <grin>. Amsterdam is Cool!

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