Jade was in Amsterdam for a week on a conference so I joined him on the weekend to see the sights. However, I didn’t check the battery on my camera and it died in the first few min of the trip so there are only a few pictures taken from Jades cell phone....stupid girl.
On the Friday night we went to see a concert but unfortunately it was to full so we wandered the streets and right into the red light district. The women in the windows looked like goldfish in black lights tanks. This is a very cool area to check out but make sure NOT to take pictures as your camera will be thrown into the cannel.
On Saturday it was raining so we went on a tour of the Heineken factory (which is not a working factory anymore). This was really just about branding the beer and not on the production of it. You do get to enjoy a small beer testing and then you progress to more activities like making your own video or watching Heineken commercials. At the very end you can have all you can drink beer! There is a catch tho, not much sitting areas and no bathrooms. After the Heineken tour we enjoyed a boat ride through the cannels. I was impressed with the various houseboats and the architecture along the cannels that slope together and forward it is really stunning. Although it was a tad cold from the rain, it is a really nice way to see the city. That night we met up with Jades coworker and his girlfriend for a nice dinner and drinks.
Sunday we started off by enjoying a traditional Holland pancake which is the size of your plate and filled with either meat cheese or fruit. They didn't come with Canadian Maple Syrup so that kinda blowed. After the massive pancake we visited the Anne Frank House. This is where she and her family hid in the attic before they were discovered and sent to concentration camps. This museum is very well preserved and you get to wander around the downstairs store and then up past the hiden door behind the bookcase and into the attic. Her room still has the photos on the walls from magazines and the growth chart on her parents wall. At the end of the tour there is a emotional video from her father (the only survivor) talking about how he felt after reading her diary and finaly you get to see her diary. You can learn more about the museum here: www.annefrank.org/content.asp?pid=1&lid=3
I really enjoyed our trip to Amsterdam and I would like to go back when it is not raining but I think a weekend is just enough time to see the city and take in the layback culture. Here are some of the pictures from the trip
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