We were lucky enough to have the middle row of the widebody Airbus 330 to ourselves on the flight to Amsterdam which was a happy little perk and we arrived in The Netherlands about 9 hours after leaving Atlanta, not very well rested but at least well fed. International flights are nice because they still serve meals which is a welcome diversion and helps break up the flight. Prior to leaving for our trip someone had warned me about Amsterdam’s famously long runway (~3 miles long) and they weren’t kidding- it seems that we taxied for almost half an hour before finally reaching the airport.
Customs was a surprisingly pleasant experience as the officers were much friendlier and less gruff than in the US. We popped out of the airport terminal and into the train station and took a minute to figure out how to get into the city center where our hotel was located. That was easy enough (one quick Metro ride) and we soon found ourselves in the heart of Amsterdam taking a very short walk to the Hotel Manofa.
Our room in the Hotel Manofa was laughably small, much like a dorm room, but we expected that going in and realistically we just needed somewhere to shower and rest our heads at night and hadn’t planned on spending time lounging around the accommodations. The steep and narrow staircase that had to be traversed up four flights to reach the tiny room proved entertaining and Scott took advantage of that moment to remind me that had I not brought a carry-on*, the staircase would have been easy.
*Leading up to the trip the topic of luggage had been a source of struggle. Scott likes to pack light and carried everything he needed and not a single item he didn’t in a backpack, and while I am not opposed to the idea and can readily admit that I am a chronic over-packer, the fact that we would be attending a wedding meant that a dress, fancy shoes, and hair product were required… all of which would take up room and would necessitate me having a fair amount of stuff to cram into a roll-aboard carryon. I was actually proud of myself for accomplishing this and not needing to check a bag. He got lots of mileage throughout the trip ribbing me about the roll-aboard, but at the end of the day he typically was the one lugging it along ancient cobblestones and hoisting it into overhead compartments for me, so I suppose it was only fair that he be allowed to give me a good spirited hard time about it.
Procuring lodging had been my job and I used the following criteria: price (tried to stay around $100 US/night), proximity to a metro station, proximity to the sights we wanted to visit, and relative safety of the area based on Booking.com ratings. Throughout the trip we would stay in a total of five hotels/apartments and while each had quirks, none of them disappointed. We were pleased with all of them and appreciated that they were all so unique and not the typical run-of-the-mill corporate chain hotels. Scott and I are lucky that we are compatible in our outlook on adventure lodging and agreed that my matrix for choosing seemed to be a good one.
We took a quick shower (careful not to bend over to wash our feet, lest we pop the shower door open with our behinds, and instead very carefully lifted our feet up to our hands in a yoga-like sort of fashion to wash them instead) then a quick nap to get refreshed and be able to go out and tackle Amsterdam. Feeling somewhat rejuvenated and human again, we left our hotel room- the first order of business was to go get some frites (aka french fries).
Frites are a hugely popular snack food and side dish in the part of Europe we visited, owing to the fact that they originated in Belgium, and were one of the must-do’s on our travel list. We had been told to expect to have them with mayonnaise and not ketchup so when the frite stand attendant asked what sauce I wanted, I of course asked for the “fritessaus.” It turned out to be tasty, albeit less fatty and more sweet than a typical mayonnaise. In Amsterdam and Brussels there seemed to be a frite stand on every corner and the lines would extend out into the road and would be packed at all hours of the day, even first thing in the morning. This particular frite stand that we visited was called Mannekenpis and it’s mascot/logo was the peeing boy of the famous Manneken Pis fountain/statue in Brussels. 
Having consumed the frites, we then wandered around the city. We explored many of the side streets and then made our way to the canals. We were amazed by the sheer amount of bicycles that we encountered- it seemed that the bike traffic may have outnumbered the foot traffic and you had to keep your head on a swivel to avoid veering into the path of speeding bikes hurtling at you. The episode of Ted Lasso that depicts a team trip to Amsterdam captures this chaos perfectly when Rebecca ends up in a canal dodging bikes! The bridges over each of the canals were decorated with flowers in pretty planters and were adorned with even more bicycles- those that were not currently being ridden around the city. We enjoyed seeing all of the different flavors and styles of houseboats docked along the canals and sat for a bit and watched the boat traffic inside the canals- its own little highway.
As we walked we took in the distinct architecture. Most of the houses lining the canals are tall and skinny which has to do with the tax system hundreds of years ago- the more canal frontage a house had, the higher the taxes. It was not unusual for the buildings lining the canals to be a bit askew and to list, pitch, tilt, or lean one way or another. This was a result of them being both old, their wooden pillars not able to maintain their integrity for several hundreds of years , but also being built upon wet and sandy soil which is bound to shift. It adds to the effect and gives a certain character to the houses- much like charmingly crooked teeth in an otherwise lovely smile.
We made our way to the Anne Frank house, just observing and reflecting from outside. We did not go on the tour. It was sobering to see in person the house where this young girl, her family, plus four other Jews, hid out from the Nazi’s for two years in a space of about 450 square feet, before finally being discovered and sent to concentration camps. (Of the group of eight, only her father survived and he would go on to fulfill Anne’s wish of being a writer by eventually publishing her diary.)
We were scheduled for a canal boat tour (with Dutch cheese, wine and beer!) later that evening. There had been on again/off again rain showers that afternoon and evening so the boat had it’s clear plastic curtains let down to protect us which made for a little difficulty viewing the sights, however we were still entertained by throwing back a few Heinekens and chowing down on gouda and edam cheese while gliding along the canals. Our tour guide was a little lackluster but the overall experience was enjoyable- it certainly ticked the “do the thing you’re supposed to do in the place you’re supposed to do it” box. 
After the canal boat tour we took an obligatory stroll through the Red Light District although I had briefed Scott earlier to not take any pictures unless he wanted to find himself being tossed into a canal by a bouncer. It was about what we expected it to be and is such a cliched part of the Amsterdam experience that we had to do it.
The next morning we were on a mission to rent bikes to trek out of the city to the village of Zaandam to see windmills- a very Dutch experience for sure! I was a nervous wreck peddling in Amsterdam but once we got out into the smaller suburbs and quaint villages and then into the parks I calmed down and was able to enjoy the sights. The wind was fierce (not quite sure why I was surprised by this since it is advantageous to build a windmill in an area that experiences wind) which made the ride feel hard but the sights were well worth it once we got there. We had a quick picnic lunch and walked around the windmills for a bit before venturing back. This time we took a more direct route and it was easier since the wind was at our backs. We had to take a free ferry both going and coming and it was entertaining to see the bikes outnumber the cars nearly 3:1. All told, our bike ride was about 25 miles and was definitely the longest bike ride I have ever done and my rear-end would remind me of that for the next few days, although it was a fantastic way to spend a day. 
Post bike ride we had some time to kill before we needed to catch our Thalys high speed train to Antwerp (and then catch a local train onward to Ghent where we would be basing for the next few days) so we decided to visit an Amsterdam “coffeeshop” so Scott could get some “coffee” in the city where one consumes “coffee” in “coffeeshops.” I watched while he had his “coffee” and then had to tow him like a little puppy on a leash* around the city the rest of the evening while he smiled and giggled, taking in and enjoying the sights and sounds of Amsterdam in a new light. (*Scott says that this post “coffeeshop” tour of Amsterdam lasted for hours and we traversed the city and train station for hours and logged several miles of walking, but in reality we only took a short walk to the restaurant and then the train station. His judgment might have been impaired by the “coffee” which he admits was quite strong.)
We hit up a little bar, getting a preview of the Belgian beers that we would get to experience shortly, then headed over to a tapas restaurant called “Joselito.” This has been Scott’s nickname for Cody since he was about five so it seemed as good a reason to choose a restaurant as any. We picked a few plates, and aside from me having a Spanish sausage explode hot grease all over my raincoat, had a nice meal. We then headed over to the train station, found the correct platform, boarded our train and then hurtled toward Belgium at about 200 mph, excited to see the land of the DePapes!
