Amsterdam Eden & Drinkeen

After a pretty easy 8 hour flight we made it to Amsterdam yesterday morning. Although all 3 of us tried taking some z-quil and vino to sleep on the flight over I think the excitement of what was to come kept us up. 

Last time Adam and I were here Amsterdam was very different as it was mid November and as I realize now not a peak tourist timeframe. This time of year Amsterdam is simply booming with visitors and all of the locals are out as well enjoying the great weather. Most of them as also on bikes! After arriving into Amsterdam airport we took the train downtown and walked to our hotel. We stayed at the Renaissance which rivaled the nicest hotel on our trip last time, so here's hoping its a sign of what's to come. :)

After dropping our stuff off at the hotel we began our short stay by sampling some cappuccinos as there truly isn't coffee this good in the US. Just as delicious as we remembered! As we wandered around the busy streets and around the canals we came across what at first looked like a huge traffic jam of boats. After talking to the locals we found out it was a music festival they do once a year right next to the canal. Some of the lucky people get tickets to park their boats closest- for everyone else it's a free for all to get a spot. Pretty fun to see everyone linking up to get as close as possible. Next we wandered through Vondel Park, which reminded me of a smaller Golden Gate Park with lots of different activities and groups of people enjoying the green space. 

On our way back to the hotel we stopped to get some of our favorite frites that come with a curry sauce- just as good as we remembered! After taking some brief power naps we headed back our to sample some if the local beers and all got the Govenours Tripple. Delicious and strong! For dinner we went to the #2 restaurant on trip advisor called Eden and Drinkken. One thing I really enjoy about dinners in Europe is that no one ever seems to be in a hurry. We lucked out as when we showed up last night some seats opened up at the bar, where we remained for the next 3 hours. We sampled a goat cheese appetizer, steak, burger royale, asparagus and mushroom risotto, and the best ending of the famous sticky toffee pie....which was one of the best desserts of all time.

After some more adult beverages it was time to hit the sack as today we are off to Edinburgh Scotland. It's been great Amsterdam! Cheers!

Shelby, Adam, and Colin  

**Will post pics later today!