SoF - Amsterdam / You've been saying it wrong!

The dust had just settled from our whirlwind tour with the kids when we decided to throw the dogs in our purple Mini Cooper and head on up to Amsterdam! The drive up was nice and not too long…just under four hours with a rest stop in Liège, Belgium. Sorry we didn't take any pics of Liège, so I'll just leave you with a link to their Tourist Office website. Yeah.

Any-who…On to Amsterdam. There is so much more to The Netherlands Capital beyond the Red Light district and the Coffeeshops. It truly is a spectacular city full of fun friendly people (mostly on bicycles), beautiful canals, unique architecture and loads of history and culture. We were absolutely mesmerized by the place. Amsterdam mingles Old World Charm effortlessly with modern ingenuity. As an added bonus for us Americans, everyone speaks English. Flawlessly.

The Dutch aren't afraid to erect slick new apartments in the Old Town just beyond a clock tower dating to 1614!

Vodelpark early in the morning before the bike commute began.

We did have one small hiccup with our hotel. Obviously we booked a hotel that was pet friendly, but upon arrival we were informed that the general manager for that particular hotel had decreed that pets were not allowed to be left in the rooms unattended. This makes little sense, and this also made us a bit perturbed. After a bit of negotiating and perhaps a threat to move to the hotel next door, we were able leave the boys in the room while we went out and about. Really, do they expect people to come to Amsterdam and not visit museums, churches and historical building? I simply suggested that they no longer advertise that they are pet friendly because their policy certainly isn't. One bright note is that we were mere steps away from the Vondelpark which was a great place to get the dogs their exercise.

Old Town Amsterdam is defined by a series of concentric canals that create a wonderful framework and allow tourists to wander freely over a myriad of bridges and through ancient cobblestone streets. There really is something magical about a city on the water, and Jeni and I can certainly see why the locals consider this 'The Venice of the North'. Although they do have stiff competition :)

Getting the boys some much needed exercise and culture...

…not to mention some practice at their cool café lifestyles.

We only had two days in Amsterdam, so unfortunately some top spots were missed. I say unfortunately, but I guess this just gives us another excuse to travel back to this magnificent pearl of a city! Here's just a fraction of what there is to see…enjoy!

Firstly, there's the Dutch Royal Palace.

Then there's completely refurbished Rijksmuseum which is home to many of the greatest works from the Dutch Masters

Like Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch'…re-imagined here life-sized in bronze.

And, yes there is a bike path that goes right through the ground floor.

The old city gate at Nieuwmarkt which is now a fun little café

Of course we found a Mexican Restaurant!

And finally, it's pronounced "Gow-Dah" cheese, and it is fantastic when baked into a pastry crust!