Amsterdam Arrival

Our trip to Amsterdam had a shaky start. We arrived at the train station in Frankfort to find that our train had been canceled. There were heavy rains along the way and the tracks were flooded in places. So the work-around was four trains and a few added hours. When we arrived at our first change over in Cologne, they had busses waiting to take us the remainder of the way. This was better than three more train transfers, but still took us as long since we had to wait for other trains to arrive before we could leave.

When we did arrive the city was bright and sunny and waiting to be explored.

Nemo is a large building that looks like the deck of a ship. It houses the science museum.

And the train station is beautiful old Europe.

We decided on a snack and a wander before dinner.

There was one building that fascinated us. It was a shopping mall but had obviously been built for another purpose. After asking around we found that this was originally the main post office. Letters never had it so good.

There is a beautiful monument in the center of the square.

And then it was off to the Red Light District for a stroll. We took a tour later, but we had to have a peek to start. Shopping is unique in Amsterdam. Coffee houses and bars have a whole new meaning, the condom shop was quite interesting and the little shops along the way are also special.

Yes, those are condoms. However our tour guide later suggested that these be for souvenir purposes only. He said especially don't try to use the one with the Eiffel Tower on top!

The canals and side streets gave us a good hint as to what other treasures the city has to offer.

After a dinner of local cuisine (not an especially tasty place to eat except for some of the sweets), we headed for our hotel and a good night's rest. At 11 PM it was still not totally dark!