Amsterdams!

So after a very early start and a very short flight we landed in the Netherlands on Monday to brilliant weather and tulips in bloom. After crepes for lunch we attempted the Anne Frank house (museum) but the line down the street and round corner put us off but the museum was open till 9pm so we checked in at hotel (a tiny rickety affair built in the 1670's with a broken window!) and opted for a canal tour first. Took a little longer than we expected so had to leg it to the museum before closing without stopping for dinner! After the museum we grabbed a Dutch specialty to eat on the way home - a giant cone of french fries smothered in mayonnaise!

On Tuesday we started out by heading to the Hortus Botanicus, the worlds oldest botanical garden. It was smaller than expected (like most buildings in Amsterdam!) but had a cute butterfly house and some 300 year old cycads that Julian would love. We then made our way to the Van Gough Museum, which has a large collection of his original works. Afterwards we met Cee's friends Natalia 'let me just get my bearings' Kirwan who came out for dinner with us and took us of a tour on the red light district.

Today we started with the Rijksmuseum (pronounced Rikes- Museum), the queue was epically long and Cee had some trouble but she was determined to get through it! The museum houses a large collection mostly of Flemish Masters like Rembrandt and Vermeer but has a small range of other artifacts like a collection of early firearms and a room full of miniature ships. After having lunch at Natalia's Kiwi-themed cafe 'we' are now shopping. Amsterdam has lots of vintage shops so Cee is in her Element - and I have time to have a coffee and update the blog!