Sigo Journeys-- Where to Next?

Amsterdam is sometimes called the Venice of the North because of the canals which divide the city into ninety small islands, linked together by more than a thousands bridges.

Sat, 8/11: We arrived in Amsterdam at 6am after a long stopover in Minneapolis. We were able to use miles to travel in Business Class, so that eased the long flight. We took the short train ride from AMS to the Central Station. We spent the day wandering the narrow streets and canals.

That night we took an evening canal cruise throughout the city. The tour served Dominos pizza (yes! Dominos pizza!) unlimited Heineken (or any other alcoholic beverage that you may desire), and finished with Ben & Jerry's ice cream. I wonder if the pizza cruise is a big joke to the folks that cruised the canals. We got several people that were pointing and saying "pizza cruise!!!" (do it in a Netherlander accent) and waving hysterically. I waved back at the passersby-- (it's the considerate thing to do!) Despite how friendly the wavers looked, our poor server looked rather embarrassed, as I am sure it is a daily occurence. The entire experience may sound kinda lame, but we were able to enjoy the canals without the crowds, eating good pizza and drinking beer! It was really a great time!

Sun, 8/12: The next morning, we headed out to the Heineken brewery brewery. It was a self guided tour where you walk through several rooms that show how the beer is made. Two bars are within the brewery. The entry fee included 3 beers and a free gift. The drinks we full size, not just tastings. We were able to enjoy the beers in the ambiance of a sleek bar, complete with trendy music and flat screen TVs. The gift was a aluminum beer can that had a bottle opener in it. Nice!

We took the canal bus to the Anne Frank House. The building in which she and her family hid during World War II and the German occupation of Holland, has been turned into a museum. I read the book before attending the museum. It was such an amazing story... now one of my favorite books of all time.

We walked to a "pancake house" and enjoyed crepes topped with strawberries, chocolates and whipped cream al fresco along the canal. We went to Thai Butterfly for dinner, on the edge of the Red Light district. We walked in to a suspicious proposition between a large breasted Asian woman (really!) at the bar and several American-looking young men. Another man at the bar was pawing her while she was apparently discussing "business". We were wondering if this place was a real restaurant or just a facade for some "other" business. We decided to stay and have dinner. The only thing keeping us there was the restaurant reviews and another set of diners: a family of 4 sitting adjacent to us. The food was very good, and, as the night went on, the restaurant filled up with "real" patrons and the LBA woman and her entourage moved to a table at the bar.

Mon, 8/13: We decided to take the train to Den Hague and then a local train to the nearby beach town of Scheveningen. We found a terrace overlooking the beach at a resort and enjoyed some coffee while enjoying the scenery and reading until the afternoon. We walked along the boardwalk and had some tapas at a beachside restaurant before heading back.

We dined at Nooch, an asian bistro on the main drag near our hotel. I ordered Vietnamese noodle soup-- pho---which was recommended as "Very nice" by the waiter. Not very nice compared to Houston standards.... But Houston has the best pho worldwide....

Tues, 8/14: We scheduled a coach tour to Belgium (Brussels and Antwerp) for the next day. It was a 11 hour tour, and 11 hour tour... It was a nice diversion and we were able to see another country without much headache of figuring out the train schedules and arranging transportation. The tour guide was very informative. We stopped in Antwerp first, walking in the square and tasting some creamy Belgian chocolates. We only had a hour on our own, which we used grabbing an al fresco lunch at the square.

Our next stop was Brussels, where we stopped at the local hero's statue: a little boy peeing. We stopped to try the famous Belgian waffles topped with fruit and whipped cream. It was bigger than my head, and totally delicious!

We strolled among the buildings in the square and picked up some Belgian chocolates for our families. Then stopped by a local bar that had outdoor seating to try some Belgian beer. We ordered the beer tasting which was five different Belgian beers and and a side of cheeses. My favorite was the cherry beer, which I wondered whether we can get it at our local Specs.

Wed, 8/15: We left Amsterdam in the morning, heading on our next leg: Ireland. Amsterdam was an amazing place, with its narrow homes along the canals. I dream of returning, staying for a longer stretch. I have already done research for our extended future vacation on a houseboat.