Amsterdam: The Return

And last but not least in Holland, one final day in Amsterdam with (Aunt) Monisha and Erik. It was a totally different experience from our first day in Amsterdam with just the two of us. Firstly we went to completely different sections of the city. But also, Monisha and Erik were giving us their insider knowledge and little tidbits along the way which they know from having lived there for years. We even got to see the houseboat that they lived on until Sabine was 1.5 years old (when they moved to Zeist). We walked along the Amstel River for awhile. We saw the Blue Bridge and the Thin Bridge. We walked past the crazy expensive Amstel hotel where celebrities stay, the Carre Theatre, the posh part of town, and the National Dutch bank that sits over a huge pile of Holland’s gold.

(Aunt) Monisha found out about a new South Indian restaurant in Amsterdam which she told us she’s been dreaming about for the past few days. Lucky for us, that was our lunch stop! Oh gosh it was so good. Monisha and Erik have their 34th wedding anniversary on Thursday, and Monisha told Erik they just might be coming back here then :)

At some little square, we saw some people playing chess on an enormous chess board. The skill level wasn't particularly high, but many of the spectators were.

We also wandered through a famous flea market and a big street market. We bought a pair of shoes! Wooden Dutch shoes! Tiny wooden fridge magnet Dutch shoes!

Then we went to the Rijksmuseum. The most famous paintings there include the Night’s Watch by Rembrandt, Van Gogh’s self-portrait, and the milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer. I [N] really enjoyed wandering the halls of my first European art museum.

And to finish off the evening, round two of getting stoned with (Aunt) Monisha and Erik ;)