"I spent a lost weekend at a hotel in Amsterdam"

are you??? :-)
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When we arrived at the train station in Amsterdam it was buzzing with young people.  Much livelier than Brussels.  We found a map, jumped on tram 14 and headed to our Hostel.

We knew the Hostel  had just opened and would be clean, but the place was hip as well.  It was massive inside. The dining hall looked more like a trendy Manhattan restaurant.  We dumped our stuff on our bunk-beds and were eager to hit the town! We walked around for a few hours(which we tend to do when we arrive in every city) strolling along the canals and taking in the city.  We settled at an outside cafe on the canal for some dinner and a Heineken of course!  After we walked some more, we started a bit of a pub crawl and hit a coffeeshop as well. We wandered around the red light district grinning and laughing.  We were impressed by how hot the girlies are....ya can´t beat legalization.  We debated on taking in a live show but the giggles and the price made us think otherwise.

a view from the canal cruise we took.
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We woke early the next day and headed straight for the Anne Frank House.  You are able to walk through the annex were the family lived for two years. Such an emotional experience.

After we hopped on a canal boat tour on the canals. It was a great way to see the city.  All the buildings lining the canals have such character. many in bright colors and leaning a bit too! It´s a uniquely beautiful city.  I love it!  We hopped off the boat and hit the Vincent Van Gogh museum.  Dare I say Dave enjoyed it!  We had lunch in the museum cafe before heading to the Heineken Brewery.  We learned all about the green bottles and were given 3 glasses for sampling (licking  lips).....aaahhhh!  So why stop there?  Next we settling into a pub to watch Man Utd play Reading and have a few more.  We finished our day  at Wagamama´s for some spicy asian food.

i love heineken!!!!
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One of the coolest things about Amsterdam is that everyone rides bikes. You have to be be on the look out at all times.  The bicycles come at ya from every direction! We sat outside at a few pubs just watch the bikes go by.  It is a big part of the culture. We saw people with bags full of shopping on their bikes; people going to and from work; girls dressed in heels and dresses and couples doubled up with one riding on the back, all heading for a night out on their bikes.

my perfect drum kit!!!
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The 3rd day we toured Ajax Arena. Our guide was entertainingly bias about the team!  We were on the side lines, in the pressroom in the stands and security room.  We ended the tour in the Club Museum, where I took the photo of Dave in front of all the European Cups.

We then walked about the city a little more before heading back to the Hostel to pack for Berlin...