Day 1: Landing and Staying at the Brouwer House

View of street heading towards the Dam.
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Day 1:

We arrived in Amsterdam and sat in the airport for one hour before buying tickets for the train Amsterdam. We arrived at 7:00 am and knew that check in at the Brouwer house was not until 1:00. The tickets were easily bought (15 euros for 4) at the main entrance of the Airport (do this before you go downstairs to the rail platform). The trip to downtown Amsterdam takes about 20 minutes. Once we arrived at the Amsterdam Centraal Station we took a taxi to the Hotel. This really wasn't necessary since the hotel was very close by. We walked around and had breakfast at a Turkish place around the corner (we had uitsmijter - fried eggs on bread). We passed our time sitting in various courtyards, ate herring, and generally wandered in a jet lag haze. We eventually took a canal tour (Lovers). We were so tired. By the end of the tour we checked in. Hotel Brouwer is a clean centrally located hotel. It has a very cosy (re: gezelig) atmosphere. A very small elevator will take you to the upper floors. Its a modern elevator, I was picturing something with wrought iron - like a bird cage. Our room was on the top floor. Very nice view out onto the canal. We ate at a indonesian restuarant nearby (Sie Joe), where it was relatively inexpensive, but no liquor license. Afterwards we sat at the Dam square, sipped coffee, and commented on how much garbage was strewn about. We took my parents home and we walked along the canals. This is when we noticed how near our hotel was near to a small red light district. Red lights were in the back alley, creating a interesting ambiance. We sat at a nearby cafe and ordered some bierjes. We finished and headed off to bead. Tomorrow we explore Amsterdam a little further.

View of gable from room.
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zzzzz.