Rivers & Roads

Last night we got back from an amazing four days in Amsterdam! We got really lucky and had great weather while we were there, no rain and only one cloudy day, and we were there for the warmest November 1st in 100 years! Needless to say the city was packed with tourists enjoying the last little bit of nice weather before winter comes.
The Airbnb we stayed at was amazing. The apartment was the perfect size for us, with beautiful tall ceilings, lots of light coming in, and a small little outside space to sit on. It was a bit outside of the city center but it was very easy to walk into the center or take a tram. The neighborhood was very nice, pretty quiet but with lots of hip stores and restaurants around.
On the first day, we arrived at the apartment around 1 in the afternoon so we decided to just walk from the apartment into the center and wander around for a while. Amsterdam is a pretty big city but if your willing to walk it is very manageable to get around by foot. We thought about renting bikes, but we decided against it since we both ride bikes around town in Gent all the time and I feel like you can explore a lot more but just walking.
On the second day, we went to the Museumplein where most of the larger museums in Amsterdam are located and so are the famous I Amsterdam letters are located. There is so much great art work in the city it was hard to choose which museums to go to, but I decided the Van Gogh museum was a must see. It was really great to see so much of his work all in one place, and the progression of his career is amazing, but the museum it self was VERY busy which I find takes away from the experience a bit. After that  we took a local (free) ferry across the Amstel to the northern part of the city where that docks are located. Simon had come to Amsterdam a few years ago with some friends on a skate boarding trip, so he wanted to go back to the old skatepark and check out that area again. Unfortunately the skatepark itself has since closed, but it was a really nice part of the city, much less busy and more industrial. We also managed to have a delicious hamburger and fries so that always makes the journey worth it. Later that night we went to a fancy restaurant for dinner that I had found on a great blog (Its called spottedbylocals, gives great advice for places to go in a number of different cities by people who live there!). The restaurant is just a temporary space and will close at the end of the year, so I thought it would be a fun place to check out!
On the third day, we walked through Vondel Park which is located in the center of the city just next to the Museumplein. The weather was great so we had a nice snack outside and played some frisbee. After that we took a nice "canal cruise" boat ride around the city! It was a great way to see all the sites from a new perspective and rest our feet a bit. In the evening we did some more wandering around and shopping. There are so many small little streets and hip stores all around the city, you could wander for days!
On our last day we slept in a bit and then walked from our apartment to the train station to see the city one last time. All of the canals, houseboats, and canal houses really make Amsterdam a very beautiful city. The dutch are all so advanced with their bikes, and their sleek design, it is hard not to love!  I am very glad we took four days to explore the city, and can definitely see us coming back!
Also we bought a fun little fisheye camera, but have not gotten the film developed but hopefully we can show you those soon!