Playing Tourists in Amsterdam

If you have to chose between Amsterdam and Atlanta for a stopover en route to Italy, is there a question? Packing in 2 days of non-stop sightseeing from sunrise to sunset, we were like two kids in one of the hippest cities in the world. 

Playing the part very well of two tourists, we hopped on a canal cruise which showed us the city by waterway. Tall, skinny (and oftentimes leaning) buildings lined the canals and gave us a glimpse of the life and history of Amsterdam. Sometimes being a tourist is an o.k. way to go if you can ignore the corny tour guide's antics (though well intentioned and well informed).

The mode of transportation was bicycles...everywhere. My favorite? Not only men in business suits on bicycles, but women in skirts and spike heels (sans helmet of course...who wants hat hair?). Bikes were equipped with special attachments to the front where 1-2 children would be wheeled off to school.

Getting around by streetcar, we made stops all over the city, experiencing the outdoor markets, the Red Light District (yes, a tourist stop indeed), the cafes (no, they did not serve coffee, but rather a pungent smelling type of cigarette...hmmm), and of course, the nightlife which made it the hippest place to be.

Tourist stop #2 was the Kuekenhoff Gardens, an hour bus ride outside of Amsterdam where acres and acres of tulips were in full bloom, complete with indoor pavilions of tulips and daffodils and an outdoor park that easily graced 5 acres. My favorite was the ribbon candy effect of the fields of cultivated tulips in the distance, with color as intense as thick paint.

Remember the song "Tiptoe through the Tulips"? See below...