Back from Amsterdam

I've been away for a couple of days, to our neighbor county Holland. Do you know, we'd never been in Amsterdam before, although it's so close to Belgium?

We left on Wednesday afternoon around two p.m. Normally we should have been there around five o'clock, but due to a train accident (what's it with train accidents, these days?) we only arrived by six. Because we had no clue how far it would be to the hotel (the Hilton, now we know it's in Amsterdam South, and can easily be reached by tram 16 or  2) we took a taxi. We could immediately check into our room, emptied our suitcase, took a shower and then headed towards the restaurant. They serve decent food there in the Hilton.

The following days we took our time in exploring the city. We took a tour on the many canals (really worth the money) because the sun was out on Thursday morning, and afterwards visited the Anne Frank house. Also we walked along the 'grachten ' (the Dutch name for the canals). On Friday we intended to see the Rijksmuseum, but when we noticed the long rows of waiting people, we decided not to waste our time unduly and alternatively went to another museum; a 17th century house along the Herengracht, which allows the visitor to see how people lived in past centuries. We also went into Madame Tussaud's and walked in Vondelpark. We found some good restaurants to dine at - Thijs at the Prinsengracht and Te Pas at Lijnbaansgracht. Also Gaucho's  (Argentinian restaurant) was more than ok. Out of these three I'd give my best marks to Te Pas. It's a small restaurant, family owned. We ordered a surprise menu, and got only the best ingredients and the most exceptional wines. Ever heard of Sauvignon Gris? And the best, we only paid 144 € for 2 people! I don't know how they do that, with all those fine ingredients and those very good wines....

I'll tell more about our trip later on and also post some pictures.