We decided to stay in town for Thanksgiving and have friends come visit, but we had already decided to take an RTT tour to Amsterdam. It was an exhausting day but pretty fun! We aren't huge tour people because sometimes its cheaper to do things on your own, but sometimes it's convenient. I am thankful that we have a few tour companies around here to choose from and save the hassle of planning a trip!
The tour was a 24 hour trip and only about $100 per person, which included transportation, a guide, a boat tour, and breakfast at a Dutch Farm. We had to arrive at the meeting point at 1:00 A.M. We arrived at the Dutch farm at around 7:00 A.M. for a brief cheese making demonstration and a wonderful breakfast. We had fresh cheeses, coffee, juice, toast, eggs, and some cold cuts. After breakfast, the owner showed us how he makes the Dutch wooden shoes. He has been making them since he was young and still continues to do so! It was really neat to hear all about their traditions and see the process of making the shoes.
From the farm, we headed into Amsterdam and arrived at about 10:30 am. We took a 1 hour canal cruise, which was beautiful, but we were so exhausted we did start to fall asleep. The tour ended after the canal cruise and gave us about 8 hours in Amsterdam on our own. I like this kind of tour because it allows you to choose what you want to see and not be at the mercy of a tour guide.
I had our handy Rick Steves Amsterdam book to help us get around and of course had the
Amsterdam map pulled up on both of our iPhones for quick reference. Our first order of business was finding lunch. We found a cute pub recommended by Rick and fueled up. We explored the Jordan neighborhood, flea markets, the flower markets, the city center, and of course the Red Light District. Ryan brags that he was winked at by a lady of the night. Ryan wanted to go into a torture museum. We found it and saw that there was no line and it wasn't even mentioned in any of our tour books or maps. He still wanted to pay the 7 Euro to enter and of course it was disappointing. But, no we can tell you to not waste your time or money on that. We almost went into the Sex Museum for 5 Euro and it was deemed "interesting" by Rick, but we didn't have time and I just decided I didn't really need to see any of that! We saw the Anne Frank House, but didn't buy tickets in advance. That was my only regret when visiting Amsterdam. The city also has some great museums if that kind of thing interests you. We snacked on coffee and waffles and then found a quaint place for dinner.
Overall, I enjoyed Amsterdam. It was cold, but the Christmas lights were up and musicians were playing on the side walks. It's a pretty city and very easy to walk around. In the warmer months, I would recommend renting bikes and exploring the city like the locals. We made our way back to the
I had our handy Rick Steves Amsterdam book to help us get around and of course had the
Amsterdam map pulled up on both of our iPhones for quick reference. Our first order of business was finding lunch. We found a cute pub recommended by Rick and fueled up. We explored the Jordan neighborhood, flea markets, the flower markets, the city center, and of course the Red Light District. Ryan brags that he was winked at by a lady of the night. Ryan wanted to go into a torture museum. We found it and saw that there was no line and it wasn't even mentioned in any of our tour books or maps. He still wanted to pay the 7 Euro to enter and of course it was disappointing. But, no we can tell you to not waste your time or money on that. We almost went into the Sex Museum for 5 Euro and it was deemed "interesting" by Rick, but we didn't have time and I just decided I didn't really need to see any of that! We saw the Anne Frank House, but didn't buy tickets in advance. That was my only regret when visiting Amsterdam. The city also has some great museums if that kind of thing interests you. We snacked on coffee and waffles and then found a quaint place for dinner.
Overall, I enjoyed Amsterdam. It was cold, but the Christmas lights were up and musicians were playing on the side walks. It's a pretty city and very easy to walk around. In the warmer months, I would recommend renting bikes and exploring the city like the locals. We made our way back to the
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