Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Amsterdam: Beware of who you give your keys to

Post Barcelona, we headed to Amsterdam to visit friends we met in Kiev.  Such good friends - they generously offered to accommodate the 5 of us + 3 other 'former Kiev expats' starting 2 days before they got home from vacation.  

Some headlines:

Leaving the house 'unchaperoned' is risky...

  • Friends will drink you beer.....


  • Even if they can't find the opener - Danes apparently know mad 'beer physics'....

  • And the best of friends will taunt you from afar...
(with pictures from in your bed)


Expat friendships run deep...
I've often compared our time in Kiev to freshman year in college. The more unfamiliar & insane the situation, the faster & deeper the bonding.

Zoe's and a BFF - Isabel - jumped right back in together....

Once again, swapping snacks....
(Zoe adores their toast with chocolate sprinkles - brought a box home)

(Zoe regularly brought our imported PB and crackers to Isabel at school)

The boys reconnected via universal boy fun...

And 12 year old humor...
(demonstrating the 'Smoking Kills' warning)

It really did feel like we just left yesterday...

Meanwhile, us ladies also picked up right where we left off....

....shopping!
(can you spot Marri, Susie & I?!)

And getting silly lost in foreign lands...
(Kelly & my walk 'to the center' found us apparently close to a penitentiary.  Reminded me of our drive around random parts of Kiev trying to find Xmas trees)

It was fab to reconnect with so many dear friends..


(Marri & Gijs really do deserve a medal for hosting 8 upon their return from vaca!)


Amsterdam just might be the most bike friendly city ever....
OK, I know I said Barcelona had cool bike lanes - but Amsterdam seriously trumps.  

With more bikes than people (~880k bikes for 810k people)...
(love the double-decker bike racks at the Metro station)

 ...and WAY more bikes than cars (only ~263k cars), this place know how to do it right...
(a bike garage instead of a car garage - fab!)

Everyone rides everywhere...
(Marri is demonstrating being an attentive rider - but riding while smoking and / or texting was a fairly common site)


Crazy cool architecture...
While they don't have a wacky Gaudi, everything in Amsterdam is just cool looking.  The Nemo Exploratorium is seriously whack...

Zoom in and you'll see the roof is a fab water feature / play area

Local kids came donning swim suits

Inside is more standard hands-on fun...


Seriously Progressive Attitudes...
Given its Red Light District fame, the Dutch open mindedness is not too surprising.   However, some of the exhibits at the kid-centric Exploratorium reminded me just how different it is from the USA

A sciency exhibit about cells & DNA included a naked Barbie & Ken....

And a full on 'All about Sex' exhibit geared to educate kids...

Starting with the chance to be a tongue in a french kiss...

Followed by a display of a variety of positions...
...even included racial diversity in the 'models'


Big shoes to fill...
Add all that to the amazingly beautiful canals...

Loads of art...

Charming markets....

And entertaining bottle return machines..
 (Yes - we brought a rolly suitcase to the store)

Amsterdam leaves other cities with big shoes to fill
(hahahahaha!)


After almost a week, we knew it was time to give our hosts their house back...

...especially when the neighbors' noise complaint came penned in English
 


Here's to a fab city & even better friends



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