Keith actually had work to do while we were in Amsterdam, so Kelly and I planned to spend some time on our own. We had great plans for early days filled with sight-seeing, but between the time change and not having kids to wake us up early, we didn’t get up quite as early as we’d hoped most days. Our first full day in Amsterdarm didn’t begin until after noon. We wanted to catch one of Keith’s talks that day, so between our late start and having to be back at the hotel for Keith’s session by 4, we didn’t venture too far.
We hit the fair again, this time for some waffles (which became my favorite food of the whole trip… they weren’t quite as good as real Belgian waffles from Belgium, but they were close… especially with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries!), then just walked around the city looking for the Anne Frank House and ducking in to many of the little shops. Surprisingly, most shops and attractions close by 6pm, so after Keith’s talk we stuck around for the big SpringSource mixer, and got to hang out with my Fancy-friend Jill, who had arrived that afternoon.
After the fun-filled mixer where we helped ourselves to a couple of bottles of wine, Jill, Colin & Nina, Kelly, Keith, and I headed out to see the crazy part of Amsterdam- the Red Light District. Being a Monday night, it was pretty slow, but fun to see with everyone else. While walking through the Red Light District (which we aren't allowed to take pictures of out of "respect" for the um... girls in the windows), we noticed these large, tall cylinders on the street. We came to find out later that they were urinals, only there was no where for the pee to go. So basically, guys just peed on the wall and it ran out into the street. Yum. Anyway, we hung around the Red Light District for a little while checking out the shops, before we stopped for some coffee and cake.
It was getting late so Colin & Nina headed back to their hotel, but the rest of us hit the fair for some munchies and to check out the ferris wheel. That thing was HUGE, and the view from up there was beautiful.
Enjoy the pictures of our first couple of days in Amsterdam!
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