Well, we have some pictures so we must have spent some time in Amsterdam. Oh yeah, we dropped the car off in Amsterdam so we must have been there.
We actually arrived in Amsterdam about 4:30 PM and found out by phone that the drop off location had closed at 4:00. Damn. This meant we had to drive right into downtown Amsterdam (highly not recommended) where our hotel was and pay 40 Euro to park for one day (like $65). We parked the car and walked several blocks dragging our luggage to our Hotel, the Die Port Van Cleve. This was by far the most expensive place we stayed in the whole trip ($250 avg per night), but with some of the reviews we had read on Amsterdam hotels, we wanted to make sure we had a clean place to crash. I will say in no way shape or form did it reflect the price other than the location which was awesome. We were just a block away from Dam Square and close to the red light district and walked almost everywhere the whole trip. We were given a room at the back of the hotel at first, but luckily the shower didn’t work correctly so we were moved to a room along the front of the hotel with a great view of the street and the church across the street.
After we checked in, the rest of the night was a bit of a blur. I do know we woke up with this on our camera so it must have been some exceptional Chinese food from Wok to Walk.
The next morning we headed to the drop off location which had unfortunately recently moved from the old address I had for it. Luckily one of the businesses next door told us where they had moved to and we dropped our baby off. Here is what our computer said:
23.2 MPG considering how fast we drove on the Autobahn was really good I think! 1441 miles that we will never forget.
We took a cab back to the train station and walked back to our hotel which was a few blocks from the central station. I am not sure if it runs all the time, but there was a big carnival at the Dam Square with all sorts of cool looking rides. With the cold weather and the scaredy cat that Craddock is, we didn’t ride any of them, but I know the food they had there was awesome (chocolate drizzled mini belgian waffles and hot sugar coated pecans.)
One day we were walking down the street and saw the strangest vehicle I have ever seen in my life. Imagine a U shaped bar, but instead of barstools around the bar, they are bicycle seats. And the 10 people sitting around the bar (with beers and a bartender in the middle) are pedaling to make the whole bar move along the street. I couldn’t get the camera up fast enough since I was so amazed, but I got a shot as it went away. I actually have seen this recently in an Amstel commercial on TV too.
I know one morning I woke with an incredible craving for pancakes so we went somewhere called the pancake house or something and found out that their idea of pancakes are more like crepes. I had a thing called Carousel and I can’t even calculate how many calories are in it. I do know that I ate it all.
The next 3 days all blur together a bit between the Heinekens, the eating and everything else. It was a good idea to drop the car off upon arrival for sure. I liken Amsterdam to a real life Sodom and Gomorrah. It is hard to believe a spot exists in the world where you can have a beer, smoke up, take mushrooms, visit a hooker and it is all legal. I can’t imagine how folks who live here permanently function.
On our final day we took a boat tour through the canals which was pretty fun. Some sights we saw along the way:
Our last stop was the Van Gogh Museum which was very cool. When you see a Van Gogh in person, you really appreciate the depth of the paintings and can see how heavy the brush strokes are and how much paint he used. They have a neat installation ourside of the museum as well next to a huge public park.
We took the train to the airport the next day and regrettably our trip was complete.
We have been lucky enough over the years to have several “trips of a lifetime,” and this is one I will always look back on fondly. Our advice to anyone thinking about doing a BMW European Delivery would be “Do It!” The memories you create will stay with you long after the car has come and gone.